Visa payWave technology has been successfully implemented at all star petrol stations. Since 2010, customers can pay their bills at star quickly and securely using the contactless payment system. By introducing this system, star petrol stations are an important pioneer – and not just in the oil market. 

Innovation pays off: By continuing its contactless payment strategy, star petrol stations have become an important driving force in the market. As early as 2010, the petrol station company was the first supplier to offer a comprehensive contactless payment system in Germany with MasterCard’s PayPass technology. In the second quarter of 2013, star established network-wide acceptance for Visa payWave, a first in the oil market.

Customers and dealers benefit from the new system especially where small sums are concerned. The terminal processes the transaction in a matter of seconds. The cumbersome and time-consuming search for coins becomes unnecessary, thus speeding up the payment process. “This innovation allows us to precisely fulfil our customers’ demands,” Wieslaw Milkiewicz, Managing Director and Press Spokesman for the petrol station brand star, explained. “The costs for fill-ups and shop purchases can be paid faster with Visa payWave. This accelerates pass-through rates and keeps long lines from forming at the registers.” 

Customers can use the contactless payment system at the card terminal for amounts of up to 25 euros without a PIN or signature. If the amount is higher, the cardholder confirms the contactless transaction by signing or entering the PIN. Payments at the card terminal can either be made with the Visa payWave card or a debit card (Vpay). Payment via smartphone is also possible, provided that the end device is NFC-capable. “In coming months, mobile payments will become more significant as well. We will also focus closely on the needs of our customers in this area to stay true to our promise of being ‘fast, simple and affordable’ and to offer even more service,” Milkiewicz further explained. 

star – a strong brand from ORLEN Deutschland GmbH
star is the petrol station brand of ORLEN Deutschland GmbH, which has been operating more than 560 petrol stations in the northern half of Germany since 2003. The company, which is based in Elmshorn, near Hamburg, is part of the Polish oil and petrochemicals group PKN ORLEN SA, the largest company in Eastern Europe and one of the largest in Central Europe, with an annual turnover of 27 billion euros in 2012. PKN ORLEN SA is listed on the Warsaw and London stock exchanges and is represented on the petrol station market in Eastern and Central Europe with a total of 2,700 petrol stations in Poland, the Czech Republic, Germany and Lithuania. In recent years, large investments have been made in Lithuania and the Czech Republic in order to bring the group a step closer to its goal of becoming the leading oil company in Central Europe.

Contact:
ORLEN Deutschland GmbH
Wieslaw Milkiewicz / Managing Director and Press Spokesman
Telephone: +49 (0)4121 / 4750 – 1609, wieslaw.milkiewicz@orlendeutschland.de
Isabel Kreth / Marketing & PR
Telephone: +49 (0)4121 / 4750 – 1610, isabel.kreth@orlen-deutschland.de

PDF: star – Driver of innovation in the petrol station market