Gas up at Caltex with but a wave

These days of rampant fraud, high-tech tomfoolery, and schemes designed to filch your hard-earned peso, customer convenience often takes a back seat to security and safety. Thankfully, companies are redoubling their efforts to keep ahead of the criminals even as they provide thoughtful innovations to make our lives progressively easier.

For those who have chewed on their fingernails anxiously while seeing their credit cards carried off behind heavily tinted glass at the gas station, Caltex marketer Chevron Philippines, Inc. (CPI), makes gassing up simultaneously more reassuring and much quicker.

Visa payWave cardholders can now experience at Caltex stations the same contactless payment technology they enjoy in retail establishments. For payments below P2,000, one only needs to wave the card in front of readers readily available at the pump through attendants. Payables exceeding the amount will require PIN entry or a signature for security purposes.

In a speech at the recent launch of the service, CPI general manager Peter Morris said that the partnership is the first of its kind in Asia-Pacific, and describes the resulting experience for customers as “easy as 1-2-3.” He added in a release, “Motorists can transact securely and with ease, knowing that they remain in control of their card at all times.”

For his part, Visa country manager for the Philippines and Guam Stuart Tomlinson underscored that payWave “takes the hassle out of payment,” while providing security and technology in the global-standard EMV (Europay, MasterCard, and Visa) chip. “As the global payments leader, Visa always wants to reduce friction in the payment process. We are excited to partner with Chevron Philippines once again to bring seamless customer experience to motorists. Visa payWave is much quicker, more secure and more convenient than cash.”

Replying to a question from STAR Motoring, Morris said that payWave will be initially made available to 62 percent of the company’s 700-plus dealerships around the country. Many of these payWave-enabled stations are in Manila, Davao, and Cebu, with two or more payWave terminals provided each of the stations. Caltex promises to roll the service out to more locations in its network.

Chevron and Visa are further sweetening the deal for its inauguration. Until July 31, 2017, the “Drive Away a Millionaire” promo gives Visa cardholders using Visa payWave to purchase any Caltex fuel (Platinum with Techron, Silver with Techron and Diesel with Techron D) at participating stations the chance to win Visa card credit of P1 million. Three lucky motorists stand to receive a year’s worth of Starcash worth P100,000.

Three raffle entries are issued Visa payWave purchases in increments of P500; Visa contact transactions get a raffle entry with each P500 purchase. Motorists gassing up at Caltex also get an instant P50 discount to be deducted outright from their fuel bill. Raffle draws will happen on May 26, June 30, and August 11.