Galp is Making Car Washes Convenient

Pulling into Galp stations in Portugal and Spain has never been more convenient for car wash customers. Drivers can buy and activate a car wash entirely through the Mundo Galp app or through an NFC-enabled digital device, turning what was once a multi-step process into a seamless part of their visit.

Galp Puts the Whole World in Customers’ Hands with Mundo Galp App

Galp is one of Iberia’s most recognized energy brands, operating an extensive network of fuel stations and convenience retail locations across the region. Over the years, Galp has built its downstream strategy around the Mundo Galp mobile app, serving customers across fuel, in-store purchases, car wash and EV charging. Rather than treating loyalty as a standalone program, Galp has embedded it into a broader mobility and energy ecosystem where customers can earn and redeem rewards across every part of their journey with the brand.

That ecosystem is further strengthened by Galp’s deep integration with Continente, Portugal’s leading grocery retail coalition, which allows customers to translate grocery spending into fuel savings and vice versa. The result is a high-frequency engagement loop that ties convenience retail and fuel together far more tightly than a typical loyalty scheme, extending Galp’s reach well beyond the forecourt and into everyday consumer life.

Galp: Dominant Player in Iberia for Decades

With more than 80 years of experience in refining and fuel supply across the Iberian Peninsula, Galp has transformed itself in the 21st century into an international energy company, with oil and gas exploration and production interests in some of the world’s most attractive energy assets (like Brazil and Namibia), while also becoming a leading player in renewable power generation. Today, Galp is one of the largest producers of clean energy in Iberia, with 2 GW of renewable generation capacity in operation.

The company has built a leading position in the downstream sector operating the country’s only refinery and an Iberian network of more than 1,400 fuel stations across, more than 450 convenience stores and nearly 10,000 EV chargepoints. These sites have evolved into convenience-led destinations, supported by hundreds of on-site retail formats and an extensive 350-unit car wash footprint.

A Simpler Experience at the Forecourt

Through a partnership with Liquid Barcodes, a specialist in digital engagement and loyalty for the convenience sector, Galp customers now pay for a car wash inside the app and simply pull up to the machine. No queues, no cash. Just a few taps in the app, and the wash begins. The result is a faster, smoother experience that fits naturally into how customers already use their phones to manage everyday tasks.

Powering that simplicity is an impressive technical achievement. Liquid Barcodes has connected the Mundo Galp app to car wash machines from three separate hardware providers (Washtec, Istobal and Christ). This integration gives Galp a single unified digital layer across its entire car wash network in Portugal, regardless of which machine sits on a given forecourt.

According to Esteban Ibarzabal, representative of Galp Car Wash Spain, with this integrated, robust offer, Galp is “able to create these service hubs that go far beyond traditional refilling and turn these spaces into destination points and meeting points for our customers.”

A Single Journey, Not a Standalone Feature

What makes this integration particularly valuable is where it sits within the broader Mundo Galp ecosystem. The car wash feature strengthens Galp’s vision of a connected customer journey considerably. Rather than directing a customer to a separate terminal or an unconnected terminal, the entire experience from purchase to activation lives inside the app customers already rely on to fill up and earn rewards.

“Digitalization in Galp Car Wash is not new. For several years now, we’ve been building digital customer loyalty through our Mundo Galp app, offering digital and personalized communication, cross-selling actions, and also gamification. For almost three years in Portugal and more than a year in Spain, our customers have been able to buy washes directly from the app,” shared Ibarzabal.

This integrated approach also gives Galp meaningful visibility into the full customer visit. When a customer buys a wash through the app, that transaction becomes part of a connected journey that Galp can understand, measure and build on over time, creating opportunities to serve customers better and reward their loyalty in more meaningful ways.

Ibarzabal continues: “Thanks to our partnerships with Liquid Barcodes, we have extended the solution to more than 150 service stations across Portugal and Spain.”

Two Ways to Wash

The integration accommodates how different machines operate in practice. At Washtec locations, the experience is fully app-driven, with customers paying and activating the wash directly, without interacting with the physical terminal at all.

At Istobal and Christ locations, the app generates a wash code that the customer enters at the machine, keeping the process straightforward while still routing the transaction through the Mundo Galp platform and capturing the visit as part of the customer’s digital journey.

Both flows deliver a consistent, convenient experience and ensure every purchase is connected to the customer’s broader relationship with Galp, opening the door to more personalized engagement over time.

As the rollout from single-wash to subscription progresses in Galp Spain, Ibarzabal noted, “regardless of the business area we’re talking about, our goal is always the same: to deliver the best experience for our customers.”

As for the customer feedback and uptake? Ibarzabal says, “The response of the market has been extremely positive. As we know, we live in an increasingly digital world where new generations already grow up with a smartphone in their hands. Consumers are always demanding quick, simple, and user-friendly solutions. The fewer screen taps, the better.”

Following Galp’s customer-centric tradition, customers only pay for their washes if they actually wash their cars. The transaction is initiated on the app, but if, for any reason, the customer doesn’t activate the code they are given, the payment is never charged. Whether the customer changed her mind, the line was too long, or maybe it just rained, the customer is always treated fairly.

Built for Scale

The Portugal rollout covers Galp’s full car wash network, and the program is already being planned for expansion into Spain. That cross-border growth reflects the confidence both Galp and Liquid Barcodes have in the model. The physical station remains the heart of the experience, but the app, the data, and the connected customer journey are where the relationship with the customer deepens and grows.

For Galp, the car wash integration is a strong example of how a fuel stop can be a genuinely modern and rewarding retail experience. For customers across Portugal, it means a cleaner car and one less thing to think about on the way back to the road.

About Liquid Barcodes

Liquid Barcodes is the leading loyalty platform for convenience retailers. Unlike other solutions, ours has been designed from the ground up to retain member engagement and activity. Every aspect, from the fundamental system architecture to the small details that make our loyalty apps such a joy to use, is crafted to ensure a highly personalized, gamified experience.

Our loyalty programs are so engaging and visually appealing that members remain active over time, making us better than any other solution at retaining your members’ attention. Increased attention, translates into increased impact. Ultimately, these differences will make your loyalty program a more powerful and effective tool, when you work on increasing basket size and visit frequency.

About the Author

Carolyn Schnare, Chief Content Officer, Liquid Barcodes

Carolyn Schnare has been involved with the convenience retailing industry for over two decades, with extensive knowledge of customer engagement and marketing, sustainability, and community outreach. Before Liquid Barcodes, Schnare worked at NACS (National Association of Convenience Stores) in a variety of roles from event production to communications. Schnare currently hosts the popular Future of Convenience podcast, produced by Global Convenience media group.