Paying for fuel is about to get faster and easier with a UK market-first partnership between Shell and PayPal, who yesterday announced an innovative new service that plans to let customers pay for their fuel without leaving their car, via mobile.
This service plans to offer a new level of choice and convenience to customers from busy parents who want the ease of remaining by their vehicle with their children, to those in a rush looking to fuel up and pay as quickly as possible. With the vast majority of Shell‘s 1000 service stations planning to offer the technology, customers across the country should have the option of using this innovative, fast and secure new service.
Consumers will be able to use the service through either the Shell Motorist App or the PayPal App in a few easy steps. After driving into the forecourt, the customer simply selects the corresponding pump on the app which then authenticates the transaction before the customer fills up. When refuelling is complete, a receipt is automatically sent through to the phone, letting the consumer drive away, safe in the knowledge that the transaction was a success.
Following a successful trial in 2013, Shell will pilot the service for invited Shell Drivers‘ Club customers in April, with plans to roll it out nationwide later in 2015.
Michael Hominick, Retail Marketing Manager at Shell UK says:
“We‘re committed to providing a fast, safe and secure service. Customers will now have the flexibility and convenience of paying without having to leave their car. Those who want to go in store and pay or purchase other items will still be able to, with the benefit of reduced queues.”
He adds: “This is an exciting development for Shell. We believe that by working with a trusted brand like PayPal this new service will positively impact our service stations by delivering the security, choice and convenience UK motorists are after.”
Rob Harper, Director of Mobile Commerce at PayPal UK says:
“We‘ve created a simple and secure way to use your mobile phone to pay at the pump nationwide. At PayPal, we‘ve always believed people will use their mobile phones to pay if there‘s a clear benefit. With the announcement, we‘re offering drivers a faster way to fill up their car and pay, and get back on the road.”
He adds: “Since 2011, we‘ve been powering mobile commerce innovation on the British high street. We‘ve helped retailers and restaurants get closer to their customers with new mobile experiences in their own applications and the PayPal App. Today consumers can use their mobile to pay at over 8,000 UK shops and restaurants. Our partnership with Shell takes us further down the road to the day you can leave your wallet at home and pay with your phone.”
As the world‘s largest single-branded retailers, Shell serves around 25m customers daily at its 45,000 branded sites around the world. PayPal is a global leader of mobile payments and processed $46bn in mobile payments last year. It has 19m active accounts in the UK and over 162m globally.
Mobile payment at Shell is scheduled to be available later this year through apps on Android and the iOS store.
