Ghana’s domestic card, the gh-link card has received a major boost as Shell has begun deploying Point of Sale (POS) devices that accept the domestic cards, at their fuel filling stations. Shell is the second oil marketing company to accept gh-link cards after GOIL. The deployment is being enabled by Zenith Bank.
Last month, GOIL entered into a partnership with the Ghana Interbank Payment and Settlement Systems (GhIPSS) and launched the gh-link card on GOIL’s Point of Sale (POS) devices for use across the country. That initiative made it possible for all the-link cards to be used to buy fuel and other products from GOIL stations.
With this latest development, people with a gh-link card can also buy fuel and other products from Shell fuel stations and pay with the card. Currently close to 100 of the Shell fuel stations have the POSes that accept the gh-link cards and more are being rollout to cover all their stations nationwide.
The acceptance of gh-link card by the two major oil marketing companies is expected to significantly increase the use of the domestic card.
The Bank of Ghana has instructed all banks to issue gh-link cards to ensure that their customers have the liberty to choose which bank card they prefer for their various transactions instead of being restricted to only one type of card. With major oil marketing companies accepting gh-link cards, many motorists will need the gh-link cards in order to also enjoy the experience of buying fuel and paying with their bank card.
gh-link as a domestic card is supposed to be issued by all banks in Ghana to their customers and transactions on the card are terminated locally. Normally, transactions on domestic cards are cheaper and disputes on transactions are resolved faster. In Ghana, the gh-link card has access to more ATM outlets than international cards.
Chief Executive of GhIPSS Archie Hesse commended Shell for deploying POSes that accept gh-link cards. He said the move will greatly enhance Ghana’s cash-lite agenda and encouraged motorists to acquire the habit of paying for their fuel with their gh-link cards.
Mr. Hesse said in an interview that that fuel stations accepting cards and other electronic forms of payment can eventually pave way for them to go back to 24-hour service. Fuel stations used to operate through to the next day but stopped that practice due to robbery attacks. But Mr. Hesse explained that if electronic payments become the default payments, fuel station should be able to resume the 24-hour service and earn more revenue.
