It could be just the thing for a coffee fan in a hurry — a reusable cup that you can use to pay for your drink.

Called the “Clever Cup,” it contains a chip in the base that cuts out the hassle of fishing out your purse or wallet. It is hoped the cups entice* more people away from using single-use paper cups, which are often impossible to recycle because of their plastic lining.

The cup first goes on sale at Costa Coffee and the contactless chip is housed in the silicone rubber* base of the cup. The technology in the cup can be used wherever customers see the contactless symbol and has the benefit that customers will get a discount at Costa for using a reusable cup.

Jason Cotta, managing director at Costa Coffee, comments: “While we are committed to ensuring more takeaway coffee cups are recovered and recycled, we also want to incentivize* and reward customers who help reduce the number of takeaway cups being wasted. We already offer a discount on hot drinks in all our stores for customers using reusable cups, and hope the innovative Clever Cup will become an additional incentive for increasing the use of reusable cups.”

Rob Morgan, head of sales and partnerships at Barclays, said: “Today’s shoppers are looking for seamless and ‘to hand’ ways to pay. Our wearable chip technology allows almost any accessory to be transformed into a smart payment device, unlocking the benefits of speed and ease in everyday purchases.”

The Clever Cup is priced at US$19.(SD-Agencies)