ExxonMobil Now Supports Apple Pay in 'Speedpass+' App

[TheRealTVGuy]

"Anything that involves the pump from a hardware point of view takes years to deploy and is extremely expensive," - Exxon

This is why you probably won't see NFC at the pump any time soon (mass market). IF they can find a way to surreptitiously pass that cost on to consumers, you may see a quicker adoption.

The Mobile SpeedPass units... are those NFC, or a transponder/HID card style unit? If NFC, why can't they perform a basic software update?

 

[Chupa Chupa]

Normally Exxon pays extra to get locations immediately off of a highway, so it's easy to get off the highway, get gas, and get back on the highway without wondering around town.

Locals know where the cheaper gas around town is - they aren't the market that Exxon is targeting.

I always appreciate seeing Exxon on a road trip. I'm willing to pay the extra $2 to not spend ten minutes searching for a gas station and then figuring out how to get back on the highway.

Yes, but I'm taking intown. Exxon is always clustered around other stations -- BP, Sunoco, Shell. No shortage of quality competitors. Exxon is always the most expensive of the majors. So if Exxon isn't targeting locals around here then I don't know who the heck there demographic is other than maybe business people with a company Exxon card.

 

[TheRealTVGuy]

Apple doesn't let 3rd party developers use the NFC in the iPhone.

#1, this particular use case doesn't involve 3rd parties accessing the NFC system in the phones; the dispenser would simply act as any other pay terminal that can accept Apple Pay.

#2, if Apple WOULD allow third parties better use of the NFC, at least on the Apple Watch, maybe I could FINALLY get an NFC lock for the front door of my home that was compatible SOLEY with the Apple Watch and that DIDN'T require Bluetooth, an iPhone, or a WiFi network!

 

[RangerOne]

Apple Pay in the US is getting ridiculous... Unlocking a phone and opening an app will take more or as much time than putting your card in the card slot and typing your PIN... Why can't the US agree on a standard for contactless payments exactly? Why is it so easy in the UK?

Earlier comment retracted. I realized you were referring to this convoluted ExxonMobile process vs true in-store Apple Pay.

Agreed, this is fairly high-friction. Being able to pay while still in the car, and the added security of paying with this vs using a card that could be skimmed, only slightly makes up for the friction of having to fumble your way to the app.
[doublepost=1457472066][/doublepost]

Using card is lot faster than phone...and I can see why cards with those special chip are popular than Apple Pay because it's plug it in and go. The only reason I find Apple Pay useful is if you forgot your wallet to pay. As days pass by and companies depend their life on Apple Pay... It's becoming more useless and inconvenient.

The new "chip and signature" cards are actually much slower than traditional credit cards and much, much slower than Apple Pay in my experience. All my cards are chip-based now, and most retailers around me accept them. Rather than the 5 seconds it takes to swipe my traditional card and type in my pin, the "chip and signature" card seems to take on average 25 seconds to authorize the transaction (and then I need to sign). The implementation is quite slow.

The signature requirement is irritating. I would vastly prefer the pin, as that's a second factor in the authorization (the signature isn't -- you can sign anything and it won't prevent the transaction). I think the reason the U.S. market doesn't use it might be related to the average American having so many credit cards. Can you imagine how often grocery store lines would be held up by someone exclaiming "I don't remember my pin!" But this lack of a pin requirement makes it far less secure; lose your card and there are no protections.

Apple Pay, on the other hand, is incredibly friction-free and takes, literally, 2-3 seconds.

 

[ecschwarz]

Mejeir gas stations has Apple Pay properly supported

I was really impressed when I found out that all of that was working before Apple Pay launched. Unfortunately, the NFC readers on the pumps don't seem to like Discover cards via Apple Pay (tried at a few locations) - always prompts if it's a debit yes/no and then fails. I've reached out to them and Discover to see what's going on. As for any other case (Amex/Visa/Mastercard at the pumps or everything in the big store and convenience store), Meijer's stuff works well.

 

[RangerOne]

Exactly. Most gas stations are on very thin margin as it is. I suspect most will hold out at least until underground storage tanks need to be replaced.

I bet a hardware-based solution isn't nearly as difficult or expensive as they make out. Square has a $49 retail chip-and-NFC reader that works like an absolute dream. Find a way to integrate a similar device with the store's POS system, slap one on every gas pump and call it ... magic! Something like this:

1. Customer taps watch/phone to Square.
2. Square sends a push notification to the store to start the transaction.
3. Store enables pump (each Square has a unique ID, so the store knows what pump paid).
4. Customer finishes pumping.
5. Store finalizes transaction.

