SEATTLE – Starbucks announced this week that the coffee giant is expanding its new mobile order and payment service to about 3,400 additional stores in 21 states, following a successful test of the program that began last December in Portland, Oregon, and was gradually rolled out elsewhere in the Pacific Northwest earlier this year.

The mobile payment feature allows Starbucks mobile app users to place their order in advance and pick up their order at a selected Starbucks location, thus skipping the line entirely. It is integrated into the Starbucks app and loyalty program. The 3,400 stores that will service the mobile ordering feature will be located primarily in the south and central regions of the United States, beginning this week.

According to news reports, Starbucks store managers say the mobile ordering feature helps partners provide customers with one more way to connect with Starbucks, and is convenient for customers who are always seeking new ways to save time in their daily routine.