I've got a new pet peeve-limit $75 on credit card at gas station

[Tom52]

Went to the gas station yesterday to fill up the pick up, (26 gallon tank) and two 5 gallon gas cans for the lawn mowers. I normally pay cash at a station close to where I work, but this time I stopped at a station close to home. I knew it would be quite expensive so I prepaid with a credit card. To my surprise they would only let me pump $75 of gasoline. At $4.30 a gallon that is less than 17.5 gallons. What's up with that?

 

[harley]

A couple of the stations I use have limits for various card types posted on the pumps. I haven't hit one yet, but I noticed I'm getting close. I wonder if the CC companies will update the limits now that gas prices are so high.

 

[Gone4Good]

Went to the gas station yesterday to fill up the pick up, (26 gallon tank) and two 5 gallon gas cans for the lawn mowers. I normally pay cash at a station close to where I work, but this time I stopped at a station close to home. I knew it would be quite expensive so I prepaid with a credit card. To my surprise they would only let me pump $75 of gasoline. At $4.30 a gallon that is less than 17.5 gallons. What's up with that?

It's "fraud" protection at the pump and differs from station to station. A $75 limit is not uncommon.

Now imagine the same scenario with a $75 gallon RV tank, and credit cards that limit the number of times you can swipe at the same pump.

 

[REWahoo]

Tom, having driven an RV with a 150 gallon tank, I'm well aquianted with CC limits at the pump - they have been around for a long time. Limits are set by the CC issuer to limit their liability, not the service station. In most cases you can swipe your card and pump up to the limit three times before you are locked out of using your card at that station for ~24 hours.

BTW, many card companies had $50 limits until gas/diesel prices shot up a few years ago. Some went to $75 and some to $100.

 

[Tom52]

I guess I am just behind the times as I normally always pay cash. So far they haven't refused that but they normally want to see the "green" up front.

There was no notice on the gas pump that they limited the charge to $75, so maybe it is the credit card. Why would they let you swipe it two or three times, how does that make a difference?

 

[MichaelB]

I had no idea there were limits, but I drive a car an never needed more than 13 gallons. Over the past year or 2 I find most pumps asking for billing zip code. Isn't this leading to higher $$ limits for gas?

 

[Tom52]

Just called the C-C company, no limit on gas purchase from them, they said my card does not have a limit because of the RV'ers, etc. Funny that the gas station had nothing posted at the pump.

 

[rescueme]

I would think it has to do with the gas "brand".

Using my FIDO 2% AMEX, I get $125 "resereve" on a local HESS station.

At another brand I use, the reserve is $75.00.

I don't think it has anything to do with the CC used...

 

[NW-Bound]

Having an RV and using the same AmEx credit card for fill-ups in my travel, I have seen the limits being anywhere from $50 to $100. But there is always a limit.

Somebody more knowledgeable might be able to tell if I am wrong, but I think that is because the gas station has to transmit the info to the card issuer's computer for authorization, and to ask for a certain dollar limit before you can pump. It would have to do with the possibility of you hitting the limit on your card.

Some people living pay-check-to-pay-check may exceed their card's total debt limit, and the gas station would not be able to bill, if they wait until you finish pumping. Setting the pre-authorization request amount too high may limit people from pumping at all.

 

[TromboneAl]

They choose the limit based on a trade-off between customer convenience and fraud protection. But I'm sure they didn't realize that they need to adjust the limit when gas prices change.

 

[braumeister]

Around here, most gas stations have a $50 limit for debit cards, and $75 for credit cards. The exact limit varies, but it's generally around those numbers.

You can buy as much as you want if you pay with the card inside (signing for it); those limits are for swiping the card at the pump.

 

[Gone4Good]

Just called the C-C company, no limit on gas purchase from them, they said my card does not have a limit because of the RV'ers, etc. Funny that the gas station had nothing posted at the pump.

It's definitely a limit at the pump. I use the same card everwhere and have been cut off at $75, $100, $125 and not at all.

 

[audreyh1]

Tom, having driven an RV with a 150 gallon tank, I'm well aquianted with CC limits at the pump - they have been around for a long time. Limits are set by the CC issuer to limit their liability, not the service station. In most cases you can swipe your card and pump up to the limit three times before you are locked out of using your card at that station for ~24 hours.

