Costa lets customers make payments with their coffee cups

Costa's £15 reusable coffee cup has a bPay contactless payment chip built into its base
TAP: Costa’s £15 reusable coffee cup has a bPay contactless payment chip built into its base

The UK’s largest coffee shop chain has teamed up with Barclaycard to put a contactless payment chip in a reusable drinks cup, allowing customers to pay up to £30 anywhere contactless cards are accepted with just a tap of their cup.

Costa Coffee's Clever CupThe Costa Coffee Clever Cup, available now from the chain’s 2,300 UK outlets for £14.99 (US$19.21), has a Barclaycard bPay contactless chip built into its silicone rubber base.

The Clever Cups are the coffee chain’s latest initiative to encourage customers to use reusable cups instead of single-use takeaway cups. Because the cups use standard contactless payment technology, they can be used anywhere other open-loop contactless cards work, including to tap on and off public transportation such as London’s tubes and buses.

“Today’s shoppers are looking for seamless and ‘to hand’ ways to pay,” says Barclaycard’s Rob Morgan. “Our wearable chip technology allows almost any accessory to be transformed into a smart payment device, unlocking the benefits of speed and ease in everyday purchases.”

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