Hosed at the gas pump -- by your debit card

[Googer]

Originally posted by: Colt45

Originally posted by: Amused

Originally posted by: mzkhadir
One way this wont happen is to prepay inside.

Yes, because we are all so good at using our psychic ability to know exactly how much gas it take to fill up each time.

WTF is wrong with filling up, then going in to pay?

not so much directed as you, since you're going on the prepaid question... just wondering why prepaid?

In Florida it is now illeagal to fill up and then pay. State law now requires you to pre-pay for all pumped petroleum before you pump it.

 

[Googer]

Originally posted by: preslove
Does this affect visa check cards?

Yes

 

[Googer]

Originally posted by: slsmnaz

Originally posted by: Yossarian
Keep more than $12 in your checking account and you won't have this problem even with a debit card.

:thumbsup:

The only time I see it being a problem is when you are traveling from coast to coast and you will be filling up several time a day. I can see how such held money would quickly tie you down.

 

[thirdeye]

I've NEVER seen this from any of the places I get gas from. I'll usually have a $1 transaction for a couple of days until the actual amount posts but that's the only holds that I've ever seen from gas.

 

[rstrohkirch]

Originally posted by: dxkj
Who the F uses a debit card to pay for gas when you can get like 5% back with a credit card :-/

What, gas prices are $3.00 a gallon? I only pay $2.85

What gas prices are $2.85?
Should be lower then that now in most parts

 

[ShotgunSteven]

Originally posted by: Colt45

Originally posted by: Amused

Originally posted by: mzkhadir
One way this wont happen is to prepay inside.

Yes, because we are all so good at using our psychic ability to know exactly how much gas it take to fill up each time.

WTF is wrong with filling up, then going in to pay?

not so much directed as you, since you're going on the prepaid question... just wondering why prepaid?

Some places no longer allow you to fill up then pay, some have gone to a system where you must pay in advance due to a high number of drive-offs.

 

[Golgatha]

Originally posted by: eos

Originally posted by: Yossarian
Keep more than $12 in your checking account and you won't have this problem even with a debit card. But debit cards suck anyway.

Eh?

Debit cards when transacted like a credit card are wonderful. Direct withdrawal from your account with no one to go to bat for you (except yourself) as a debit card does suck.

 

[j00fek]

i use my visa debit card for every gas pruchase, as everone should have known this yr was when they passed a new law stating that your money would draft faster and/or it would be held for an amout of time before it passed draft on yor account, but come one this is terrible..

 

[amdhunter]

Originally posted by: Twista
* Good old cash is still good -- and many gas stations, tired of paying high credit-card fees, now give a discount of up to a dime a gallon for cash. Look for such deals.

I have never seen any discount for using cash. And now that I know they pay up the wazoo in credit card fees, I probably never will pay cash again. Gas stations can kiss my ass.

 

[GeekDrew]

Originally posted by: amdhunter

Originally posted by: Twista
* Good old cash is still good -- and many gas stations, tired of paying high credit-card fees, now give a discount of up to a dime a gallon for cash. Look for such deals.

I have never seen any discount for using cash. And now that I know they pay up the wazoo in credit card fees, I probably never will pay cash again. Gas stations can kiss my ass.

Why the hatred for gas stations? *ALL* merchants pay credit card fees.

 

[Sphexi]

The only people who have to worry are those who barely have enough in their accounts to cover their gas purchase. Those people perhaps should be taking the bus, or car-pooling, or saving money some other way.

 

[dullard]

Thanks for posting this. No matter how many times people say it, there are still more people out there who don't realize it.

Credit cards for the win (if you can be responsible).

 

[Feldenak]

Originally posted by: Amused

Originally posted by: Kalvin00

Originally posted by: Amused
Never bothered me. And I pay at the pump at Shell all the time. Even for 8-12 dollar bike fillups.

Same. I've only ever seen $1 memo-posted to my account after filling up.

Yep. National City has been very good in not blocking funds when venders do security blocks. They seem to hold them as pending for days rather than count them against my available funds.

AmSouth does the same thing for me.

 

[MrBond]

Here's another tip I only recently discovered on paying at the pump.

If the pump says "Pay Inside" or something similar (ie: you have to select something before it tells you to swipe your card), most of the time you can just swipe your card and skip the button press. I'm all about optomizing my daily tasks, so cutting out one button press makes me happy . I also memorize stoplight patterns so I know the best way to get around town. Maybe I have OCD.

 

[FoBoT]

i normally only do pay at the pump at stations that let me enter my PIN

 

[AbsolutDealage]

Originally posted by: Golgatha

Originally posted by: eos

Originally posted by: Yossarian
Keep more than $12 in your checking account and you won't have this problem even with a debit card. But debit cards suck anyway.

Eh?

Debit cards when transacted like a credit card are wonderful. Direct withdrawal from your account with no one to go to bat for you (except yourself) as a debit card does suck.

I dunno... I like my debit card just fine. In fact, I don't carry cash anymore. Everything I buy gets slung on my debit card...

As for the OP, I have only ever seen $1 holds on my account. The day that I see a $50 or $75 hold on my account is the day I stop visiting that particular gas station.

 

[FrequencyX]

Its quite standard and is used as a preauthorization amount when you pay at the pump. Most debit cards will do this. Mine personally would hold 50 dollars when I paid at the pump. Simple fix is to prepay inside for your gasoline.

 

[waggy]

Originally posted by: Old Hippie

Good old cash is still good -- and many gas stations, tired of paying high credit-card fees, now give a discount of up to a dime a gallon for cash.

I didn't think that was legal. I thought is was illegal to charge different prices for different payment methods.

this has been argued in depth on this board heh. as gsethi said it is not against the rules to give a discount for useing cash.

 

[JeffreyLebowski]

How f'ing old is this article? I haven't seen a gas station offer a cash discount in at least 10 years. I have never had a problem using a debit card at any gas station.

 

[Ime]

As has been said before, keeping more than a small amount in checking prevents this. I always keep a nice little pad in checking to cover stuff like this.

 

[Twista]

I went to the gas station and asked if i could pay inside with my debit card and the guy looked at me like i was crazy. :/

 

[Raduque]

Originally posted by: Colt45

Originally posted by: Amused

Originally posted by: mzkhadir
One way this wont happen is to prepay inside.

Yes, because we are all so good at using our psychic ability to know exactly how much gas it take to fill up each time.

WTF is wrong with filling up, then going in to pay?

not so much directed as you, since you're going on the prepaid question... just wondering why prepaid?

What's wrong is an increasing amount of stations are pre-pay or pay-at-the-pump ONLY.

I personally, have very quickly found out which stations authorize more then $1 - and then I do not go to them for gas. You want to block $50 when I fill up with less then $20? Screw you, buddy.

Of course, since I closed my account after quitting my last job, I pay everything cash, now.

 

[mugs]

Originally posted by: JeffreyLebowski
How f'ing old is this article? I haven't seen a gas station offer a cash discount in at least 10 years. I have never had a problem using a debit card at any gas station.

They've started doing it again since the price of gas is so high and the CC fees are raping the gas stations.

 

[mcvickj]

<shrug> I've never had a problem using my MasterCard debit card. It is about 70/30 for stations I use that require my PIN vs no PIN. I pay at the pump whenever I can. I hate going inside if all I want is gas.

 

[GeekDrew]

Originally posted by: Twista
I went to the gas station and asked if i could pay inside with my debit card and the guy looked at me like i was crazy. :/

Most stations let you pay inside with debit/credit cards. They may think you're crazy, but it's possible.