Exactly three weeks after we noticed its existence, Shell Malaysia today officially launched the Shell App which allows users to perform fuel payment directly from their phone. The energy company stated that more than 650 stations nationwide already support it with full national coverage expected to be completed by the end of September.
From our initial usage, one of our biggest grips with the Shell App’s fuel payment feature is the fact it is not that seamless. Specifically, users have to input the OTP number for their cards in order to complete their payments.
As it turns out, this was actually a deliberate decision by Shell Malaysia. According to Seow Lee Ming, the General Manager of Shell Mobility Malaysia, the company choose the OTP security implementation over a few seconds of time-saving to avoid any fraudulent transactions.
Ultimately, Shell Malaysia wants customers to feel very safe using the Shell App. Nevertheless, the company aims to continuously improve the speed and enhance the customer experience over time.
If you take Setel by Petronas as a comparison, the app’s CardTerus feature allows users to tie their credit or debit card directly to the app. This feature doesn’t require users to input OTP aside from the initial verification process when users first linked their card to Setel.
Another feature called One-tap fuelling and together, they helped Setel deliver seamless payments. That being said, it is also important to note that the Shell App is a payment-on-file application in its current form and not a full-fledged e-wallet.
You can find the Shell App for Android by searching for Shell Asia on Google Play. Likewise, Apple iOS users can head on to the App Store to obtain the app.
