Costa Coffee debuts coffee cup with in-built payment chip

Thanks to the Barclaycard contactless payment technology, Costa Coffee customers will be able to pay and top up their balance on their “Clever Cup”. This new technology not only allows users only to pay, but it will also let them track their spending and block or cancel contactless payment elements online or with the dedicated app.

Costa said it hopes the Clever Cup will encourage more customers to use their reusable cups regularly, cutting down on the number of throwaway cups used. It plans to start selling it in stores immediately, with a price tag of £14.99.

Managing Director Jason Cotta has said that this new initiative shows that Costa Coffee is committed to reducing the number of takeaways cups being wasted and rewards customers that help this: “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.”