Starbucks has teamed up with Powermat to offer free wireless charging zones in ten of its London stores. The coffee chain is said to be the first on the high street to provide the technology and it will mean those with a low phone or tablet battery in London will be able to give their device a boost.

The Powermat wireless charging zones will be available by the end of January 2015 in Princes Street, Kingsway, Wardour Street, Pentonville Road, Harewood Place, Berkeley Street, Great Portland Street, Moorgate, Fleet Street and Euston Tower. More stores will be included in the near future.

For the Powermat zone to work, customers will need to connect a ring charing ring to their phone and line the ring up with the circle on the mat. The rings will be free to borrow at first for customers to become familiar with the technology, but you'll also be able to buy one to keep from the Starbucks stores too.

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When asked if people would simply steal the rings, Carlo Chiarello, chief solutions office at Powermat told us that it was a possibility, but unlikely to be a problem.

If you think you can do without that special ring as you have a smartphone with built-in Qi wireless charging then think again. Powermat works on a different charging standard to Qi, so isn't compatible.

Powermat also has an app that will not only notify you when your phone is fully charged, but will also help you find a nearby Starbucks offering Powermat charging. There's also an alert function so you know when your battery is running out.

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The Powermat wireless charging is free for Starbucks' customers to use and it is available in some of the ten stores already, including Wardour Street.

If you're running low and you're in Central London, drop into Starbucks, get some free Wi-Fi, charge your phone and get your caffiene fix.