Filling station chain Gazprom Neft upgrades its loyalty card program with Gemalto Optelio PURE contactless solution

​​​Amsterdam, Aug. 31, 2016 - Gemalto (Euronext NL0000400653 GTO), the world leader in digital security has been chosen by Gazprom Neft filling station chain to increase the security and user convenience of their loyalty cards using the Gemalto Optelio PURE contactless solution. The new loyalty program uses the white label EMV-based Optelio PURE dual interface cards. The contactless cards are accepted in up-to-date terminals supplied by Ingenico and are supported in Gazprom Neft's fleet card processing solution by OpenWay. 

Due to the use of the internationally recognized EMV standard, the new solution allows Gazprom Neft to provide banking-level security and reduce the risk of fraud. Moreover, the absence of additional card scheme fees when using PURE allows Gazprom Neft to effectively manage costs, thus benefiting customers.

The cards are fully compliant with the EMV standard for financial cards and are used within Gazprom Neft's private acceptance network. In addition to core benefits, the introduction of contactless transactions can increase the checkout speed tenfold. This future-proof, scalable solution establishes a clear roadmap for the adoption of enhanced card functionality, and the rollout of further value-added benefits for their customers.

Filling station chain Gazprom Neft belongs to one of the largest oil producers with 1,400 filling stations in Russia and CIS. The 'Going the Same Way' loyalty cards are used by more than 7 million clients. The new system was introduced in January 2016.

"Embracing the EMV ecosystem and contactless technology offers a significant step forward in speed, convenience and durability of the service." said Philippe Cambriel, President for Europe, Mediterranean and CIS at Gemalto. "It has also laid the foundation for the adoption of mobile payments to a fast-emerging generation of smartphone-centric consumers."

[Editor's note: This version of the press release is changed relative to the original version which was first released Aug 31, 2016. This version corrects the number of filling stations and number of clients using the loyalty program, and restructures some of the text.]

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