Last updated on June 13th, 2024
More than 143 billion gallons of gasoline are purchased a year in the U.S.—99 percent by swiping a card at the pump or paying with cash. Boston-based GasBuddy is launching a smartphone app for motorists to pay with and save on every gallon of fuel. The first retailer to use this system is Love’s Travel Stops, an Oklahoma City, Oklahoma-based convenience store operator with more than 450 stores in 41 states.
The new mobile payment feature is an expansion of the Pay with GasBuddy card program launched in September 2017, which enables consumers to save on fuel purchases at more than 90 percent of gas stations across the U.S. Since that launch, there have been more than 2 million transactions in all 50 states using the Pay with GasBuddy program.
The new mobile GasBuddy experience is designed to drive additional speed, convenience and security for GasBuddy users and Love’s guests. The mobile pay feature allows users to arm Love’s pumps using the GasBuddy app from their car, as well as take advantage of the Pay with GasBuddy fuel savings program.
After fueling, an e-receipt showing the GasBuddy discount will appear in the app; it also will be e-mailed so consumers can easily keep track of all fuel transactions and savings.
“Mobile payments are no longer ‘nice-to-have’ in our business but an essential part of our customer’s experience,” said Dave Frankenfield, VP of marketing at Love’s. “Love’s is thrilled to expand our longstanding, trusted partnership with GasBuddy through the Pay with GasBuddy program to add even more convenience and value at all of our locations.”
GasBuddy is aiming to expand mobile payments with other fuel retailers and expects to see feature usability in 20 percent of the nation’s gas stations by the end of 2018.
“Every day millions of drivers open the GasBuddy app even before turning on their car engine to decide where to buy fuel,” said Sarah McCrary, GasBuddy CEO. “Our mobile payments feature enables customer-centric retailers like Love’s to own the entire customer dialog from pre-trip to the pump and beyond.”
For the last two years, GasBuddy has been assembling management, technology, engineering and operations talent from the likes of PayPal, Cumberland Farms SmartPay and Heartland Payment Systems as it built a team to commercialize secure consumer payments technology for the $315 billion retail fuel market.
The company also has a strategic partnership with WEX, a provider of corporate payment solutions.
