Pay for Fuel Using Your Fingerprint: Mercedes-Benz and Mastercard Launch In-car Payment Service in Germany

Mercedes-Benz customers in Germany can now pay at fuel stations digitally by using their fingerprint, thanks to the brand’s latest partnership with Mastercard. This is the first use case for native in-car payments at the point of sale, in addition to Mercedes-Benz as the world’s first automaker to integrate Mastercard’s ‘Secure Card on File for Commerce platform’ into the car. This technology allows for transaction data to be encrypted using uniquely assigned cryptograms, in turn protecting sensitive payment information. The native in-car payment service – Mercedes pay+ – turns the car into a payment device. The fingerprint sensor integrated into the MBUX infotainment system enables biometric two-factor authentication. Digital payments at service stations using the fingerprint sensor will be possible with Mastercard debit and credit cards in current Mercedes-Benz models.

How the Mercedes me Fuel & Pay system works

When a driver reaches a connected fuel station and switches off the engine, the Mercedes me Fuel & Pay service will start automatically on the MBUX infotainment system. Once started, the driver can simply select the appropriate fuel station outlet. Once fuelled up, instead of using a mobile device to authorize payment, the driver can simply complete the transaction using fingerprint authentication.

Once the transaction is complete, the driver will see the amount of fuel refuelled and the invoice amount on the MBUX display and the invoice will be sent to the customer’s e-mail.

Availability

This service is currently available at over 3,600 fuel stations in Germany. In addition to Mastercard, Visa cards are also enabled for digital payment at gas stations using Mercedes pay+. Customers simply need to register their Mastercard / Visa credit or debit card (issued in Germany) in the Mercedes me user account and activate Mercedes pay+ in the vehicle to use the native in-car payment service.

Fingerprint payments from the car will soon be extended to other vehicle-related services and other European markets.