Starbucks must have given a jolt to AT&T… and it didn’t have anything to do with caffeine.
Following recent mega-deals between the popular mobile payments platform and some of the largest brands in consumer products and retail, AT&T is joining the party and hitching its wagon to Square’s star.
It was announced Wednesday that the second largest carrier in the United States will begin carrying Square’s card readers in one thousand of its retail stores.
The move, of course, is equally monumental for Square, which presently has its readers in some 20,000 outlets in the country.
“AT&T stores are a convenient retail destination for purchasing Square Card Readers, offering entrepreneurs the ability to purchase all of the devices they need to run their business in one place,” says Jeffrey Kolovson, head of Retail Distribution at Square.
“Square Card Reader makes it easier than ever for businesses to get started and grow using only their mobile device,” Kolovson added, noting that the Square reader sells for $9.99 in stores (although there’s a $10 credit that buyers can redeem).
As of this writing, Square enjoys a user base of more than two million people and is processing upwards of $6 billion in payments volume annually.