Sheetz, a chain of gasoline and convenience stops, just completed a pilot program for an NFC mobile payment method.

Participating drivers used their Sheetz Fleet Business Advantage card loaded onto their NFC-enabled mobile phones to make fuel and convenience purchases at Sheetz locations. The NFC mobile payment pilot was developed by Wright Express.

"The mobile phone will eventually become the main computing device in the near future," said Russ Lamer, manager of emerging technologies at Wright Express, Salt Lake City, UT. "It will be used for everything, including our wallets.

"Why carry a regular wallet when you can have it in your phone -- a true multifunction electronic device," he said. "It will be used to store your payment cards, receive and redeem coupons, pay bills from the phone and much more. The mobile phone will become a very convenient device."

Sheetz is a family owned and operated chain of gas and convenience locations, with 350 branches throughout New England.

Drivers who participated in the multi-city trial run approved the energy station chain's NFC mobile payment method as easy, fast and convenient.

Interviews with participating fleet drivers showed that they preferred paying for purchases with their mobile phones, as many reported that they always carried a phone but often forget their wallet.

"The majority of the drivers felt that the technology was fun and wished they had the NFC technology in their own phones," he said.

Sheetz's new NFC mobile payment method allowed drivers to make mobile phone purchases both inside the store and at the pump.

The success of this trial suggests that these kinds of NFC-enabled mobile payment methods are an area of great potential for mobile commerce.

The company captures and combines transaction information from its network with analytical tools that help fleets to manage their vehicles more effectively.

The success of Sheetz's NFC trial shows the safety, convenience and potential for growth in the area of mobile payments.

"The challenge will be the merchants installing contactless readers at their many sites and commercializing the NFC phones, making them affordable for the market and getting enough merchants to install readers at their fueling and convenience store locations," Mr. Lamer said.

"This will take some time, but demand will eventually drive acceptance," he said. "According to the CTIA -- The Wireless Association, more than 72 percent of the U.S. population subscribes to mobile devices."