Coffee chain Starbucks has extended its mobile payments trial to around 300 stores in New York City and Long Island.
The chain introduced its Starbucks Card Mobile App for iPhones and select BlackBerrys last year. It is currently available in 16 outlets in Seattle and Northern California and at more than 1000 Starbucks in US Target stores.
Now customers in New York can also download the free app which uses a barcode on the handset screen that is held in front of a 2-D scanner on the counter to pay for purchase.
The app also allows customers to manage their card account, reload their balance directly from their smartphone, check their My Starbucks Rewards status and find nearby stores.
Brady Brewer, VP, card and loyalty, Starbucks, says: "Mobile technology is part of our customers' daily routine and with the expansion of mobile payment in our test cities, we're seeing more and more customers using their smartphones as their mobile wallets."
Separately, the company has responded to requests to let customers load Starbucks cards using PayPal. The system can now be used online and will soon be an option via mobile phones.