From Spring 2022, Mercedes-Benz drivers will be able to pay for goods and services in-car using their fingerprint.
Thanks to a new partnership with Visa and Daimler Mobility, “native” in-car payments will be available to drivers in the UK and Germany.
In-car commerce has become an “integral” aspect of the luxury customer experience according to Daimler and the company’s new global platform, Mercedes pay, will allow customers to spend with abandon. For example, Mercedes drivers will be able to buy Mercedes Me services or fuel and parking directly through the car’s head unit or in-car infotainment screens.
“We are excited to bring to life a native solution for in-car payments for the first time, together with our partner Daimler Mobility,” says Antony Cahill, Deputy CEO and Head of European Markets at Visa in Europe.
“It is significant that both the successful pilot testing and initial launch activities are taking place in Europe, a world-leading hub for payments and automotive innovation. This is a powerful example of how the world’s leader in digital payments and the inventor of the automobile are able to combine their technologies to create the next generation of smart solutions for the automobility sector, providing the driver and passengers with a completely new in-car connected commerce experience.”
“Mercedes pay is our competence centre for in-car payment, through which we offer our customers worldwide digital services seamlessly integrated within the Mercedes-Benz ecosystem,” says Franz Reiner, CEO of Daimler Mobility.
In partnership with Visa, Daimler aims to offer native in-car payments that meets the requirements of two-factor authentication in a secure and user-friendly way. There is nothing more convenient than authorising a payment with your fingerprint. A luxury customer experience of course includes the aspect of safety, and we fulfil that through native in-car payment. We offer our customers security not only when driving, but also when paying.”
The new technology is based on Visa’s Cloud Token Framework that allows more flexibility across multiple devices as Visa Cloud Tokens protect and remove sensitive payment information by converting it into data and storing it securely. The system means that drivers no longer need to enter long card numbers or switch between devices to authenticate payments.
