McDonald’s Begins Testing PayPal Payments

McDonald’s has begun to test the PayPal payment system less than one week after coffee chain Starbucks rolled out the Square mobile payments system to millions of coffee lovers. Customers at McDonald’s test locations will be able to use the food chains mobile app to order and pay for meals via their PayPal account.

The program is being tested at 30 locations in France where customers will be placed in a separate pick-up line to wait for their food after ordering.

Customers will also be able to pay for their food using their account and linked credit and debit cards.

More company’s have begun to realize the advantages of mobile payments and the loyalty those programs tend to bring. Before launching the Square program, Starbuck’s attracted customers through a mobile payment platform of its very own which allows for uploading of funds, gifting money to other users, and even a location finder for traveling customers.

Also joining in on the fun is Dunkin’ Donuts, which recently launched a payment platform that allows users to also send up to $100 in donuts cash to friends via text, email, or Facebook.

As Near Field Communications (NFC) mobile payment technology continues to improve and more users gravitate away from traditional forms of cash and even credit cards, there is a good chance we will see many more mobile payment platforms both widescale and proprietary rolling out on the open market.

In the meantime, the McDonald’s system does not rely on NFC but instead allows customers to connect their PayPal account to a mobile phone number and PIN code. After placing an order, McDonald’s customers then receive a receipt on their smartphone.

Would you be willing to pay for your McDonald’s meal via your PayPal linked mobile payment account?