Starbucks has always been something of an innovative company when it comes to mobile payments. Even though various mobile payment platforms rise and fall with much confusion along the way, Starbucks is one company that isn’t waiting around for some mobile platform to get it right. Instead, Starbucks originally forged ahead with their mobile payment app setup, and that app is about to get a lot better – especially for Canadian Android users.

Canadians tend to get cut out of a lot of tech stuff. Whenever there’s an app that has just surfaced or a new product that’s really great, Canada is often left in the dust. Even though Canada is the “neighbor to the north,” this massive land with all of its consumers is (for some reason) neglected. Well, Starbucks is about to change all of that (at least with the Android Starbucks app).

Starbucks Comes to Android Canada

Today, Starbucks announced that its user-friendly and very helpful app is now available in Canada. That’s right, Canadians, you can now locate the nearest Starbucks, read all about your favorite drinks, and even check out practical details like store hours and addresses. But, there’s one more exciting part of the new Starbucks app adventure: the payment system.

Just as Canadian iPhone users have been able to do for some time now, Android users can now load Starbucks cards using an Android phone. Of course, this also means that you can pay for your drink using an Android phone – but Starbucks hasn’t stopped here. Oh no – this coffee company is going all the way to the top when it comes to payment platforms and options.

It’s All About Payment Choices – And Now There Are Two

Starbucks has just teamed up with PayPal in the U.S. (sorry, Canada, you’re not privy to this feature quite yet). This new partnership will allow Starbucks users to reload those Starbucks cards using a PayPal account. This is big news, since the only way to load a card previously was with a major credit card. With lots and lots of U.S. consumers trying to avoid credit card debt, Starbucks is taking a giant leap forward – and helping out consumers who don’t want to use a credit card -- bravo, Starbucks, bravo (alright, offering more payment options is also good for Starbucks, but, hey, the humanist angle is nice too, right?).

There’s one last thing you should know about the Starbucks app update. You can now pin-protect your Starbucks card account, just in case you decide to use a public WiFi connection to reload that card (bad idea!). So, as you can see, Starbucks has made a lot of advances as far as its Canadian-based Android app, payment options, and security technology. When it comes to technology and mobile payment platforms, Starbucks is definitely not your average company – and that’s an excellent thing. If you can’t wait to test out the improved Starbucks Android app, head to the Android app center and download the app today – it’s free.