Waze Launches Contactless Gas Payments at Shell, Exxon, Mobil

Need to Know

• Waze users will be prompted to pay via gas station apps when they approach locations offering contactless payment.
• The navigation app has partnered with Exxon, Shell, and Mobil on the new integration.
• Users will need to download each gas station’s app to use the function, but once this is done, payment will take place within the Waze app.
• Customers can still collect loyalty rewards through Waze’s integration.

Analysis

As touch-free shopping becomes the norm, popular navigation app Waze has made it easier for users to pay for gas contact-free, unveiling a new feature that will allow users to make gas payments directly within the app.

Through a new integration with three leading US gas stations—Exxon, Shell, and Mobil—Waze users will be notified when they pull in, and come to a complete stop, at a gas station that offers contactless payment. The user than then select contact-free payment using the gas station’s app or download the app if they don’t have it already. Payment will take place within Waze, but the integration allows users to continue collecting points with each gas station if they already do.

“Waze is committed to continuing to help businesses leverage innovative technology to adapt, evolve, and engage with customers. We’re thrilled to help advertisers leverage contactless payments, beginning with two leaders in the fuel industry, ExxonMobil and Shell,” Andrew Kandel, Waze’s U.S. country manager, said in a statement announcing the new feature. “We’re proud to be collaborating with them, alongside our community, to bring this feature to life for drivers and businesses, as they adjust to the changing landscape.”

Iris Hill, U.S. marketing technology manager for Shell, noted in the statement that the new feature responds to customers’ growing desire to “limit interactions and touchpoints during their fuelling experience” due to the COVID-19 pandemic. “The integration with the Shell app enables a secure, contactless, and rewarding payment experience so the Waze community can save on every fill-up with the Fuel Rewards program and get back on the road quickly and safely,” Hill continued.

Contactless payments are not new to the coronavirus pandemic, but their proliferation has expanded widely since the crisis began. The Waze integration, too, is not the first step being taken by gas stations to ensure customers are not deterred from visiting their locations due to the high-touch nature of filling up the tank. In June, 7-Eleven expanded its loyalty program, Fuel Loyalty, with a contactless payment option that, like the new Waze tool, is available directly within its app, or by using Siri in the case of iPhone users. Amazon, too, has contactless payment integration, in partnership with Exxon. With it, those with Alexa-enabled vehicles can pay for gas at Exxon locations by using the command “Alexa, pay for gas.”