Starbucks expands mobile payment system to BlackBerry

Starbucks is introducing its mobile payment app to BlackBerry smart phones in the US.

First developed for the iPhone, the app allows customers to load their prepaid Starbucks cards directly onto their smart phones. At the register, the phone produces a bar code on its screen, which is then read by special scanners in the payment terminal.

With both Apple and BlackBerry on board, Starbucks now boasts a mobile payment system covering 70% of smart phone users in its customer base. 35 percent of all smart phone users own a BlackBerry, with Apple and Android trailing at 28% and 13%, respectively.

Starbucks’ investment in BlackBerry acknowledges that many people willing to use their phones for transactions will likely be carrying company-issue BlackBerrys.