US giant Burger King is to introduce a new mobile app in April whose main features will be coupons and payments, a further sign of how the fast-food fraternity is at the vanguard of such initiatives.

The move was first reported by Bloomberg but Burger King supplied further details to Mobile World Live.

Other features may be added later, including mobile ordering whereby customers place an order via their smartphone en route to the Burger King outlet, so their food is ready when they arrive.

Mobile ordering, along with payments, is attracting interest from fast-food chains including McDonald’s, KFC and Chipotle, as well as Burger King.

Customers can pay in two ways with the new app – either via a pre-paid virtual card or by linking a physical card to a digital wallet in the app.

The customer clicks ‘Pay with BK Crown Card’ in the wallet to make a payment. If they want to redeem a coupon, the customer is prompted if they would like to pay digitally.  They then click through to make that payment.

The app generates a unique 4-digit code, which the Burger King cashier enters to validate the transaction. The payment is processed from the app, and payment is immediately deducted from the customer’s balance.

Payments will initially be available in a “sizeable” number of Burger King outlets, although couponing will be offered nationally in more than 7,000 outlets.

The app will be available for Android and iOS devices.