Sam’s Club expands Scan & Go to fuel stations

Sam’s Club is bringing its Scan & Go mobile payment service to the gas pump.

The Walmart warehouse club chain on Thursday unveiled Scan & Go Fuel, a new capability within the Sam’s Club mobile app that provides a contactless, pay-at-the-pump experience.

Sam’s Club said that this month it’s rolling out Scan & Go Fuel to more than 70 locations around the country, following a small-scale pilot earlier this year. Plans call for the retailer to deploy the solution at all of its 518 fuel stations by the end of the year.

“We launched Scan & Go technology inside our clubs in 2016, and we’ve seen its popularity continue to increase, particularly during the pandemic. Our member adoption rate has doubled since this time last year, and we don’t see that slowing down, especially as our members continue to crave quick and safe shopping experiences,” Sam’s Club executives Eddie Garcia, senior vice president and chief product officer, and Vinod Bidarkoppa, senior vice president of technology, said in a blog post. “The evolution of Scan & Go, with the added capability of Scan & Go Fuel, is just another example of our commitment to build tech-led solutions that power a better, faster experience for our members. Very much like our recent national rollout of curbside pickup.”

Related:Sam’s Club goes chainwide with curbside pickup

“Scan & Go removes another point of friction for our members,

To use Scan & Go Fuel, members open the Sam’s Club app on their smartphone (or download the app first if they don’t have it), and click on the Scan & Go icon. Next, they scan the QR code at the gas pump, select their method of payment in the app and then start fueling. After completing their fill-up, they drive away. A digital receipt is sent via email.

The app-based experience at the pump “brings together contactless payments, speed and low prices,” according to Garcia and Bidarkoppa.

“No more shuffling for your Sam’s Club membership card, credit cards or cash,” they said. “Scan & Go removes another point of friction for our members by allowing secure purchases and eliminating paper receipts with the ease and convenience of the Sam’s Club app.”

Sam’s Club operates 597 wholesale club locations overall. The retailer completed its rollout of curbside pickup service at the end of June, following a pilot with consumer and business-owner members at 16 clubs.