Lidl GB is set to become the first UK supermarket to integrate electric vehicle (EV) charging payments within its rewards app.

In the latest development of the Lidl Plus rewards scheme, customers using the discounter’s EV charging points will soon be able to pay via the app.

Currently provided through Pod Point, the transition will start to take place this summer and is due to be completed across all of Lidl’s more than 370 charge points nationwide by the end of the year.

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Customers will be notified via the Pod Point app when the switch over will begin and will be able to access full instructions via the charging terminals.

The grocer first started rolling out EV charging points across its store network in 2017 and has invested over £15m into its EVC infrastructure in that time.

Lidl GB chief development officer Richard Taylor said: “Sustainability is at the heart of everything we do at Lidl. I’m incredibly proud of the investment that we’ve made into our EV charging infrastructure over the years, going above and beyond the sector to give greater access to rapid charging.

“Since we opened our first store 30 years ago, Lidl has contributed to a shift in the way that people shop for their groceries, and this is the latest example of how we’re doing just that, so that we can further enhance our customers’ shopping experience.”

It comes as last month, Sainsbury’s began offering Nectar points to customers using its ultra-rapid electric vehicle charging service Smart Charge, making it the first EV charging service to offer a national loyalty scheme.

All Smart Charge customers with active Nectar accounts are able to charge their electric vehicle and collect Nectar points, with every pound spent providing one point.