Published On: February 12, 2020

As the world is moving faster than ever, people are looking for improved convenience in their day-to-day lives. As a company that is constantly looking to improve our technology for our business partners and their customers, we’ve invested significant resources to support a growing trend and demand for self-service technology after studying evolving payment preference behaviour in Canada. Beginning with a vision in 2013, MONEXgroup has spent extensive time, research and engineering to develop a fully certified Contactless Only payment solution – the first of its kind in Canada. The latest manifestation of our unique solution is our exclusive Tap & Wash technology, enabling consumers to make simplified contactless car wash payments aligns with our mission to make Canadians’ lives easier. We’ve recently launched our Contactless Only reader in a ruggedized format suited for the self-serve, unattended payments, car wash industry with a successful pilot in Oshawa, where drivers now have the convenience of tapping their Debit / Credit cards against the reader as a way to make instant payments. This site is the first of many more to come as Tap & Wash began rolling out nationwide in 2017.

A key criteria of the innovative Tap & Wash system was a robust and durable design to meet the high demands of the traditional “coin car wash” environment… where coins are no longer necessary! Our Contactless Only Tap & Wash terminal is ultra rugged and waterproof to withstand the direct spray of a high pressure water jet, high moisture conditions, and extreme temperatures. It was imperative for the car wash industry to deploy Tap Only car wash payment versus alternative solutions because of the environmental conditions. Using the traditional swipe and insert payment technologies would not be adequate because they contain unsealed components that are inherently vulnerable to water damage. MONEXgroup partnered with a leading car wash products supplier to deliver this state-of-the-art Contactless Only product to the car wash market. Our partner is thrilled with the results and recognizes the significant market opportunity that MONEXgroup’s product offers to the industry. At the Oshawa Parkway car wash, customers have embraced the Tap & Wash option as they welcome the speed of payment plus its ease-of-use. As using coins is a relic of the past, more and more customers are no longer carrying coins around.

The fully PCI certified Tap Only car wash payment system offered by MONEXgroup supports Visa payWave, MasterCard Tap & Go, Interac Flash and Apple Pay. This one-of-a-kind solution enables self-serve car washes to lower their operational costs and dramatically reduce maintenance costs while improving transaction volume plus profitability. No more counting coin, rolling coin, or making manual deposits. Additionally, the Contactless Only system does not require key injection (found in traditional debit card payment systems), thus reducing maintenance costs even further.

Not convinced? Watch our video as the General Manager of our car wash supplier partner explains why he loves working with MONEXgroup and why choosing MONEXgroup as their car wash payment solution was the ideal choice!

MONEXgroup Exhibiting at the Convenience U CARWACS Trade Show: March 3 & 4

On March 3 and 4, MONEXgroup will be exhibiting at the Convenience U CARWACS Trade Show at the Toronto Congress Centre. The Convenience U CARWACS Show is Canada’s largest convenience, gas, and car wash industry trade event. Every year, hundreds of exhibitors gather to showcase the latest and greatest in products and services available to the Canadian market, and thousands of people attend to discover new products, profit from exclusive show deals, and learn about new business strategies and products.

MONEXgroup will be showcasing our contactless only, unattended payment solutions for car washes, gas stations and convenience stores. Our Tap & Wash payment solution is perfect for car washes, as it offers unparalleled convenience to customers, while vendors enjoy a more efficient reconciliation process with our unattended, contactless only payment system. 

MONEXgroup will be exhibiting at booth #524, come and visit us!

How does the Tap & Wash Car Wash Payment Work?

Similar to our Air Pump Inflator and Car Vacuum Contactless Only technology, MONEXgroup’s Tap & Wash car wash solution works intuitively. Once the driver pulls into the car wash bay, the customer can activate our Contactless Only reader in 3 simple steps:

  1. Selecting amount of money they want to spend on their wash – the reader will automatically correspond the wash duration according to the dollar value. The driver can adjust the amount of money they want to spend by pressing the + button on the reader.
  2. Press the OK button to confirm the amount. The customer is then prompted to Tap their card / mobile device to complete the transaction.
  3. Tap to activate the water hose and the driver can start spraying down their car.

