Mercedes Pay Plus In-car Payment Service Launched In Germany

• Mercedes pay+ service uses Visa’s cloud-based technology for payments and biometrics for authentication. 

• It can be used for paying for EV charging from Mercedes’ charging network or buying in-car feature subscriptions. 

• It’s currently being offered in the S-Class, C-Class, new GLC and the EQE and EQS EVs. 

• Mercedes Pay+ will be rolled out in other European countries this year. 

Earlier at the start of March, 2023, Mercedes launched its ‘Mercedes pay+’ payment service in its home country, Germany. This feature enables select Mercedes models (read next section) for payments with Visa credit and debit cards using biometric authentication (the car’s fingerprint sensor in the infotainment). 

Mercedes pay+ service 

Mercedes pay+ is a cardless, wireless payment service which uses biometric authentication to allow payments on the Mercedes me Store for infotainment services, subscribing to in-car services and unlocking hardware capabilities. For security reasons, you still need to have your phone handy, since the service uses two-factor authentication using your phone and the car’s fingerprint sensor (placed in the start button in select, newer models). Something similar to what we see from Apple and Samsung in their smartphones as well. 

Exclusively in Germany, the Mercedes pay+ service is enabled on the EQS and EQE electric sedans if you charge the car using a Mercedes-Benz fast charger which is quite natural since you often have to pay for EV charging using your card. In addition, the service is also present in the following current-generation, ICE models: 

• Mercedes S-Class 

• Mercedes C-Class 

• Mercedes GLC 

What can I buy with pay+?

For now, the Mercedes pay+ service is only available on select current-gen Mercedes models in Germany. Its capabilities are limited for now, since you can only make payments on the Mercedes me Store, but in the future you can expect to pay for fuel or charging using this service.

In-car payment services might become the next big trend in the auto industry, but they’ll come at a cost to car owners, who will have to pay for features in the long run even when they have paid the car’s full price.

For example, in select Mercedes models, you can buy a subscription for the Remote Parking Assist which helps you perform simple parking maneuvers from outside the car using a smartphone. Weirdly, even Adaptive Highbeam Assist, a safety feature, and rear-axle steering are being offered as optional extras, despite the car having the necessary hardware, which in our opinion, is bizarre.

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We are likely to see other carmakers jump on the in-car payments bandwagon. It’s disheartening to see carmakers lock away a car’s potential and functionality with subscription plans, but the potential of this tech to make fuel payments easier in the future is promising.