Soon, you’ll be able to buy fried chicken and coffee using only your watch.
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Apple launched the payment service a year ago and has claimed 2015 would be the “year of Apple Pay” as it aggressively courts retailers. One of the issues of adding loyalty programs like these is that it often requires an upgrade to the point-of-sale terminal so the process will likely take a few time.
Starbucks already has a hugely successful mobile payments service built into its own app, which accounts for 20 percent of all Starbucks in-store transactions.
If you’re an Apple Pay fan and a caffeine fiend, you’re in luck. In Chili’s, customers will be able to pay for their food directly at their tables using Apple Pay.
KFC and Chili’s restaurants also will begin accepting Apple Pay in 2016, she said at the Re/code technology conference in Half Moon Bay, California. What’s still unclear is if Starbucks orders paid for with Apple Pay will count toward the Starbucks customer loyalty program like purchases made with the Starbucks app and Apple Wallet app do.
Bailey declined to comment whether Starbucks customers who use Apple Pay will earn Starbucks rewards for those transactions. Given the popularity of Starbucks, Apple Pay availability at the chain could be a major boon for Apple.
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“I have to say in the past year of working on Apple Pay we’ve see a sea change in momentum around acceptance at the merchant level”, Bailey said.
