If you’ve been wanting to pay for your gas at ExxonMobile stations using Apple Pay, the good news is that you now can, reports CNET.
Apple Pay went live Tuesday in more than 6,000 Exxon and Mobil-branded gas stations across 46 US states. The service will be added to about 2,000 more stores by mid-year and will be available in nearly all of the company’s 10,000 locations by the end of 2016.
But if you were expecting to just wave your iPhone or Apple Watch at a reader on the pump, that’s not quite how it works …
To use Apple Pay, you’ll need the ExxonMobile app. Open it and tell it you want to pay, and the app will use GPS to determine which gas station you’re in, and then ask you to select the pump number. Use Touch ID to authorize payment in the app, and it will activate the pump for you. The pump will then dispense a paper receipt in the normal way, and you’ll also be able to track purchases in the app.
The process looks a little fiddly, and gives you only 45 seconds from authorizing payment on your iPhone to starting to fuel, but the company is touting the indirect method as a benefit, suggesting that you minimize the time spent outside your car in the cold or heat.
ExxonMobile has likely taken the indirect approach to avoid the hardware costs of fitting contactless readers to all its pumps. Somewhat ironically, the company already has its own contactless Speedpass system, but that appears to be incompatible.
You can see a video demo over at CNET.
Chevron was the first gas company to announce plans to support Apple Pay with at-pump readers, but rollout has so far been limited. Apple continues to add new banks to the service, 27 new ones added just a few days ago.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
Eff you, Exxon/Mobile.
This is just an end around Apple Pay so they an track what I buy and how much I spend since Apple won’t divulge that information.
To me, this isn’t Apple Pay. When I use Apple Pay, I expect to use it from a the lock screen, and use Apple’s native Wallet app, not a 3rd party app. Nice try exxonmobile, but still you won’t be getting my business. At least roll out real Apple Pay support, not some cumbersome version of it.
This is what Pay was missing: something to increase the complexity.
I get that this is a cludgy implementation, it is just an in app purchase implementation, not true “in store” but like Starbucks implementation, really. Starbucks I use Pay to reload my Starbuck card, and my Starbucks card in Apple Wallet to pay. Same with Dunkin Donuts. Still much easier to use than the card methods, and a (all be it slow) step in the right direction.
These methods still don’t put your card number at risk.
I don’t get the “this store wants to track my every purchase” hate. These programs are optional, no one is forcing you to use them. Some give you discounts for participating, yet, but nothing is forced.
Apple should crack down on retailers implementing non-standard implementations and calling it “Apple Pay”.
My own experience with Apple Pay has been mixed. My local grocery store requires me to show them the last 4 digits of my Device Account Number and sign their credit card reader on purchases over $50, both of which should be unnecessary.
Replacing gas pumps cost $18K per pump so it’s going to take a while before the latest tech is available at every pump. Both gas stations and restaurants have been given a 2 year reprieve from the liability shift that required retailers to accept chipped cards. Obviously only some merchants have done so. Implementing Apple Pay at 6000 pumps would cost $100 million. This is an important bridge.
So in the meantime, apps like SpeedPass+ where you can get the security of Apple Pay with the credit card benefits (5% for Discover last quarter) is huge.
This capability is just like OpenTable lets you pay at SitDown restaurants, Yelp Eat24 lets you order takeout, ChowNow apps customize takeout for individual restaurants and Jet.com lets you order groceries and even hardware, StarBucks/Dunkin card reloads, PriceLine, HotelTonight, TicketMaster et al let you buy tickets hugely increase the coverage/ecosystem of where you can use Apple Pay.
Unfortunately there are no Exxon Mobils in my area so I will have to use then when traveling. In the meantime, I pay in the store for my gas, without having to enter my zipcode. Being able to do this at the pump with an app is awesome.
This effort by Exxon Mobil sets a huge precedent where 6000 pumps are Apple Pay enabled. Other merchants can follow suit.
Finally, Exxon is a MCX Consortium member and they now support Apple Pay. Another domino falls.
I don’t think you have to replace the whole pump to implement Pay, just the card reader portion. I know Arco has recently added card readers to their pumps instead of having to pay at the machine stations they had between the pumps. I know they take Pay in store, haven’t actually even checked if they take Pay at the pump though since I pump at a much cheaper gas station.
stupid. … very very stupid
Why…a lot of effort — in the UK and Japan we have credit and debit cards with touchless payment — or should just swipe it… type in a pin if you need to, and you’re away… no 45secs to rush to activate the pump, no fumbling with a phone to access an app to use your thumb and touch the reader etc — they have basically made an already simple procedure more complex —
In Japan though, a lot of gas station still have staff at hand — you pull up, tell them how much, while it’s filling up they take your trash and wipe your mirrors and windows (at no extra charge) and you simply pay by cash or card (they even have point cards that can be used at other places, not just the gas station)…they then stop the traffic for you to leave… in short — great customer service, at no extra charge, and no need to fumble with a phone (this is an awesome experience in winter)
People keep jumping to the conclusion that Exxon is doing this to harvest your data. They very well might be, but it seems more likely the driving force is that they don’t know how much the transaction is going to be for until you’re done pumping the gas. They probably can’t start an Apple Pay transaction, then put it on hold until your tank is full before completing it. It’s not the same as swiping your card.
What are you talking about? First you pump out as much gas as you need and then you pay. It’s exactly the same when using a normal credit card or cash. You don’t continue puttin quarters in the machine to keep pumping, rather you take as much as you need and pay afterwords.
people simply will not use this. I know I won’t.
Remember back in the day you weren’t supposed to used to use your cell phone near a gas pump for fear of explosion. I guess this has gone the way of no electronics in flight.
Excellent observation!!!
I wasn’t able to use either of my Discover It cards at EXXON pumps, using apple pay. Did anyone else faced the same issue?
I used the same physical card in the pump and it worked though.
I wanted to use for the 5% cash back on my 8$ tank full (motorcycle), which gives ~200mpg/2 weeks riding :)
The whole purpose of Apple Pay is to eliminate giving merchant information about you and your credit card, also convenience. Having to use an special merchant app for this negates both! Imagine if this takes off and every merchant now makes you use an app so they can feed you ads, track you, and make you input cash register numbers or whatever. Also to push you to use one type of station.