Gas Fill Up, Do You Pay First Or Pump Then Pay

Lee

Lee

Senior Member
Location
Chatham, Ontario
First time this happened and I kind of find it annoying if you want to fill up, not just put a certain $$$ amount in.

You cannot predict how much the fill up will be. So paid for $80 ahead of time, then check and still more room, go pay for another $15

Are more and more gas stations going this route due to the cheats who try to dash?
 
Lee said:
First time this happened and I kind of find it annoying if you want to fill up, not just put a certain $$$ amount in.

You cannot predict how much the fill up will be. So paid for $80 ahead of time, then check and still more room, go pay for another $15

Are more and more gas stations going this route due to the cheats who try to dash?
Click to expand...
I haven’t driven in a while, so I’m no expert but can’t you just use a credit or debit card and buy what you need? Or are you using cash?
 
Whilst I can, I will continue to fill right up and pay at the till. Reason being, I use cards very little and have never used electronic payment like the phone. It's possible, if someone is bored, to pick me out on the CCTV screen, record me and my vehicle and then make a note of my physical purchase, otherwise nobody, that's the bank, the card or phone companies, or anyone else with an interest on keeping tabs of my spending habits can track the bank notes that I paid with for my tank of fuel.
 
Chris P Bacon said:
I haven’t driven in a while, so I’m no expert but can’t you just use a credit or debit card and buy what you need? Or are you using cash?
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I was using a credit card, makes no difference, they made me put 80 on the card first, then again another 15 and still was not complete fill. I was not going back a 3rd time.

I don't know how it would work if you paid first for $100 and only had a fill of $80....I suppose they would issue a credit.
 
If you’re using a card to pay anyway, don’t they have readers at the pumps? I don’t blame you for not wanting to walk back and forth either. That seems very inconvenient and inefficient. I’ve had the experience before of overpaying. Gas stations don’t seem to have the same liberal refund policies as do department stores, in my experience. In the end, I got my excess payment refunded but not without a great effort on my part. Also, why not drive around the few miles worth that $80 would get you and then stop back in a day or two and buy $80 more again?
 
I use a credit card at the pump. This particular credit card, while really from Bank of America, has the Auto Club logo (AAA) on it, and gives a small discount on gas purchases, which covers the price difference between cash and credit.

Anyone tracking my purchases, as horseless carriage mentioned above (message 3), is likely to find me very boring.
 
raybar said:
I use a credit card at the pump. This particular credit card, while really from Bank of America, has the Auto Club logo (AAA) on it, and gives a small discount on gas purchases, which covers the price difference between cash and credit.

Anyone tracking my purchases, as horseless carriage mentioned above (message 3), is likely to find me very boring.
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In my mind, those who would perform such tasks as tracking someone’s gas purchases, for no good reason, would be very boring themselves. But the record of ones purchase is there, just in case. Because one never knows what might happen next on this great big ball of confusion.
 
Lee said:
That would work, but in this case we were out of town and made a stop at the Indian Reserve where the gas is cheap so wanted to take advantage and fill up.
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Well then, I guess that you had to pay for that privilege. If it was worth it, great. If not, you learned a lesson and got a full tank of gas in the bargain. ☺️
 
I pump the gas first and then go inside to pay with cash or debit card.
There have been a couple of cases here where someone has pumped gas
and took off without paying so I think it would be better for gas stations
if the customers have to pay first.
 
Lee said:
First time this happened and I kind of find it annoying if you want to fill up, not just put a certain $$$ amount in.

You cannot predict how much the fill up will be. So paid for $80 ahead of time, then check and still more room, go pay for another $15

Are more and more gas stations going this route due to the cheats who try to dash?
Click to expand...
These days I pay for all of my gas at the pump with a credit card, I get charged for the exact amount I pumped. Waaay back in the day when I wanted to pay cash, I had to give the money to the cashier inside the store before I could pump.....big hassle, but I was just using cash and checks back then. Do the pumps by you take credit cards Lee?
 
Macfan said:
We used to pay at the pump till our card info was stolen and used by fraudsters, now we no longer use cards and prepay with cash and try to make it so there won't be any change to have to go back inside for after fueling. Don...
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How long ago was this? I have heard of this but was hoping that newer card readers would prevent scamming devices being added to the pump card reader.
 
Macfan said:
We used to pay at the pump till our card info was stolen and used by fraudsters, now we no longer use cards and prepay with cash and try to make it so there won't be any change to have to go back inside for after fueling. Don...
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What I do is I try to jiggle and pull the frame of the reader a bit just to see if it's the same piece as the reader. Also, unauthorized charges are easily disputed. I hardly use my debit at all for things like this.
 
Michael Z said:
How long ago was this? I have heard of this but was hoping that newer card readers would prevent scamming devices being added to the pump card reader.
Click to expand...
Within the last 2 years, skimming devices are easily attached at the pump they say so it's cash now. Benefit is we can go to any station now, before there were just the 2 we had cards for. Don...
 
I used to fill the vehicle, then go in to the cashier and pay cash. However, about 2 years ago....about the time this Covid hit....all the local gas stations went to "pay at the pump" with a credit/debit card, or Pre Pay before pumping. So, I started using a credit card, and I get a few cents "cash back" on the card....hardly worth it, but every little bit helps, I guess. I do check the pump before I insert the card, as there have been some instances where a "card skimmer" was installed on the pump....none here locally, so far.
 
Lee said:
I was using a credit card, makes no difference, they made me put 80 on the card first, then again another 15 and still was not complete fill. I was not going back a 3rd time.

I don't know how it would work if you paid first for $100 and only had a fill of $80....I suppose they would issue a credit.
Click to expand...
What gas station? Maybe it’s just that particular franchise? I get my gas from Mapco and Kroger, because I get the best discounts there, and I’ve never encountered this! I input my loyalty number, it asks for my card, then I choose which grade and pump. That’s it.
 
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