Speedpass is that little wand-thingy that some people use to pay for gas. I forget who issues them - either Exxon or British Petroleum, I think. You link your wand to a credit card.

If McD's now takes Speedpass as payment, you would wave the little wand-thing at the drive-thru and effectively be paying for your cheeseburger with a credit card, thereby earning miles.

McDonald's also now takes credit cards through a swipe machine, so you can just get your miles that way if you don't have Speedpass.

Unless there is a mention of sign-up or promotional bonuses, the use of Speedpass isn't really a bigger deal than the use of credit cards.