Need some extra juice for your smartphone, but forgot to bring a charger? Never fear: Pretty soon, you will be able to duck into Starbucks to grab a quick charge, similar to how laptop users now patronize the ubiquitous coffee store chain for free Wi-Fi access.

According to a report published by the USA Today, Starbucks is adopting a wireless charging technology called Duracell Powermat for its stores. The Powermat Spots will be installed throughout Starbucks stores, embedded in tables and counters. A user can then walk into Starbucks, sit down at one of the tables with a Powermat Spot, place his or her phone on the specified hotspot area, and then wait as the battery charges independent of cords and plugs. Especially with the different types of charger hook-ups used by devices such as the iPhone 5S and the Galaxy S5, the idea of wireless charging is hugely attractive.

Starbucks wants to install about 12 Powermat stations in every single one of its 7,500 United States locations. To start, though, the technology will only be available in Starbucks stores throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. The technology will expand to other parts of the country over the course of the next three years or so.

So how does it work? Is there a catch? Unfortunately, the answer to the latter question is yes. Cellphone developers have not yet settled on a standard for wireless charging, which means that most phones on the market today will not actually have a built-in capability for capitalizing on Powermat technology. Powermat does make phone accessories that will allow users of most of the popular smartphone models to take advantage of the wireless charging stations. These accessories come in the form of external batteries and special battery cases. In other words, most users who want to snag a charge from Starbucks will have to make an upfront purchase from Powermat in order to enjoy the convenience of the wireless charging stations.

Of course, three years is a long time in the mobile phone market, and it is entirely possible that, by the time Starbucks is done outfitting each of its U.S. stores with Powermat, mobile developers will have made it possible for popular phones to enjoy wireless charging without external accessories and additional costs to mobile phone users.