News

Tim Hortons adds mobile payment options

December 12, 2013

Tim Hortons today announced new mobile payment options available through the brand's TimmyMe mobile app. The app, created to improve guest experience and speed of service, is available at restaurants throughout the U.S. and Canada, according to a news release.

"We're always looking to provide our Tim Hortons guests with the best overall customer experience, and mobile payment is one area that we feel can help streamline the average time spent at the order counter," said David Clanachan, chief operating officer, Tim Hortons. "These new innovations offer secure, quick and easy payment alternatives, allowing our guests more time enjoying their favorite food and beverages."

Customers who use BlackBerry 10 smartphones, including BlackBerry Q5, BlackBerry Q10, BlackBerry Z10 and BlackBerry Z30, will be able to register a Tim Card on the TimmyMe mobile app and use NFC tap-to-pay technology to complete their order. The company said this is one of the first integrations of an NFC-based stored value card solution with existing payment terminals.

Future development plans will also see this platform expanded to Android 4.4 devices.

The company has also launched a barcode payment pilot program in the Niagara region in Canada and at select U.S. Tim Hortons Cafe & Bake Shop restaurants in Maine, Michigan, New York and Ohio. The barcode technology, which provides a scan-to-pay option once a Tim Card has been registered on the TimmyMe app, supports Apple devices running OS 6.0 or later and Android devices running OS 4.0 or later.

"Tim Hortons is taking a customer-centric and technology-neutral approach while leveraging mobile payments to create unique customer value and experiences," Rick Oglesby, senior analyst, Aite Group, said in the release. "It combines the benefits of the cloud with benefits of NFC into a single solution, making it one of the first of its kind in QSR and something we should see a lot more of in the future."

Tim Hortons has partnered with First Data Corporation, a payment processing and e-commerce solutions provider, to deliver tap and scan payments through their mobile gateway technology. First Data makes it possible for registered Tim Card users to securely make mobile payments and view their Tim Card balance and transaction history.

Read more about mobile payments.