This will work while we all wait for the Near-Field Communication chips to become commonplace in all phones.
We’ve covered the green lady’s apps before, and it was about eight months ago that the company expanded a small pilot program in Seattle and Silicon Valley to all of their caffeine-dispensing outlets in U.S. Target stores. Now you can pay for your Venti Double-Shot Caramel Macchiato by simply waving your iPhone — loaded with the Starbucks app — at that emo teenage barista who is trying very hard to look intellectual and off-put.
The payment system doesn’t use Bluetooth or Wi-Fi to send your bank account numbers to Starbucks headquarters. Instead, the app is linked to your Starbucks Card account, and you use it to display a barcode that is unique to your account. Point that at the scanner in your Starbucks, and your digital wallet becomes magically lighter.