Update – It turns out that perhaps the internal system memo could simply be referring to an upgrade of McDonald’s current system, as opposed to introducing mobile NFC payments which apparently have been in effect for a while now.
There are a few ways that one can pay for their meals at McDonald’s. You can either pay by cash, or depending on which country you are in, you can pay using a debit/credit card just by tapping the terminal. That being said, it seems that in the future you could possibly use your mobile phone to make your payments at the fast food outlet.
This is according to an internal memo (pictured above) which shows that McDonald’s is getting ready to start training their staff on the new system, which as you can see in the image above will take advantage of NFC to facilitate these payments. The system is expected to roll out on the 15th of September which is why staff members are expected to be trained on it before then.
This seems to be in line with an earlier rumor this year from Business Insider. The report claimed that McDonald’s was getting ready to launch a new mobile app that would allow customers to place an order via their phones or tablets, and be able to pick up their order when they arrive at the store, and possibly make payments using their mobile devices as well.
It is unclear if the roll out of the new NFC system will be part of that, but we guess we will just have to wait and see. It also does not seem like this move by McDonald’s has anything to do with the iPhone 6 and the rumors that it will sport NFC technology that will facilitate Apple’s plans for a mobile payment service.