Latte sippers rejoice: Starbucks just started taking mobile payments in Canada

Starting today, Toronto’s latte-sipping elite will be able to get their caffeine fix that much more quickly with the Canadian release of Starbucks’ new iPhone app. The app works in concert with the coffee chain’s Starbucks Cards, allowing users to load the card’s value into the phone and then tap the phone at stores to make payments. It’s also possible to reload the balance using a credit card, practise building a “virtual beverage” (presumably to allay front-of-the-line anxiety) and search for jobs at nearby branches. The service was rolled out in the U.S. earlier this year and will be available on Android and BlackBerry phones in the future. And while we have our doubts about whether mobile payments will actually be any faster, at least the new app might cut back on customers prattling away on their phones while at the front of the line.