Bitcoin at the Pump, ideas

[evanito]

I like your idea, such as coinbase offers a merchant app that will give you a QR then alert you once it has been payed.

[Possum577]

Are you serious? There's internet access anywhere you can get a signal from a satellite. All the gas stations have to do is put the equipment to accept and transact payments.

QR code would make it very easy but it would be required.

[lyth0s]

I saw in a recent thread about how it would take forever to get bitcoin to be accepted at the pumps of gas stations due to most pumps not having internet access.  It got me thinking, what if instead of a bitcoin credit card styled solution, there was a QR code at the pump with a wallet address, sending BTC to that QR through your wallet address would notify a server inside the store and turn the pump on for the amount of bitcoin you sent?

What if you wanted to pump until your gas was full, would there be a way for the pump to check the amount available before you pumped, so that it could pull it afterward?

In order for the pump to "pull the bitcoins" afterwards it would need to know your private key, which is a big no-no. Honestly you don't have to get internet all the way out to the pump machines. Just have the cash register (which is usually a computer nowadays that has an ethernet connection for sales reporting purposes) connected to the internet and be aware of incoming bitcoin payments and to what wallet address (1 per pump). Upon you sending bitcoins to the wallet address the cash register turns the pump on (they already can do this) for the amount of dollars of bitcoins you sent them, done and done

[TheAccountant]

The pumps already have connectivity.

[sgk]

I've read about some gas stations already accepting Bitcoins.
Never cared about getting into what POS system they use to accept BTC though.

http://www.coindesk.com/pump-gas-for-bitcoin-in-the-us/

http://www.kunc.org/post/welcome-colorado-gas-station-where-you-can-fill-your-tank-bitcoins

http://bitcoinmalaysia.com/2014/08/19/1st-petrol-station-to-accept-bitcoin-btc-in-malaysia/

[CozyLife]

That's a good idea, but the confirmation wait time would be tremendous if they were playing it safe. 10 minutes is quite the length of time to be standing around for especially if you're in a hurry. I think Bitcoin credit cards are going to be the way to solve this, though, as they don't rely on the customer being legitimate.

[itsAj]

I saw in a recent thread about how it would take forever to get bitcoin to be accepted at the pumps of gas stations due to most pumps not having internet access.  It got me thinking, what if instead of a bitcoin credit card styled solution, there was a QR code at the pump with a wallet address, sending BTC to that QR through your wallet address would notify a server inside the store and turn the pump on for the amount of bitcoin you sent?

What if you wanted to pump until your gas was full, would there be a way for the pump to check the amount available before you pumped, so that it could pull it afterward?

In order for the pump to "pull the bitcoins" afterwards it would need to know your private key, which is a big no-no. Honestly you don't have to get internet all the way out to the pump machines. Just have the cash register (which is usually a computer nowadays that has an ethernet connection for sales reporting purposes) connected to the internet and be aware of incoming bitcoin payments and to what wallet address (1 per pump). Upon you sending bitcoins to the wallet address the cash register turns the pump on (they already can do this) for the amount of dollars of bitcoins you sent them, done and done

It wouldn't even need to be this complicated. The gas station could just accept bitcoin payments the same way that coffee shops, bars and restaurants accept bitcoin in physical locations today. If BTC payment at the pump is not an option then the clerk could show a customer a QR code that the customer would send BTC to, and upon receipt of a TX with an appropriate TX fee the clerk could authorize the US dollar equivalent worth of gas to be disbursed. 

[keithers]

I saw in a recent thread about how it would take forever to get bitcoin to be accepted at the pumps of gas stations due to most pumps not having internet access.  It got me thinking, what if instead of a bitcoin credit card styled solution, there was a QR code at the pump with a wallet address, sending BTC to that QR through your wallet address would notify a server inside the store and turn the pump on for the amount of bitcoin you sent?

What if you wanted to pump until your gas was full, would there be a way for the pump to check the amount available before you pumped, so that it could pull it afterward?

I think a lot of pumps have internet access... I am assuming that is how you are able to currently stick your credit/debit card directly into the pump machine (rather than having to walk into the gas station itself).

I'm sure a one of those bitcoin debit cards would solve this problem and allow people to purchase gas with BTC, but getting a Gasoline Company to accept BTC themselves is a different beast entirely...

[poon-TANG]

I saw in a recent thread about how it would take forever to get bitcoin to be accepted at the pumps of gas stations due to most pumps not having internet access.  It got me thinking, what if instead of a bitcoin credit card styled solution, there was a QR code at the pump with a wallet address, sending BTC to that QR through your wallet address would notify a server inside the store and turn the pump on for the amount of bitcoin you sent?

What if you wanted to pump until your gas was full, would there be a way for the pump to check the amount available before you pumped, so that it could pull it afterward?

I think a lot of pumps have internet access... I am assuming that is how you are able to currently stick your credit/debit card directly into the pump machine (rather than having to walk into the gas station itself).

I'm sure a one of those bitcoin debit cards would solve this problem and allow people to purchase gas with BTC, but getting a Gasoline Company to accept BTC themselves is a different beast entirely...

No the dispenser does not do any transactions of any kind. The POS handles all the credit/debit transactions. All the card reader does is just that...it reads the card, sends the data to the POS and then waits for authorization.

[bornil267645]

Just do what we do best. Stay united. Bitcoin rules

[wordman267645]

The process is definitely great.But off course the problem is you would need an internet connection to keep the price updated otherwise it is difficult to count how many liters of gas just convert into btc equivalent.

[Bitbirdhunt]

It won't take forever for btc to be accepted, because world is progressing too fast since last 25 years or so.

It might take time for btc to be accepted in remote pump locations.

[SpongeBTCants]

I wish I could pay for the gas with BTC, nice idea.

[itsAj]

I saw in a recent thread about how it would take forever to get bitcoin to be accepted at the pumps of gas stations due to most pumps not having internet access.  It got me thinking, what if instead of a bitcoin credit card styled solution, there was a QR code at the pump with a wallet address, sending BTC to that QR through your wallet address would notify a server inside the store and turn the pump on for the amount of bitcoin you sent?

What if you wanted to pump until your gas was full, would there be a way for the pump to check the amount available before you pumped, so that it could pull it afterward?

I think a lot of pumps have internet access... I am assuming that is how you are able to currently stick your credit/debit card directly into the pump machine (rather than having to walk into the gas station itself).

I'm sure a one of those bitcoin debit cards would solve this problem and allow people to purchase gas with BTC, but getting a Gasoline Company to accept BTC themselves is a different beast entirely...

No the dispenser does not do any transactions of any kind. The POS handles all the credit/debit transactions. All the card reader does is just that...it reads the card, sends the data to the POS and then waits for authorization.

I would think this would no be compliant with VISA/MC rules. A merchant must keep data encrypted that contains the credit card information, and if data is sent from the pump to inside the store then it would either need to be unencrypted during this time or something inside the store must be able to decrypt the data. I think having some kind of device that can decrypt any CC data (the POS would likely need to be replaced often) would be a security risk. 

[Wealthy]

I don't know if such ways are available currently but it can surely happen in future..if you are a regular customer..

[oceans]

Surely in the actual store of a gas station there is some kind of way of being able to gain an internet connection? Couldn't gas stations have something actually in the store where you have to go through the store clerk to pay for your gas using bitcoins? Would definitely be ideal for those of who whom want to use bitcoins for uses like this.