In the name of social payment progress, Jonathan Stark, a programmer and writer, is experimenting with social sharing of physical goods using digital currency from his mobile Starbucks Card. The card has money on it so you can scan it off any Starbucks outlet for a cup of coffee. You can download the card here.
While Jonathan is offering his own wallet for a cup of coffee, he wants users to tweet about the experience and put a little money of the card as well– if they like it. He has fashioned an API to access the card’s current balance and has a Tweetstream about the numbers going up and down. At the moment, the card’s money has been wiped clean. I’m sure he’d be happy to see a couple of good souls sparing some dime. Here’s how:
1. Visit starbucks.com/card
2. Click on the “Reload A Card” tab
3. Enter the card number visible in the picture (6061006913522430)
4. Click “Reload This Card” in the left sidebar
5. Choose a reload amount
6. Choose a payment method
Aside from the awesomeness of the experimentation’s functionality itself, it’s also quite interesting how someone can lend his own money in the hopes of people actually living the purpose of the card. However, its running out of money is expected from the very beginning. Greed outnumber generosity after all, aye?
Starbucks recently tackled mobile payments as well. They devised an iPhone app that enables for a system that simplifies coffee purchases. With a tap of the iPhone screen, you can already grab your cup offee. There’s also a feature called eGifting which allows the user to send virtual Starbucks Card to a friend via email or Facebook. “The application combines the features of both the old myStarbucks and Starbucks Card Mobile apps, and newly renamed Starbucks app,” said Starbucks.