 

[Mac 128]

The signature requirement is irritating. I would vastly prefer the pin, as that's a second factor in the authorization (the signature isn't -- you can sign anything and it won't prevent the transaction). I think the reason the U.S. market doesn't use it might be related to the average American having so many credit cards. Can you imagine how often grocery store lines would be held up by someone exclaiming "I don't remember my pin!" But this lack of a pin requirement makes it far less secure; lose your card and there are no protections.

Well that's not entirely true about protections, at least as far as the consumer is concerned, who is not liable should someone steal the card and use it before it's canceled. On the other hand, the card holder has to go through the process to get the card reissued. It's particularly problematic with a debit card which can drain a bank account causing checks to bounce. As a result I never use my visa debit card for anything other than the ATM.

Are you in the US? I hadn't thought about all the pins card holders would have to memorize, but that is true. I'm curious how chip and pin works at bars and restaurants in Europe. Restaurant payment routines and customs are so ingrained the US, it would be very hard to enter a pin the way the process is conducted in the US. I assumed that factored into the decision as it is a large part of how consumers spend money in the US.

 

[pat500000]

Earlier comment retracted. I realized you were referring to this convoluted ExxonMobile process vs true in-store Apple Pay.

Agreed, this is fairly high-friction. Being able to pay while still in the car, and the added security of paying with this vs using a card that could be skimmed, only slightly makes up for the friction of having to fumble your way to the app.
[doublepost=1457472066][/doublepost]

The new "chip and signature" cards are actually much slower than traditional credit cards and much, much slower than Apple Pay in my experience. All my cards are chip-based now, and most retailers around me accept them. Rather than the 5 seconds it takes to swipe my traditional card and type in my pin, the "chip and signature" card seems to take on average 25 seconds to authorize the transaction (and then I need to sign). The implementation is quite slow.

The signature requirement is irritating. I would vastly prefer the pin, as that's a second factor in the authorization (the signature isn't -- you can sign anything and it won't prevent the transaction). I think the reason the U.S. market doesn't use it might be related to the average American having so many credit cards. Can you imagine how often grocery store lines would be held up by someone exclaiming "I don't remember my pin!" But this lack of a pin requirement makes it far less secure; lose your card and there are no protections.

Apple Pay, on the other hand, is incredibly friction-free and takes, literally, 2-3 seconds.

To each its own I guess. I just quickly pop it in and get it out and boom.. Gone. I guess I'm having trouble with Apple Pay at it keep saying please try again and whatever.

 

[Rigby]

I just used the app with Apple Pay a few minutes ago at a Mobile station and it went smoothly.

Thanks for the report, that doesn't sound bad.

When you download the Speedpass+ app and launch it, you are prompted to make an account. You can use any name and email you want to make the account.

Yes, but when you do an in-app Apple Pay transaction, the payee can request the name, billing address and phone number that's associated with the card in Apple Pay (i.e. in-app purchases are not anonymous like in-store transcations). So potentially one more company that may datamine the customer and send junk mail.

 

[macs4nw]

Wait what? So now you HAVE to use your phone while using a tankstation? Before it was not allowed because of firehazards.

Supposedly you'll do the authorization part before lifting the nozzle, so before any possible fumes from your pump are wafting through the air..... not sure about the fumes from adjacent cars filling up. Makes you wonder if they've thought that through tho......

.....in other news, a San Mateo neighborhood was rocked by a powerful explosion today as a local ExxonMobil gas station erupted in a huge fireball following suspected cell phone usage near one of its pumps. The flames were said to have shot up to 100 ft into the air, while the explosion was reported to have been felt as far away as Millbrae to the north and Belmont to the south. The number of casualties so far has been confirmed to be in the lower thirties. An area of five city blocks around the blast site has been cordoned off and evacuated as police, firefighters and emergency workers are frantically searching for injured survivors of the powerful blast. Governor Brown........

 

[bpcookson]

This isn't Apple Pay... it's just Touch ID inside an app. :/

 

[tmiw]

This isn't Apple Pay... it's just Touch ID inside an app. :/

How is it not Apple Pay? It still uses one of the cards you've added to it once you use Touch ID to authenticate yourself.

