Apple Pay To Add Starbucks, Chili's, KFC To List Of Participating Retailers

SAN FRANCISCO -- Add Frappuccinos, old-timer burgers and chicken buckets to the list of items you'll soon be able to pay for using an iPhone or Apple Watch as Apple Pay will soon be accepted by Starbucks, Chili's and KFC, the Cupertino, California, tech giant said Thursday. Starbucks will adopt Apple Pay through a pilot program set to kick off later this year, said Jennifer Bailey, Apple's vice president of Internet services and Apple Pay.

Bailey was speaking from the Re/code technology conference in Half Moon Bay, California. Starbucks will expand its acceptance of Apple Pay to 7,500 locations in 2016, the Verge reported.

Next year will also be when Apple Pay arrives at Chili's and KFC restaurants across the U.S., Reuters reported. Additionally, Bailey announced that Best Buy has already begun accepting the payment system at its 1,400 U.S. stores, USA Today reported.

The additions of Starbucks, Chili's, KFC and Best Buy are major wins for Apple, which launched Apple Pay a year ago with a limited number of partners. Since then, Apple has faced a pushback from some retailers wary of Apple Pay, but the tech company has steadily increased the number of partners who accept it, a list that includes McDonald's, Walgreens and Macy's. Apple Pay can be used to pay at retail locations by anyone with an Apple Watch or an iPhone 6, 6 Plus, 6s or 6s Plus.