If you installed iOS 6 last week, you probably expected to be able to use your Starbucks rewards card in Passbook. For some unknown reason, Starbucks has not yet updated its iOS app with Passbook integration, but the company has confirmed that the update is coming “at the end of this month.”
Passbook, Apple’s approach to a virtual wallet in iOS 6, allows merchants to store coupons, tickets, passes and rewards cards in barcode form on an iOS device. Starbucks cardholders will be able to pay for their drinks and earn rewards with Passbook when the update comes out.
The lack of Starbucks integration with Passbook out of the gate is interesting because Apple originally routed Passbook in the iOS 6 developer betas to the Starbucks app in the App Store.
Several apps support Passbook right now, including Target, Ticketmaster, MLB, and Walgreens. More apps should continue to gain Passbook support in the coming weeks. While a standalone iOS app from the App Store is not required for Passbook integration, expect many popular apps to add integration through an update to their existing iOS applications.
Starbucks has been particularly mobile savvy in recent weeks. Square users will also be able to pay with their iPhones in select stores soon.
Source: Starbucks
