We love Apple Pay and Android Pay, not just because of their convenience, but because tapping to pay for something with our phones still feels suitably futuristic. Giving money to charity is also a great feeling, and now there’s the chance to combine the two together, thanks to something called Lunchbox. Think of it as the modern, digital equivalent of dropping some spare change into a charity bucket.
The Lunchbox is a small, square contactless payment terminal designed to sit on the counter of a convenience store, cafe, local shop, or in just about any environment where people go to pay for something. It works with Apple Pay, Android Pay, and with contactless credit and debit cards, and is a super fast way to contribute to a worthy cause. Created by marketing agency Earnest Labs and payment tech company Payter, a simple tap of the Lunchbox currently donates 30 pence (that’s about 43 cents) to the charity Mary’s Meals.
What does this buy? Apparently, it’s enough for five school meals for the poorest children around the world. Mary’s Meals runs school meal programs for more than 1.1 million children in places such as India, Haiti, Malawi, and Liberia. The charity says that by providing a daily meal in school, it attracts hungry children to the classroom, where they can gain an education to build a better future. Truly life-changing.
The Lunchbox took six months to develop, according to Earnest Labs, after the question of why there wasn’t an easier way for people to do good charitable deeds when picking up lunch was posed to them. Now, Lunchbox charitable donation terminals have been placed at a series of popular lunchtime locations in London, where it’s hoped people will tap away as they grab their own food. There’s no pressure, it’s fast, and there’s no need to have any change in your pocket. It even lets us tech fans enjoy using mobile contactless payments at the same time.
Would you tap the Lunchbox if one was on the counter at your favorite lunch venue?