Couche-Tard expands Pay by Plate technology

Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc. has announced that it has introduced Pay by Plate in Sweden and plans to expand it across its Circle K network over the coming few years. This initiative will make Circle K the first fuel retailer to introduce this new technology across a national network.

Pay by Plate or LPR (Licence Plate Recognition) is a leading-edge payment technology that has been in use in North American car wash sites for several years. Couche-Tard will now offer this technology to enable customers to pay for fuel using LPR and a mobile app to create a completely frictionless customer experience. 

Pay by Plate has been piloted successfully in select Circle K stores in Norway and was officially launched in Sweden on April 22. The service is easy to use. There is no card or PIN needed for each transaction. Customers simply drive onto the forecourt, fill up with fuel, and, through number plate recognition, pay for the fuel on their Circle K Easy Fuel app.  

"At Circle K, we know the forecourt of today is not the forecourt of tomorrow. We are committed to evolving the forecourt experience for our customers through innovation,” says Deb Hall Lefevre, chief information officer, Circle K. “The need for change and a move towards a more frictionless forecourt experience is driven by the clear changes we see in consumer behaviour."

Couche-Tard is a global leader in convenience and fuel retail, operating in 26 countries and territories, with more than 14,200 stores, of which approximately 10,800 offer road transportation fuel.

The company said: "Based on customer adaption to this new and easy fuelling experience, the plan is to roll out across wider parts of the Circle K network in the coming years."