Costa Coffee has teamed up with Barclaycard to create the Clever Cup, which allows customers to pay for their drink with the vessel.

The resulting Clever Cup has been kitted out with contactless payment technology in a bid to make cutting down on takeaway cups even more convenient.

Barclaycard’s bPay technology inside the cup is accompanied by an app, allowing users to control their spending, top-up, check balances and even block payments.

Washing the cup is not inhibited by the contactless element, as it is housed within a detachable silicone base.

The cup is set to become available in the next few weeks and can be used anywhere displaying the contactless symbol, not exclusively in Costa Coffee shops.

Jason Cotta, managing director of Costa Coffee, said: “Contactless technology has become increasingly prominent in our daily lives and through the launch of the new Costa/Barclaycard Clever Cup, we hope to appeal to those tech-savvy customers to help facilitate and drive environmentally friendly behaviour."