Frequently asked questions about mobile payments

With PACE Drive, you can pay easily and securely right at the pump. Open the app when you arrive at a connected gas station, which you can recognize by the blue icon on the map view. Select your pump and fill up as usual.

Then authorize the payment directly in the app using your preferred method, such as PayPal, credit card, Apple Pay, or Google Pay. Once the payment is confirmed, you will receive your receipt digitally by email and can continue driving immediately. There is no need to wait in line at the cash register.

Yes, with the PACE Drive app, you can also pay conveniently via your smartwatch. The feature is available for Apple Watch (Series 3 and above) and smartwatches with the Wear OS operating system and requires the app to be installed on your smartphone. Once installed on your watch, your login and payment details are transferred securely and easily from your smartphone.

At a connected gas station, you can then select the fuel pump directly from your wrist and authorize the payment. After confirming in the app, you can continue driving immediately and receive a digital receipt.

PACE Drive requires your exact location to show you gas station prices in your area and to process your payment securely. This ensures that you are actually at the selected gas station and not accidentally paying for someone else’s fuel. Your data is always treated in accordance with the highest security standards.

The easiest way to grant permission is directly when you first open the app. To do this, select the option “Allow while using the app” and make sure to enable access to your “precise location” in order to use all functions correctly. You can adjust this setting at any time in your smartphone’s permissions for the PACE Drive app.

PACE Pay is the name given to all payment options in the free PACE Drive app that allow you to pay directly at the pump using your mobile device. These include popular methods such as PayPal, credit cards (Visa, Mastercard, AMEX), Apple Pay, and Google Pay, as well as selected fuel cards. The biggest advantage is the time saved: you can pay conveniently via smartphone, smartwatch, or directly via Apple CarPlay and Android Auto without having to wait in line at the cash register. In addition, you receive a digital receipt for each transaction and benefit from high security standards, as your payment data is always transmitted in encrypted form and is specially protected by procedures such as two-factor authentication.

The security of your data is a top priority at PACE, which is why we use multi-level protection measures. Your payment details are stored separately from other personal information and are encrypted using modern standards throughout the entire payment process. Each transaction must also be approved by you via PIN, fingerprint, or facial recognition, and the 3D Secure procedure is mandatory for credit cards. For business customers, security is further enhanced by digital processes such as the tokenization of card data, which completely eliminates the risks associated with physical cards, such as theft or skimming.

You can already pay on the go with PACE Drive at over … gas stations in … European countries, and our network is constantly growing. In the app’s map view, you can easily identify all participating gas stations by the blue “Connected Fueling” icon. If you only want to see these stations, you can activate the “Connected Fueling” filter at the bottom of the map.

Mit PACE Drive können Sie bereits an über 9.010 Tankstellen in 8 europäischen Ländern unterwegs bezahlen, und unser Netzwerk wächst ständig. In der Kartenansicht der App können Sie alle teilnehmenden Tankstellen leicht an dem blauen Symbol „Connected Fueling” erkennen. Wenn Sie nur diese Tankstellen sehen möchten, können Sie den Filter „Connected Fueling” am unteren Rand der Karte aktivieren.

After you have authorized the payment in the app, you will receive several clear confirmations. First, the app will display a clear message that you can now continue driving. At the same time, your digital receipt will be generated, which you can find directly in the app and will also be automatically sent to your registered email address. The gas station cashier will also be notified of the successful payment, so you can leave the gas station without any concerns.

The ban on cell phones at many gas stations is an internal rule imposed by operators and dates back to a time when batteries falling out of old cell phones could theoretically generate sparks. With modern smartphones with built-in batteries, this risk is practically eliminated, which is why the ban is considered technically obsolete. To use mobile payment with PACE Drive without any problems and in compliance with the rules, you can simply start and complete the entire payment process from inside your car. Alternatively, you can also use your smartwatch for payment, as this is usually not affected by any ban.

Price differences between the app and the display at the fuel pump may occur due to a short delay in data transmission. Gas stations in Germany change their prices very frequently and are legally required to report them to the state market transparency agency for fuels (MTS-K). We use this official data, but the multi-stage transmission process can cause a delay of a few minutes, during which the app may still display an outdated price. There is no reporting requirement for premium fuels, which is why discrepancies may occur more frequently in this case.