Costa Coffee Launches UK’s First Contactless Reusable ‘Clever Cup’
Costa Coffee has partnered with Barclaycard to launch the United Kingdom’s first reusable contactless coffee cup. Now Available in Costa Coffee stores, the Clever Cup harnesses contactless payment technology to turn customers’ reusable coffee cups into a fast and convenient way to pay.
Powered by bPay by Barclaycard technology, Clever Cup users can track their spending, top up their balance, and take control to block or cancel the contactless payment element online or using the dedicated bPay app, available on iPhone and Android devices.
The Clever Cups form part of Costa Coffee’s wider re-launch of its ‘next generation’ reusable range, encouraging customers to use reusable cups instead of single-use takeaway cups. This follows Dunstable, England-based Costa Coffee’s announcement in April to pledge to recycle 500 million takeaway cups by 2020.
Sold in packaging made from recycled coffee cups, the Clever Cup features a silicon base and contactless chip, which is detachable for ease of washing. The technology within the cup can be used wherever customers see the contactless symbol and not just Costa Coffee stores.
“Contactless technology has become increasingly prominent in our daily lives and through the launch of the new Costa/Barclaycard Clever Cup we hope to appeal to those tech-savvy customers to help facilitate and drive environmentally friendly behavior,” says Jason Cotta, managing director at Costa Coffee. “Whilst we are committed to ensuring more takeaway coffee cups are recovered and recycled, we also want to incentivise and reward customers who help reduce the number of takeaway cups being wasted. We already offer a 25p discount on hot drinks in all our stores for customers using reusable cups and hope the innovative Clever Cup will become an additional incentive for increasing the use of reusable cups.”
Rob Morgan, head of sales and partnerships at Barclays adds, “Today’s shoppers are looking for seamless and ‘to hand’ ways to pay. 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. We’re proud to be working with Costa Coffee to give the UK another compelling reason to carry a reusable cup as part of their daily routine.”
The new Clever Cup is priced at £14.99, with a £1 donation from every sale going to The Costa Foundation. The Clever Cup rolled out to all Costa Coffee outlets across the UK in late November.
The Costa Foundation is a registered charity with a mission to improve the life chances of boys and girls in coffee growing communities by providing the opportunity of a safe, quality education. The charity’s vision is to eradicate poverty in coffee growing communities. The Costa Foundation has funded the building of 80 school projects in ten countries. For more information, visit: https://www.costafoundation.com/.
Barclaycard, part of Barclays Bank PLC, is a leading global payment business that helps consumers, retailers and businesses to make and take payments flexibly, and to access short-term credit and point-of-sale finance.
bPay is a pre-paid contactless device and app that works with most UK registered Visa or MasterCard, debit or credit card, not just Barclays or Barclaycard. bPay devices can be used to make fast, secure contactless payments of up to £30 wherever you see the contactless symbol. The bPay app allows users to add up to 10 bPay devices to a single bPay account and control/view their spend. bPay is owned by Barclays Bank UK PLC.
