Cumberland Farms is expanding its SmartPay mobile payment offering, according to CSPNet.com. Customers will now have the ability to pay for purchases with a smartphone app or plastic card that is linked to a checking account. The original SmartPay system launched last year and required consumers to link their SmartPay account to a PayPal account.

"We are always looking for ways to innovate and leverage new technologies to help our customers save time and money," said Ari Haseotes, president of Cumberland Farms, in the post. "We created the free SmartPay Check-Link program as a secure way for our customers to pay quickly while on the go, and to save money on gas every time they fill up at our pumps."

Cumberland Farms said it joined with the National Payment Card Association to provide a secure, PIN-based debit transaction when customers user their app to pay.

Customers can download the app for iOS or Android phones. They then need to enter checking account information and have it verified. Once enrolled, the app locates the phone based on its GPS, allowing the customer to choose the pump that needs to be activated.

On top of the convenience of paying from inside the car using an app (a nice feature during cold New England winters), Cumberland Farms is offering users of the app a $.10 discount per gallon on purchases made through the app.

Read more about retail mobile payments.