Coca-Cola Vending Machines Part of Isis Mobile Payment Trial
As part of its participation in the Isis Mobile Wallet trial in Austin, Texas, Coca-Cola is testing mobile payments for vending machine transactions and rewards. Consultant Rick Kanemasu predicts that mobile payments will comprise 10 percent to 20 percent of purchases at Coca-Cola’s U.S. vending machines by 2020. The company plans to enable tens of thousands more U.S. machines for card acceptance this year, as well as for contactless payment. For the Isis pilot, Coca-Cola has outfitted 200 vending machines in Austin with advanced payment features, and each machine is equipped to take conventional payment cards and contactless payment from cards and phones, supporting apps from Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover. The machines also accommodate the My Coke Rewards program, in which users store a loyalty card in their Isis wallet to receive a free 20-ounce bottled beverage once enough points have been accumulated by redeeming them either at the machine or at the My Coke Rewards website. Coca-Cola has embarked on a migration to cashless vending with the new machines, spurred by consumer complaints of not having the right currency or change on hand to buy a beverage.
From “Coca-Cola Seeks to Increase Use of Mobile Phones for Payments and Rewards at Vending Machines”
NFC Times (03/25/13) Smith-Strickland, Kiona