When it comes to buying your daily cup of coffee, having a quick and convenient way to pay is key. In recent years, mobile payment apps like Venmo have exploded in popularity, allowing users to easily send money to friends and family. But can you use Venmo to pay for your pumpkin spice latte at Starbucks?
Specifically, Starbucks customers often wonder if they can simply scan a Venmo QR code at the register to pay for their order. In this in-depth guide, we‘ll cover everything you need to know about using Venmo at Starbucks and whether scanning a Venmo QR code is a viable payment method. Let‘s dive in!
Does Starbucks Accept Venmo Directly?
First, it‘s important to note that Starbucks does not directly accept Venmo as a payment method, either in-store or on the Starbucks app. This means you can‘t just open up your Venmo app and scan a QR code to pay for your coffee like you would be able to do with some other mobile payment apps at other retailers and restaurants.
Starbucks has not yet chosen to integrate Venmo payments into its point-of-sale system or mobile app. According to a Starbucks spokesperson, the company is "always looking for ways to enhance the customer experience" but does not have any plans to accept Venmo at this time.
Can You Use a Venmo Debit or Credit Card at Starbucks?
However, there is a workaround that allows you to still use your Venmo balance to pay at Starbucks: the Venmo debit card and credit card. Venmo offers a physical debit card and credit card that are linked to your Venmo account balance. You can use these cards to pay anywhere that accepts Mastercard in the U.S., including Starbucks locations.
So while you can‘t scan a QR code in the Venmo app itself, you can use your Venmo card to pay at Starbucks just like you would with any other credit or debit card. The funds will be drawn directly from your Venmo balance. If you don‘t have enough money in your Venmo balance to cover the transaction, it will pull from your linked funding source instead, such as your bank account or another debit card.
To get a Venmo debit card, simply open the Venmo app, tap the "Cards" tab, and follow the prompts to apply. There is no cost to order the card. Once approved, your card will arrive in the mail within 5-7 business days and you can activate it and begin using it immediately, including at your local Starbucks.
What Payment Methods Does Starbucks Accept?
While Starbucks may not allow you to pay directly from the Venmo app by scanning a QR code, the company does offer a variety of other payment methods for customers to choose from. According to the Starbucks website, accepted payment methods include:
- Credit cards (Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover)
- Debit cards
- Starbucks gift cards
- Starbucks Card eGift
- PayPal (in the Starbucks app only)
- Apple Pay (in-store only)
- Google Pay (in-store only)
- Samsung Pay (in-store only)
- Cash
This variety of payment options means that even if you can‘t use Venmo directly, you still have plenty of convenient and contactless ways to pay for your coffee. The Starbucks app in particular offers a range of features to make paying easier, including the ability to reload your digital Starbucks Card balance directly in the app and place mobile orders ahead of time for pickup.
The Rise of Mobile Payments and QR Codes
The question of whether Starbucks accepts Venmo QR codes specifically speaks to a larger trend in the world of retail and food service: the rapid rise of mobile payments and QR codes in recent years. As smartphones have become ubiquitous and consumers increasingly seek out contactless ways to pay, mobile payment apps and QR code scanning have become more and more common.
According to a 2021 report from eMarketer, the number of U.S. proximity mobile payment users grew 29.0% year-over-year in 2020 to reach 92.3 million. The pandemic accelerated this growth as consumers sought out contactless payment methods for safety reasons. And by 2025, nearly 50% of all smartphone users in the U.S. are expected to be proximity mobile payment users.
Venmo in particular has seen massive growth. The payment app, which is owned by PayPal, had over 70 million active accounts as of Q1 2021 and processed $51 billion in total payment volume in Q2 2021, a 58% year-over-year increase. As Venmo and other mobile payment apps like Square‘s Cash App have become more popular for peer-to-peer payments, it‘s natural that users would also want to be able to use them to pay businesses.
QR codes have also become much more mainstream in the U.S., driven by the need for contactless menus and payments during the pandemic. A September 2020 survey by MobileIron found that 84% of respondents had scanned a QR code at some point in their lives, with 32% having done so within the past week at the time of the survey.
China has been ahead of this QR code curve for years, with mobile payment apps like Alipay and WeChat Pay allowing users to scan QR codes to pay for everything from street food to utility bills. Now, the U.S. is starting to catch up, with more and more businesses accepting various forms of QR code payments.
Will Starbucks Accept Venmo QR Codes in the Future?
So the big question is: given this rise in mobile payments and QR codes, will Starbucks eventually cave in and start accepting Venmo QR codes as a form of payment? It‘s certainly possible, but it‘s hard to say for sure. Starbucks does already have experience with QR codes in other contexts:
- The Starbucks app allows customers to scan a QR code in-store to join the Starbucks Rewards loyalty program and earn Stars with every purchase
- In 2020, Starbucks rolled out a new QR code feature that allows customers to place mobile orders by scanning a code at the register or drive-thru
- Starbucks even tested a "floating" QR code powered by AR technology in Shanghai to engage and attract customers
However, Starbucks also has its own proprietary mobile payment system built into its app that it likely wants to continue encouraging customers to use. By accepting Venmo QR codes, it could risk cannibalizing some of those app payments.
There‘s also the question of transaction fees – Venmo charges businesses a fee for each QR code transaction, while Starbucks avoids those fees when customers use its own app payment features instead. So Starbucks will have to weigh the potential benefits of accepting Venmo QR codes (attracting customers who prefer that payment method) against the potential downsides (fees, competition with its own app).
The Bottom Line
As of 2021, Starbucks does not allow customers to scan a Venmo QR code to pay for their orders, either in-store or in the Starbucks app. However, you can use a Venmo debit or credit card to pay at any Starbucks location that accepts Mastercard. This allows you to still use your Venmo balance to buy your coffee, even if it‘s not as seamless as scanning a QR code would be.
Given the rapid growth of mobile payments and QR codes, it‘s possible that Starbucks will choose to accept Venmo and other similar payment methods via QR code at some point in the future. But for now, customers will have to be content with using their Venmo card or other accepted payment methods like credit cards, debit cards, cash, and mobile wallets like Apple Pay and Google Pay.
The key thing is that you still have plenty of quick, convenient, and contactless ways to pay for your caffeine fix at Starbucks, even if scanning a Venmo QR code isn‘t one of them yet. And who knows – perhaps one day soon you will be able to Venmo your barista directly for that extra shot of espresso or pump of vanilla. Stranger things have happened!
