On last fill up, I was at a large nozzle, high speed pump. I used a credit card at the pump. The pump went to $74 and cutoff, about 38 gallons. I had at least 10 gal to go. Why, when they have my credit card info, do stations do this? At a high flow, large nozzle pump no less. This policy rubs my a$$ the wrong way.

Well that's not too bad; out pumps here are still shutting off around $50. Yea, it's a pain, but just swipe it one more time.


Stolen credit cards used for fuel purchases are also a problem; helps prevent larger losses by the gas stations and the credit card issuers. Also has to do with the way they "authorize" the transaction.


Try using same card 3 times in one day at a Mobil/Exxon or a Texaco, etc., in one day??

It varies by the financial institution that is the clearing house provider for the credit card company for the merchant making the sale. At the start of the sale, when you swipe your card to start the pump, the financial institution handling the sale has no way of knowing what the final sale will be. So they do a "blanket" authorization of say up to $50 or $75. This varies depending upon the financial institution and the merchant.


I ran into a problem using my credit card at the pump on vacation one year. When I was on the phone with the credit card company, the representative told me the amount of the proceeding days transactions. When I inquired about a $70 authorization at a gas station, when I had only purchases about $15 worth of fuel, the process was explained to me. When you think about it, it makes sense. How do you get "so many" dollars of fuel back out of the tank, should the authorization not be approved after you've completed fueling.


Incidently, the credit card rep also told me that the greatest use of stolen credit cards, is pay at the pump fuel. No one is there to check ID's or signatures or require identification. That's why some times a threshold gets set on a card during the course of a given day, that will not let it be used in a "pay at the pump" situation, even though the credit card is still good and valid. I had this happen to me a while back. Filled up both trucks one day and then went for a motorcycle ride, coming back into the same station where the trucks had been fueled. My card was rejected at the pump, so when I paid inside with cash. Later I called the credit card company and learned the rest of the story. Too many uses at the same station paying at the pump in a 24 hour period.

If credit cards at the pump are such an issue, they should immediately require a pin number to be entered to verify the person using the card is the owner. Would not that solve the problem?


I disagree that one method of control of this is to restrict a high speed, large nozzle, diesel pump to 38 gallon.

LarsonEM has hit a majority of the credit card issue on the head; idenity theft and pin numbers has been an increasing issue; someone across the street with a set of binoculars and a pen and then later just steal the credit card to go along with it and they got ya.


I agree it is a pain to re-swipe your card every $50 or $75 but if you even have a card stolen or fraudulent charges to fight, you will appreciate this small inconvenience.

You could always walk inside to pay. Around here, when I refuel with the big trucks I have to pay inside anyways. They don't give you a pay at the pump option.

Anything over about $50 bucks and you have to go inside and leave your CC with the clerk... Just how they do things. I am glad it is that way and you would be too if your CC were stolen. Most people do not think about the camera's inside the store so it would be easier to catch someone if this happened to you....Edited by: GMC2500HD

I don't understand this line of thinking. Could not the theif also swipe twice if more than $50 worth of fuel is needed. I think this is more of an inconveinance to the customer than the thief. They won't worry so much about the inconvienance in lieu of the free fuel. http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/smiley5.gif Like jcummins said the PIN would be the way to go if you really want protection.

i agree the thief can swipe twice just like the card owner????





All i know is around here its virtually IMPOSSIBLE to find diesel pump with a pay at the pump unless you are on the NYS thruway at a truckstop. all of the gas pumps are pay at the pump, but diesel has no "card readers" one of my other bitchs about having a diesel truck now, especially since most stations want you to prepay now cause of all the crooks driving offwithout paying. so i have to go in, wait in line, give them a card or cash, LEAVE it with them, then go out and pump, go back inside and WAIT in line again to get my card and pay, what a PITA..... between the stupid ripoff diesel prices and no pay at the pump i'm starting to wish i kept my gas truck...

Most Mobil stations carrying Diesel in Buffalo, NY will let you fill, go inside and swipe (or use a Speedipass).





Cheers.

Mobil stations out here make you enter the zip code of where you live. Kinda like doing a pin number.

Sprintmod1,


Your kidding, right?


Kirk

Kirk,


Kidding about what??