Faster frappuccinos in China as Starbucks joins WeChat payments

Shanghai

WECHAT lets users text friends, post selfies and pay a gas bill with a smartphone. Now, the blockbuster Chinese app - known as Weixin Pay in China - can also be used to buy a Java Chip Frappuccino.

Starbucks Corp said on Thursday that it will accept the payments system at about 2,500 of its cafes across China, enabling customers to complete purchases with a scan of their phone. The agreement with Tencent Holdings Ltd means the Seattle-based chain joins foreign retailers, including KFC, Disney and Uniqlo, in embracing the cashless mobile payments ubiquitous in China.

About 200 million consumers use Weixin Pay and Alipay, the system owned by Alibaba Group Holding Ltd's financial affiliate, at physical stores because of the ease and speed at which consumers can make purchases. Some overseas retailers have baulked at digitised transact…