FRAMINGTON, Mass. -- Cumberland Farms is launching a new mobile cash card that lets users pay for items by scanning their smartphones at the register, according to a report by The Boston Globe. The concept works with iPhones, BlackBerrys and Droids, among other devices, Cumberland Farms told the newspaper.
Smartphone-owning customers first purchase a traditional cash card from the store, in amounts ranging from $5 to $250. Then, after downloading a free app from Card Star, they enter or scan their personal cash card number. At this point, the smartphone is transformed [image-nocss] into a Cumberland Farms mobile cash card that can be scanned at a store register.
"It's our mission to elevate our customers' experience by delivering speed, ease and convenience," Cumberland Farms president Ari Haseotes said in a statement.
The concept is being driven by technology from CardStar Inc., a Boston-based, privately held software company developing mobile applications that perpetuate the use of loyalty cards and mobile coupons. CardStar's SyncScan technology renders one-dimensional (1D) barcodes for membership and reward cards. The CardStar application consolidates membership and rewards cards on smartphones, letting consumers access scannable cards from within a single app and enabling merchants to tailor mobile deals and information to their customers.
Framingham, Mass.-based Cumberland Farms operates a network of approximately 600 convenience stores and gas stations and a support system including petroleum and grocery distribution operations spanning 11 states across the Northeast and Florida. It is part of the Cumberland Gulf Group of Cos.
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