BTW, many card companies had $50 limits until gas/diesel prices shot up a few years ago. Some went to $75 and some to $100.

Ditto! It's a real pain when you're trying to fill an RV. Fortunately truck stop pumps handle things differently.

 

[East Texas]

I just got back from getting gas at WalMart. There is a new red sticker prominently displayed that states there is a $75 limit on pay-at-the-pump.

 

[REWahoo]

I just got back from getting gas at WalMart. There is a new red sticker prominently displayed that states there is a $75 limit on pay-at-the-pump.

That confirms my assertion the limit is set by the CC company is wrong. Mark this day in history as this is a first.

 

[Goonie]

.....Fortunately truck stop pumps handle things differently.

True.....usually, but not always! A motorcoach company that we traveled with for many years ran into the diesel fuel purchase limit problem at a nationally known 'brand-name' truckstop. They had done most of their business with that brand truckstop for quite a few years.

On one trip we were on, we pulled into to fuel up....as usual. The pump at the fuel dock shutoff at $50....at a truckstop fuel dock!!! WTH $50 is a far cry from buying the 150-200 gallons of diesel we needed!!! The driver went in to the cash desk, and was told that it was the company's new policy, and if he needed more fuel, just write a check or pay cash! Yeah, right! We drove a few miles further and went to a different brand truckstop!

They no longer go to that other brand truckstop at all!

 

[Ronstar]

I haven't taken my F-150 pickup outside of Chicagoland and generally go to BP's. The cutoff has been $100 for every fill up that I can remember.

 

[NW-Bound]

A search on the Web found an explanation that agreed with the theory that I proposed earlier. That is the gas station computer had to query the credit card company's computer for some amount of pre-authorization limit. If the gas station raised it to, say, $200, then someone with lesser than that on his credit or debit card would be denied service. So, perhaps the station settled on a low amount such as $50 as something that most people would be able to pay.

Here's what I found on a forum.

Yep, the preauth amount is indeed set by the merchant. They want to ensure that you have enough money in your account before actually pumping the gas. Think of it like prepaying $80 with cash; you're not actually giving the gas station $80, they're just using it as collateral in case you pump $80 worth of gas. With cash they typically give you back your change. With credit cards it's a little different. What is supposed to happen is the station preauths for $80(or whatever amount they choose). Once the bank verifies the customer has $80 in their account it's supposed to null that transaction and then let the customer pump. Sometimes that preauth doesn't clear right away for some reason and it can cause problems later, but it's rare that happens at all. That's why you may see a 'pending transaction' if you check your online bank statement later in the day.

Now, the independent stations can change the amount they preauthorize easily, it's just a software setting. With chains, those are set at the corporate office and typically can't be changed on a store to store basis. It's certainly possible to let the stores set their own amounts, but have you SEEN the people that work in a gas station?

I worked for a gas station helpdesk for 5 years, I got to fix computer problems when Things Went Wrong. When the gas prices were above $4/gal we changed the amount to $150 for all the stores. Once it dropped it went back down again.​

I took the above excerpt from here.

 

[audreyh1]

True.....usually, but not always! A motorcoach company that we traveled with for many years ran into the diesel fuel purchase limit problem at a nationally known 'brand-name' truckstop. They had done most of their business with that brand truckstop for quite a few years.

On one trip we were on, we pulled into to fuel up....as usual. The pump at the fuel dock shutoff at $50....at a truckstop fuel dock!!! WTH $50 is a far cry from buying the 150-200 gallons of diesel we needed!!! The driver went in to the cash desk, and was told that it was the company's new policy, and if he needed more fuel, just write a check or pay cash! Yeah, right! We drove a few miles further and went to a different brand truckstop!

They no longer go to that other brand truckstop at all!

I pretty much always go to FlyingJ or Pilot. After Pilot bought FlyingJ they fixed it so your registered RV loyalty card turns on the trunk pump. You still have to go inside to finish the transaction.

 

[may pop]

I came across the same crap at my local station. I went in and told the lady at the desk that I would no longer fill my vehicles here if the limit wasnt upped. A week later they upped the limit to 100.
It doesnt matter they are all bloodsuckers anyway.
Ron