US Convenience Store Chain Sheetz to Accept Cryptocurrencies for Payments

The American chain of convenience stores and coffee shops, Sheetz, announced on Thursday that the firm would be accepting digital currencies like bitcoin, ether, and dogecoin for payments. The major Mid-Atlantic chain’s executive payments manager says accepting crypto-asset acceptance bolsters Sheetz’s mission to provide customers with the “ultimate one-stop-shop.”

Convenience Store Chain Sheetz Adds Digital Currency Payments, Fuel Pump Crypto Payments to Roll out This Summer

On May 27, Sheetz revealed the company will be accepting crypto payments via the digital payments network Flexa. The company, headquartered in Altoona, Pennsylvania, operates 622 convenience stores and coffee shops in Ohio, Virginia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Maryland.

Sheetz has locations in a number of states in the U.S. and was founded by G. Robert “Bob” Sheetz in 1952. Bob and and his brother Steve Sheetz had opened 100 stores by 1983 and today the chain has 622 stores.

Sheetz noted in its announcement that the firm aims to “provide customers with the ability to pay for items inside the store or fill up their cars, trucks, and RVs at the pump using digital currencies like bitcoin, ether, litecoin, dogecoin, and more.”

“Above all else, our mission at Sheetz is to continue providing our customers with the ultimate one-stop-shop where they can refuel their car and refresh their body,” Linda Smith, the payments manager for Sheetz said. The Sheetz executive further added:

As a result, we are constantly innovating and exploring new offerings to truly give our customers what they want, when they want it, 24/7/365 — that includes accepting many forms of payment. We’re very excited to be working with Flexa to roll out support for cryptocurrencies and other types of digital assets at our stores.

Sheetz Leverages NCR payment gateway for Crypto Point-of-Sale

According to the announcement, Sheetz will leverage Flexa’s “climate-neutral payments technology” at a number of select cafes and stores at first. Later this summer, the company will roll out crypto payments for the firm’s fuel pumps. Sheetz customers can also tether their “Sheetz Rewardz” loyalty points to Flexa-enabled applications. Further, Sheetz is also leveraging Flexa’s point-of-sale (POS) partner NCR.

“Connecting through the existing POS solution to the NCR payment gateway enables retailers to quickly integrate new solutions making it easy to introduce new innovations enabled by digital currencies,” Tim Vanderham, the chief technology officer of NCR noted during the Sheetz crypto acceptance announcement. “Retailers benefit through increased loyalty, lower transaction fees, and reduced fraud while improving convenience and choice for shoppers,” Vanderham added.

Trevor Filter, the cofounder of the payments firm Flexa, detailed that his company looks forward to helping Sheetz roll out digital asset payments at the fuel pumps.

“Sheetz is one of the most forward-thinking brands in the business and understands their customer base better than anyone else. We’re absolutely elated that Flexa can help them become the first convenience and retail chain to accept digital currencies directly at the pump,” Filter remarked.

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