Smartphone technology allows drivers to pay for fuel from the comfort of their seat

,WE ALL know how temptation kicks in once you set foot inside the shop at a petrol station. Magazines, fizzy drinks, freshly baked muffins and a cappuccino – all this and more is calling to drivers and their wallets. But now technology could save us from our lack of willpower: Shell has announced it will allow drivers to pay for fuel from their car.

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The oil company has joined forces with the online payment service PayPal to introduce Fill Up & Go, a smartphone payment facility at pumps nationwide. Its introduction, shortly after the launch of Apple Pay, is another step towards the cashless society.

Drivers need to install a free app, Shell Motorist, on their smartphone and must have a PayPal account.

The app works with Apple and Android operating systems. Users can set a limit for the cost of the fuel the app will buy, between £5 and £150, and a five-digit passcode is required for operation.

After pulling in at the pump, drivers stay in their car and the app scans a QR code by the pump. A message then appears, prompting drivers to step out and fill their car with fuel. Once the nozzle is replaced, the system sends a notification to the user’s PayPal account, which transfers the required funds to the Shell fuel station.

A digital transaction history and receipt are available within the app and it collects Shell Drivers’ Club loyalty points too. The company has been running a trial of the technology since February. Not all Shell service stations will offer the service at first, but the app points users to the nearest that does.

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