Starbucks mobile payment expanded

Well that didn't take long. Buying a cup of coffee, tea, Frappuccino or anything else in Starbucks just got easier. The Starbucks Card Mobile app has gone national.

I used my iPhone to buy a new 30-ounce trenta-sized iced tea at the Starbucks nearest my home. All aspects of my purchase worked smoothly, just as they had a few weeks ago when Starbucks and Target stores teamed up to test the new system.

I placed my order, launched the app and got to the "make payment" screen. Then I held my phone in front of a blinking bar-code scanner to complete the sale.

After reloading the payment screen, I saw my new balance. All of this took less than 30 seconds. The baristas were pretty knowledgeable about the mobile app; they helped me use the app to complete the sale and reload money on my Starbucks card.

Since my Starbucks card and mobile app are tied to a Visa card, I was awarded a $5 bonus by Visa for reloading with the app. That paid for the tea I was drinking, and almost another one.

The mobile app is available for iPhones and BlackBerrys; no word yet on whether there will be an Android version.

Keep your Starbucks card handy for the drive-through window, as the mobile app isn't accepted at the window yet. The manager on duty said customers aren't permitted to hand their phones to the barista with the headset, but the company is working on a solution.

It's a safe bet that more merchants will enable mobile payments soon.