I decided to try Kuapay app after I got a flyer from the local Shell gas station in Marina del Rey (Marina Shell Service Station). The flyer said I can save 50 cents per gallon at that gas station by using Kuapay app. I went home and researched. Kuapay has apps for iPhone and Android that let you pay using your credit card but without pulling the card out.
I installed the app on my iPhone, entered one of my credit cards into it and was good to go. The app makes you enter a pin to secure itself. In other words, on every app startup, you have to enter the pin to the app, otherwise the app won't start. This is a security measure.
Since I no longer have the service for the iPhone, I actually brought my Nokia Lumia 521 T-Mobile Windows Phone and used it as a mobile WiFi hotspot to use the iPhone and the Kuapay app. I would not have to jump through hoops to make the Kuapay app work if there was a version available for Windows Phone (WP8), but currently there isn't one.
If you have an iPhone or an Android device, you will not need to do anything special.
Once I got to the station, I scanned the QR code on the pump with the scanner within the app (using the phone's camera) and was asked how much money do I want to spend. I chose to spend $41, which is enough to get 10 gallons. The app deducted about 12.5% from that amount. So I got $41 worth of gas for $35.88. That is savings of $5.12 for 10 gallons.
In addition, if you join the Fuel Rewards network, you can get $.03 off a gallon at some Shell stations. And most rewards credit cards give you at least 1% cash back. As a result, the next time I used Kuapay (with gas at $4.10 per gallon), I saved .51 + .03 + .04 = $0.58 per gallon.
Nice!
Update 07/2014: if you specify the amount that is too high and don't pump enough gas to use up that amount, the change will be credited back to your credit card automatically. I tried and it works - a couple of days later you get the refund of the difference.
I got as far as "how much do you want to spend?" and chickened out. I wanted to fill my tank but what if I put too much money. And I couldn't see how the pump was going to start as it was waiting for me to enter a credit card. For this to work properly there has to be more communication between the pump and the app. Once you're logged in (or entered your pin on the app) the pump should start, then when you know how much gas you've got, the bill appears on your phone for you to pay.
ReplyDeleteI also voiced my concerns to girls who where standing at the station and promoting Kuapay. One of them said they are working on better interface for dealing with getting as much gas as you needed.
DeleteI think once you check out, a message is set to the attendant, who then starts the pump and specifies the amount. They also told me that if you don't fill up as much as you checked out for, they will automatically refund the difference, but I have yet to try that.
But overall, I agree with you.