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McDonald's testing mobile payment app

September 11, 2013

McDonald's is jumping on the mobile payments bandwagon, testing the platform in its Salt Lake City and Austin, Texas, markets. According to Bloomberg, customers can order and pay for their McMeals via a smartphone app, and pick up their food curbside or at the drive-thru.

The test could bode well for the vast, digital-native Millennial generation, and also fits the chain's objective to have "unmatched convenience."

Bloomberg obtained notes from a company meeting in June that read, in part: "While many competitors are publicizing their efforts to get an initial foothold in the mobile arena, no one has developed a comprehensive solution that integrates all the opportunities this technology presents."

A spokesperson for the company said it's too early to speculate on a broader rollout.

McDonald's current mobile app includes nutritional information, a restaurant locator and a job search component.

Many experts have called mobile the "fastest moving technology ever." The mobile payments industry is expected to jump to more than $62 billion by 2016. In response, some QSRs have already added robust mobile applications that have included a payment platform. Dunkin' Donuts introduced its new app last fall, while Tim Hortons claims it was the first company in Canada to offer the payments platform.

Subway, Burger King, Wendy's and Dairy Queen have also piloted payments programs.

Read more about mobile initiatives.