The Synergy between MONEXgroup’s Tap & Wash and Different Varieties of Car Wash

Canadian drivers enjoy a variety of distinct kinds of car washes and the associated payment infrastructure varies by application. Generally, we can categorize 4 types of car washes:

  • Wand and hand wash
  • Drive-through car wash
  • Prepaid self-serve car wash
  • Touchless automatic car wash

Wand/Hand Car Wash Payment

Wand-operated car wash is a hands-on procedure where the owner has to wash his own vehicle using the equipment, tools and soap provided by the car wash bay. The only obstacle was finding the right change… but not anymore, thanks to MONEXgroup’s revolutionary Tap & Wash system. Wand operated car wash payment systems most often work via coin are outdated. By incorporating the Tap & Wash car wash payment system in the bay is better because patrons appreciate the convenience and return more frequently.

Prepaid Self-Serve Car Wash Payment

Prepaid self-serve car wash works differently than wand-operated car wash where the car owner can expect to wash their car in a restricted time block of 10-15 minutes. The car wash will automatically start the time restriction countdown. You can often expect to pay in time blocks of 15 minutes, after which the car wash will automatically turn off. Only when the owner adds money to the machine then they can activate the wash. Prepaid self-serve car wash payment works differently than wand-operated car wash because they often deploy a Credit / Debit card swiper where it is exposed to weather conditions. MONEXgroup’s Tap & Wash car wash payment system eliminates the insertion of your Credit / Debit card because all you need to do is Tap & Wash ! Car wash operator doesn’t need to worry about severe weather conditions, because our Contactless Only reader will be able to withstand any weather condition, not to mention direct high pressure water spray.

Drive-through Car Wash Payment

A drive-through car wash is likely the most convenient option to use because it’s fast and you don’t need to do anything but sit in the car and drive through for the wash. The downside of this method is that it is typically harsher on the vehicle because the brushes that are embedded on the walls of the bay can be abrasive which can lead to breaking wipers or radio antennas with the built-in rotating motions. How can MONEXgroup’s Tap & Wash be incorporated into a drive-through car wash bay? Generally speaking, when a car owner is looking to wash his/her car they would have to pay at the gas station counter and get a code, and key in the code in order to activate the equipment and enter the tunnel. Instead of getting out of the car and having to pay at the gas station, a drive-through car wash bay can incorporate our Contactless Only reader and pay in one step with a quick tap.

Touchless Car Wash Payment

Touchless car washes payment operates in exactly the same way as drive-through car washes and car owners can obtain payment the same way. However, the major difference is that touchless car washes rely on soap and water pressure to clean your car, instead of rotating brushes attached to machines. Touchless car washes are safer for your car because there is no direct contact with your car, eliminating the possibility of abrasive scratches or damage from the brushes. The downside of touchless car washes is that it doesn’t do as thorough of a job to remove dirt from soiled parts versus the drive-through car wash. Similar to the drive-through car wash system, touchless car wash tunnels can utilize our Tap & Wash technology as it improves the efficiency of the payment process by reducing steps involved.

 Refer to the table below for a brief summary of the advantages and disadvantages of each car wash.

Type of Car Wash Quality of Clean Length of Time Damage Potential
Wand-operated Excellent Medium Low
Drive-through Average Low High
Self-Serve Excellent High Low
Touchless Poor Low Low

Car Wash Industry Statistics

According to a report by IBIS World’s Car Wash & Auto Detailing market research report, the Canadian car wash industry had generated approx. $442 million dollars from 2011 to 2016 with an annual growth of 2.1 % from 2011 to 2016, with 2,867 operating businesses and over 8,433 employment positions nationwide. The rise of disposable income and low interest rates to purchase a car has allowed the affluent Canadian population to invest in an automobile. As a result, the total number of motor vehicle registrations increased at an annual rate of 2.1% from 2011 to 2016, according to Statistics Canada data.

When partnering with the number one Canadian merchant services in Canada; MONEXgroup will increase your efficiency and quality of service and lower the related costs. Request a Cost Comparison Analysis today.

Lindsey Lu Marketing Communications Specialist
insights@monexgroup.com