- Costa Coffee and Barclaycard unveil the UK’s first reusable coffee-cup with integrated contactless payment technology
- Powered by Barclaycard’s bPay technology, Costa Coffee’s ‘Clever Cup’ allows users to make purchases with the cup, top up their balance and track payments online or via a dedicated app
- The innovative cup will be available in Costa Coffee stores from late November 2018
- The Clever Cup has been launched as part of a new reusable cup range from Costa Coffee
Available in Costa Coffee stores this November, 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 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.
Jason Cotta, Managing Director at Costa Coffee comments: “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 behaviour.
“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 said: “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 and will be available from all Costa Coffee outlets across the UK from late November.
About Costa Coffee
Costa Coffee is part of Whitbread PLC and employs around 50,000 people in over 2,300 outlets across the UK, serving over 28 million customers every month.
With over 2,380 coffee shops in the UK and more than 1,300 in 31 international markets Costa Coffee is the largest coffee shop business in the UK and is proud to be the UK’s favourite coffee shop, having been awarded “Best Branded Coffee Shop Chain in the UK and Ireland” by Allegra Strategies for eight years running (2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 & 2017).
At Costa Coffee we are committed to being a force for good in the communities in which we operate. Our Sustainability programme, ‘Force for Good’ is focused on enabling people to live and work well and is built around three pillars of Opportunity, Community and Responsibility.
Team members are encouraged to donate their time to and space in store to support local organisations and causes to support their local communities – doing everything from litter picking to hosting community groups in stores after hours.
About The Costa Foundation
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/
About Barclaycard
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. In 2017 we processed over £250bn in transactions globally. Barclaycard is a pioneer of new forms of payment and is at the forefront of developing viable contactless and mobile payment schemes for today and cutting-edge forms of payment for the future. We also partner with a wide range of organisations across the globe to offer their customers or members payment options and credit.
About bPay
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 you to add up to 10 bPay devices to a single bPay account and control/view your spend. bPay is owned by Barclays Bank UK PLC. Terms and conditions apply. bpay.co.uk/
About James Cropper
James Cropper is a prestige paper innovator based in the English Lake District, supplying distinct, custom-made paper products to many of the world’s leading luxury brands, art galleries and designers.
Throughout 173 years of high-quality paper production, the business has been carefully stewarded and nurtured by six generations of the Cropper family and is renowned globally for individual expertise in colour, dedicated responses to the most challenging custom projects and award-winning commitment to the highest standards of sustainability.
COLOURFORM™ moulded fibre packaging is the latest sustainable paper innovation from James Cropper. The plastic-free packaging is bespoke in terms of colour, shape, surface finish and functionality and is used across a wide range of product categories from cosmetics to consumer electronics.
James Cropper is a member of the Paper Cup Recovery & Recycling Group (PCRRG), a cross-industry group that exists to develop collection and recycling opportunities for paper cups and identify and support solutions that sustainably transform used paper cups into a valuable resource.
