Starbucks Japan is now selling pens.
It is no ordinary pen, however, as it has the built-in ability to pay for your lattes and other items at Starbucks. The pen, which is designed like a drip coffee machine, can write like an actual pen with its “coffee brown” gel ink, reports The Verge.
Dubbed as “Starbucks Touch: The Pen,” the writing tool has an NFC reader embedded in it that is linked to a digital wallet. The system works with FeliCa technology, which is widely used in Japan and utilized in Starbucks’ domestic card system.
While not much different from using mobile payments, the pen is quite handy in cases when you want to leave your phone and wallet at home for a quick Starbucks trip. Regardless of the functionality, it also looks quite cool.
The pen is the fourth product in Starbucks Japan’s Touch line, which also included a phone case and a flask. Starbucks also launched a small NFC-equipped handbag called “The Hug” which was made available by lottery for a few days in July.
Starbucks began selling the pen via its online store last week for 4,000 yen ($37.46) with 1,000 yen ($9.37) pre-loaded. The pen can be charged with an amount between 1,000 and 30,000 yen at the register of any Starbucks branch in Japan.
“Starbucks Touch: The Pen,” which is a collaborative effort between Starbucks and Tokyo-based pen maker Zebra, is available in colors black, silver, and white.
Featured image via Starbucks Japan
