How can I implement this technology at a fuel station so customers can just reload without having to slide cards or take out cash?
—Name withheld
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You can employ an RFID-enabled payment system at either the pump or in the station's convenience store (if you have one) or both. I would advise you to consider a number of issues before making a decision. One is whether other RFID-enabled payment systems are available in your area of the world. In Hong Kong, South Korea, the United Kingdom and other places, there are RFID-enabled stored-value cards that are being used for transit and small purchases. If one of these exists in your country, that might be the best option. You can contact the operator of that system for information about how to enroll.
Several credit card companies have introduced contactless payment systems. MasterCard's is called PayPass, while American Express offers ExpressPay. You might want to adopt one of these as an option.
If the above two options are unavailable in your country, however, you could purchase passive high-frequency (HF) readers based on the ISO 14443 standard and integrate them with your pump, point-of-sale (POS) and back-end payment system. You would then need to issue key fobs with embedded ISO 14443 transponders to your customers, linking their credit card information to the unique ID number stored on each device. You might also consider using Near Field Communication (NFC) readers, as a growing number of smartphones are becoming NFC-enabled, so customers would be able to pay using their phones.
Creating a POS checkout system is not too difficult, but you should consult with your pump manufacturer before making changes to the pump.
—Mark Roberti, Founder and Editor, RFID Journal
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