The lines at Starbucks are infamous — you can be stuck in one for half an hour, especially if you make the mistake of stopping in on your way to work. After all, baristas can only make complicated orders so fast. But what if there were a way to let your barista know that you wanted a frappuccino with extra whipped cream before you even stepped through the door? Prepare yourselves, coffee addicts — Starbucks has finally introduced a mobile app update that lets you order your morning latte and skip the line.
Updated on 06-16-2015 by Malarie Gokey: Added news that the Starbucks mobile order option is now available at 4,000 stores and several new states.
The only downside to this amazing development is that Starbucks Mobile Order & Pay app update only works for iPhone users in in select cities right now. Starbucks has added mobile orders to many states and locations since it first launched in December in Portland, Oregon. Now, you can order your favorite frappuccino with the app and pick it up ready made at 4,000 stores in several states, including Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, and Wyoming. So far, Starbucks is still snubbing New Yorkers, much to our chagrin.
If you’re one of the lucky people who lives in these states and owns an iPhone, you can download the app on the iOS App Store and start ordering your cup of Joe with the app. Starbucks says it will roll out the app nationwide in 2015, and promises the Android app will be updated before that happens.
The coffee chain integrated mobile orders and payments into its existing mobile app, so it works with the My Starbucks Rewards loyalty program. So far, Apple Pay isn’t supported by the app, but it seems likely that it will be soon, as Starbucks is listed as a future partner on Apple’s website. It’s unclear whether Google Wallet and other mobile payment apps will work with the Starbucks app in the future.
Regardless of whether or not mobile payment apps integrate into Starbucks’ new mobile order and pay feature, it should still make getting a cup of Joe easier and faster. Here’s how it works:
- Download the latest version of the Starbucks app from the App Store
- Open the app and click on Order at the top right of the screen
- Select your drink and customize it just like you would in the cafe
- Select your favorite Starbucks location (you can also check wait times at different cafes to get your coffee faster and the app will give directions)
- Confirm purchase by tapping order, and you’ll pay with your registered Starbucks Card
- Head to the Starbucks cafe you selected and pick up your order
If there’s any confusion when you go to pick up your order, you simply say your name and mention that you placed a mobile order. Your Starbucks barista will then hand over your drink and whatever else you ordered as soon as it’s ready.