 

[thewitt]

I always find it interesting when people who have never used a feature bash it.

The app is fast, easy and works great. It also uses the Apple Pay temporary card number so you don't run the risk of the gas station stealing your credit card number.

Faster than pulling out my card, swiping it, answering the credit card vs debit card question, entering my zip code, declining the car wash and declining the receipt...

 

[tgara]

I just used the app with Apple Pay a few minutes ago at a Mobile station and it went smoothly.

When you download the Speedpass+ app and launch it, you are prompted to make an account. You can use any name and email you want to make the account. No email verification is sent. By default Apple Pay is listed as a payment method. You can add other credit cards to the app if you like.

So I rolled into the gas station and opened the app. In about two seconds it used GPS to figure out what station I was in and a graphic came up asking what pump number I wanted. I selected my pump number then the familiar Apple Pay fingerprint logo came up. On that same Speedpass+ screen are a couple toggles for car wash, email receipt, and print receipt. I configured those toggles like I wanted then did the touchID. At that point I just put my phone in my pocket and watched the screen on the pump. It immediately came up with an "Authorizing..." message just like when you swipe your CC and enter the zip code. About three seconds later it authorized and I filled my tank. About three seconds after I shut off the pump my iPhone vibrated, so I checked the Speedpass+ app and noticed it showed the completed transaction.

In an email alert from my bank I noticed they sent a one dollar charge as soon as a I authorized with touchID, then after I finished pumping gas the one dollar charge disappeared and the full amount charge appeared as a CC transaction.

Now that I know how this works and I have the options toggled like I want, I think from now on it is about as fast as just swiping my CC and having to enter your zip code at the pump. Plus using Apple Pay like this it protects my CC from being intercepted by the bad guys.

To those concerned about the Speedpass+ app tracking your spending, I suppose I understand the concern, but personally I could care less if Mobil knows where and when I bought gas. They already knew from my previous CC transactions anyway. I suspect they are using this SpeedPass+ app/system because it allows them to integrate Apple Pay into their existing hardware without having to add Apple Pay compatible NFC hardware into millions of gas pumps.

Thanks for the insight, Weaselboy. My experience was similar today. I downloaded the app and set it up to use my Exxon Mobil card as the default payment. I pulled the Lincoln Boulevard Cruiser into the gas station and the app immediately knew where I was, and that this station was a Speedpass+ station. I punched my pump number into the app, selected the grade of fuel (premium of course), and it authorized the purchase. I then pumped the gas, and when the tank was full I merely replaced the nozzle onto the pump. The app recognized the completed transaction and the iPhone sent me a notification saying how much I spent. I also received an email with a receipt.

The whole authorization bit at the beginning took about 10 seconds, and after I pumped the gas, it took about five seconds before I got my receipt. Very easy, and I will definitely be using this app again. Next time I will try the Apple Pay payment method.

 

[Mac 128]

Thanks for the insight, Weaselboy. My experience was similar today. I downloaded the app and set it up to use my Exxon Mobil card as the default payment. I pulled the Lincoln Boulevard Cruiser into the gas station and the app immediately knew where I was, and that this station was a Speedpass+ station. I punched my pump number into the app, selected the grade of fuel (premium of course), and it authorized the purchase. I then pumped the gas, and when the tank was full I merely replaced the nozzle onto the pump. The app recognized the completed transaction and the iPhone sent me a notification saying how much I spent. I also received an email with a receipt.

The whole authorization bit at the beginning took about 10 seconds, and after I pumped the gas, it took about five seconds before I got my receipt. Very easy, and I will definitely be using this app again. Next time I will try the Apple Pay payment method.

Good to know.

Just out of curiosity, do you select the fuel grade in the app, or on the pump as usual? If it's all in the app, that's excellent.

Does the app appear in the lock screen when you pull into the Exxon station, like the Starbucks card? Or do you have to find it? Is it in the wallet?

 

[ElRojito]

How so? If it's cold outside, the app based approach at least lets you stay in the car until you've paid.

I would say because when Apple Pay is correctly implemented, it would be so quick that holding your phone next to the pump wouldn't take close to the amount of time that it would to select the grade and open the fuel door. But with an app like this, I might as well run my card and enter my zip.

 

[tgara]

Good to know.

Just out of curiosity, do you select the fuel grade in the app, or on the pump as usual? If it's all in the app, that's excellent.

