Advertisement
Business

Starbucks upgrades iPhone app to allow digital tipping

By Tiffany Hsu
Share

Starbucks customers using the company’s iPhone app will be able to show some love to their baristas by tipping them through their smartphones starting March 19.

The Seattle coffee giant enhanced its mobile app for Apple’s iOS system to allow digital tipping at more than 7,000 company-owned stores in the U.S. Customers will be able to tip 50 cents, $1 or a maximum of $2.

The company said the service was the upgrade most suggested by its customers online. Starbucks plans to rehash the Android version of its app later this year.

Advertisement

More than 11% of Starbucks purchases are made with a mobile device, the company said. Nearly 10 million patrons use the chain’s mobile app.

Starbucks said it also spruced up other elements of its iPhone app, which allows for mobile payment, store locating and Starbucks Card reloading.

Customers now also have access to a function called “Shake to Pay.” Shaking the smartphone pulls up the barcode of the customer’s Starbucks Card, making for a faster mobile transaction.

More to Read

Business
Tiffany Hsu

Tiffany Hsu is a former staff writer for the Los Angeles Times. Previously, she wrote about the California economy, fast food, restaurants, retail and alternative energy for the Business section. A Bay Area native, UC Berkeley graduate and eternal Nor-Cal fan, she once worked for the San Francisco Bay Guardian. She also did a stint at the Richmond Times-Dispatch, where she developed a passion for sweet tea. She still has faith that someday she’ll find two economists who agree.

More From the Los Angeles Times

Advertisement