Fortum Charge & Drive India launches open loop prepaid cards

NL Corresspondent
Jammu Tawi: Fortum Charge & Drive (C&D) India launched the RuPay Pre-paid Card, in collaboration with Pine Labs – a flexible prepaid card that can be used
for making payments for charging sessions completed at Fortum charging stations anywhere in India. The launch took place at ‘The FINCHAM Annual Gala 2022'
attended by various dignitaries from the industry. The card will be available to customers from January 1, 2023, by ordering the same through the Fortum C&D App
and completing minimum KYC. From January 1, 2023, Fortum Charge & Drive India shall also transition its payment method from the postpaid method to the
prepaid method for EV users. The card can also be used to pay for EV charging at any charging station, including non-Fortum charging stations (if the RuPay card
is accepted by the station operators). An EV user can also use this pre-paid card at any other e-commerce or merchant store, both for online and offline
transactions where RuPay cards are accepted. “We are pleased to offer EV users this innovative payment method, which can be used for making payments on
any EV charging stations in India besides across e-commerce sites for online transactions and millions of POS for physical transactions across segments like
OTT, eateries, movies, hospitality, retail, etc. We believe that the RuPay pre-paid card will give Fortum Charge & Drive India customers freedom and convenience,
resulting in a more efficient charging experience,” said Awadhesh Kumar Jha, Executive Director, Fortum Charge & Drive India. “We are delighted to partner with a
clean energy company like Fortum Charge & Drive India in their journey to scale the EV infrastructure in India. Pine Labs is powering the Fortum co-branded
prepaid program on the RuPay network. Fortum's customers in India now have a seamless way to pay for their offline and online transactions using prepaid cards
issued by Pine Labs,” said Kumar Sudarsan, President, Issuing Business, Pine Labs.