McDonald’s Now Accepting Payment, Coupons via RFID

Along with all the flyers and junk mail that I get on a daily basis, I occasionally receive a handful of coupons for the golden arches. They’re usually of the “buy one get one” or the “two can dine” variety, and while I don’t eat nearly as much junk food as I did before, I am known to indulge in some fries and a Big Mac from time to time.

It really sucks when I find myself at McDonald’s only to realize that I forgot to bring the coupons. Thanks to a new system unleashed by the fast food giant, that may be a problem of the past. McDonald’s has been working closely with NTT DoCoMo to unleash an electronic payment and coupon system based on RFID technology. Instead of handing over paper coupons and cold hard cash, you can just take advantage of the RFID mobile payment tag found inside certain NTT DoCoMo phones.

The program, called Kazasu Kuupon (”no contact coupon”), requires users to download an application and register on McDonald’s website first. They can then receive “digital vouchers” on their cell phones. The technology is currently being tested at 175 McDonald’s locations in Japan. They plan to expand the program to nearly 4,000 stores by next year.