Visa Contactless Payments Coming to German Shell Stations (July 1, 2013)
July 1, 2013
Motorists in Germany soon will be able to use Visa payWave technology to make contactless payments when filling up their tanks at Shell petrol stations. Beginning in spring 2014, Shell stations in the country will accept payments via contactless Visa card or NFC-enabled smartphone. Full rollout to all 2,200 German Shell locations will be complete by summer 2014, according to Visa Europe.
Payments up to €25 (US$32.57) can be made without entering a PIN or signature, while higher value payments require a PIN or signature for authorization. Contactless payment terminals will be located inside the stations, rather than at the pump, which will encourage the purchase of additional small items, such as magazines, snacks and coffee, Visa said. Barclays will serve as acquirer for the payments. “Our experience with contactless cards and smartphones in the U.K. market shows that customers value this way of paying,” said Paulette Rowe, managing director of Barclaycard global payment acceptance.
Visa has been expanding contactless payments in Europe over the past several years, releasing 59 million contactless cards to customers and building out payWave contactless payment infrastructure. In May, U.K. retailer Marks & Spencer said it was processing more than 230,000 contactless payments each week after completing a rollout of a contactless payment system in 644 of its stores.
