Mercedes transforms car into payment device

Now live with Mastercard debit and credit cards in current Mercedes-Benz models, the German auto giant becomes the world’s first carmaker to integrate Mastercard Secure Card on File for Commerce Platforms technology for online payments into its vehicles.

Under the collaboration, customers will be able to use a fingerprint sensor in their car to make secure digital payments at more than 3,600 service stations in Germany.

After refueling, the driver will see the amount of fuel refueled and the invoice amount to their Mastercard debit or credit cards on the in-car MBUX dashboard display. Payment will be made automatically, and the driver will be able to leave the gas station without having to walk to the checkout area. The invoice is then sent to the customer by e-mail.

Fingerprint payments from the car will be extended soon to other vehicle-related services and to other European markets, says Franz Reiner, chairman of the board of Mercedes-Benz Mobility.

“We are pioneers in native in-car payment and are already working on the integration of further services,” he says.

The collaboration with Mastercard follows similar work with Visa, in which the card scheme’s Delegated Authentication and  Cloud Token Framework technology, is applied to enable drivers to pay for digital services and on-demand hardware upgrades in the Mercedes me Store.