Consumers Can Now Buy Car Repairs with Openbay and Apple Pay

Apple Pay can now fix your car — or at least it can pay for it.

Openbay, an online car repair marketplace, has announced that its mobile app can now be integrated with Apple Pay to pay for vehicle fixes and maintenance. In addition to the convenience for consumers, the offering is also good news for the car dealerships, independent shops and mobile mechanics who provide services via Openbay, as it lowers their risk of responsibility for fraudulent charges.

“Openbay remains the only nationwide mobile and Web app for consumers to search for, compare mechanics, book an appointment and pay for auto repair,” said Openbay’s founder and CEO Rob Infantino in a statement. “With Apple Pay, we continue to innovate and maintain a first-mover advantage for vehicle repair. The perceived nuisance of getting one’s car or truck serviced is becoming virtually frictionless.”

In the press release announcing Apple Pay’s availability on its app, Openbay outlined the benefits on both the consumer and service-provider sides. Consumers will receive convenience and security, as well as the ability to minimize costs by comparing multiple offers, the company said. Users will also be able to earn Openbay Rewards with every completed automotive service.

Automotive service-providers, for their part, will experience the cost benefit of not having to invest in EMV and NFC point-of-sale terminals, as well the aforementioned lower risk of culpability related to fraudulent charges.

Openbay also shared other new features of its mobile app, including appointment scheduling, an onramp that allows potential users to sample the app before registering, and the ability to reactivate expired offers from mechanics.