Starbucks: Moving Us Towards a Cashless Society

It seems like cash is disappearing from the planet. I have been known to family and friends to be generally cashless, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want to buy a drink on a plane with a $10 bill. And it doesn’t mean I don’t have money, right?

As time goes by, less and less attention is given to cash and its importance when it comes to just having money. When you pay with cash, the only error is blatant human error right in front of your eyes; mathematical errors, simple enough to spot, on the spot. Nobody can say there was a technological error, nobody can tell you the transaction didn’t go through – cash is cash. Or, cash was cash.

Now you will see people using their smartphones as credit cards. “Touchless” credit cards. Instead of needing to pull out the card and swipe it through a slider, you can simply wave your smart phone over a reader and your payment will be made.

Even Starbucks has a new payment app coming your way. Instead of needing to use that old Starbucks reloadable payment card, you can just reload your account on your phone. When you want to pay for coffee, simply pull out your smartphone, open the app, and allow the Starbucks employee to scan your unique barcode. When you want to reload the card, just do it online with your phone.

I have no problem using a card; it’s quicker, easier, and overall a better process than using cash. But when cash is no longer an option, it feels a little unsettling. When all of your money is placed somewhere you can’t tangibly see or touch, it feels like everything you’ve worked for can be taken from you in a moment of technical error.

And sometimes, I just want to have some extra cash in case something goes wrong, or if I really really want something.. There are still establishments that only accept cash!

You should let us know what you think about the new Starbucks system when it’s released. We are very curious, but none of us visit Starbucks enough to validate the use of the system. Maybe, in time, we will start waving our smartphones at the clerk when we are ready to purchase our Vitamin Water and Pretzels.