Does the app appear in the lock screen when you pull into the Exxon station, like the Starbucks card? Or do you have to find it? Is it in the wallet?

No, the app prompts you to choose the fuel grade on the pump after you've started the app but before you pick up the nozzle.

I didn't notice the app on the lock screen, but I seem to recall seeing something in the Notifications setting about having it on the lock screen. I did not choose that option. The wallet question is interesting because the App Store description says there is a Wallet feature, but I have not found it yet.

One advantage here is that you can initiate the transaction in your car (nice if it is really hot or really cold out), then once it;s ready to go, jump out an PUMP BABY PUMP!!!

 

[pat500000]

I was wondering. Is this actually going through apple pay or Exon app? It doesn't seem like going through app and typing number to the pump is really "apple pay." This is more of "app pay."

Nice try exon....you ain't fooling me.

If this was..."apple pay" I expect to pay instantly from lock screen.

 

[dontwalkhand]

The Mobile SpeedPass units... are those NFC, or a transponder/HID card style unit? If NFC, why can't they perform a basic software update?

It is payment, it is not PCI Compliant (payment card industry), which Apple Pay is a form of a contactless credit card, and SpeedPass is not.

On another note, I have tried out this app today, and I think it is cool. It does feel nice to just complete the payment while just sitting in the car, so it does have it's upside. And nice that it works with apple pay already in the app.
[doublepost=1457489629][/doublepost]

I was wondering. Is this actually going through apple pay or Exon app? It doesn't seem like going through app and typing number to the pump is really "apple pay." This is more of "app pay."

Nice try exon....you ain't fooling me.

If this was..."apple pay" I expect to pay instantly from lock screen.

It is Apple Pay, but in the app, similar to Starbuck's setup. Once you actually try it, it is actually kind of nice. I prefer this to no mobile payment option at all.

 

[AppleScruff1]

That would be cool if they were not always .20-.30 per gallon more than the next highest station around here. That's a steep price for not that much additional convenience.

But Exxon makes the most profit of all oil companies and that's what consumers care about.

 

[dontwalkhand]

No, the app prompts you to choose the fuel grade on the pump after you've started the app but before you pick up the nozzle.

I didn't notice the app on the lock screen, but I seem to recall seeing something in the Notifications setting about having it on the lock screen. I did not choose that option. The wallet question is interesting because the App Store description says there is a Wallet feature, but I have not found it yet.

One advantage here is that you can initiate the transaction in your car (nice if it is really hot or really cold out), then once it;s ready to go, jump out an PUMP baby!

Imagine this app with a full service station, OH that would be so amazing! I would feel like a VIP! LOL!

 

[pat500000]

It is payment, it is not PCI Compliant (payment card industry), which Apple Pay is a form of a contactless credit card, and SpeedPass is not.

On another note, I have tried out this app today, and I think it is cool. It does feel nice to just complete the payment while just sitting in the car, so it does have it's upside. And nice that it works with apple pay already in the app.
[doublepost=1457489629][/doublepost]
It is Apple Pay, but in the app, similar to Starbuck's setup. Once you actually try it, it is actually kind of nice. I prefer this to no mobile payment option at all.

Oh okay. I was just trying to figure whether this was still considered as apple pay.

 

[tgara]

I was wondering. Is this actually going through apple pay or Exon app? It doesn't seem like going through app and typing number to the pump is really "apple pay." This is more of "app pay."

Nice try exon....you ain't fooling me.

If this was..."apple pay" I expect to pay instantly from lock screen.

Apple Pay is one of the payment options inside the App. You can add other credit cards, such as an Exxon Mobil card or Amex as well and select which one is to be the default (adjustable per transaction if desired). But all the transacting, including payment by Apple Pay, is done inside the app, similar to the Starbucks or Uber apps.

 

[pat500000]

Apple Pay is one of the payment options inside the App. You can add other credit cards, such as an Exxon Mobil card or Amex as well and select which one is to be the default (adjustable per transaction if desired). But all the transacting, including payment by Apple Pay, is done inside the app.

Yeah...Don'twalkhand was just telling me about the payment within the app. So okay. It clears it up then.

 

[tgara]

Yeah...Don'twalkhand was just telling me about the payment within the app. So okay. It clears it up then.

OK. What I'd like to know is whether you can add an ExxonMobil card to Apple Pay.... I'll have to try that.

Edit: Someone just posted a review at the App store and said that this is not the case. No problem, there are other options to pay.