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0 pointsvinay4272y ago0 comments

I’ve driven in the US and the UK (among other countries) and haven’t paid before filling up in either. Is this a result of paying with cash or other non-card methods, as pumps in the US seem to require inserting the card first probably as an authorisation?

I also don’t drive that much these days so may be misremembering things. The only issue I had with payments was in a station in a small town in Italy which refused to accept most foreign cards (ant least based on other people around me also struggling) and was the automated no-human type of station so there wasn’t an easy solution.

0 comments

mminer2372y ago

Putting a card in before pumping is considered "prepay". They'll put a hold on your account to make sure you have the money. There isn't much point to post-pay with cards.

10–15 years ago it was common in the US where you would pull up, hit "pay inside", pump all your gas, then go inside and pay at the register. Now because of theft, if you want to pay with cash, virtually all stations require you to go inside, pay for x gallons of gas, and they'll turn on the pump to give you that much. Which is annoying because unless you're really good at guessing, you can't just fill it up anymore.

jopsen2y ago

When you can pay with card at the pump, the only remaining users for "pay inside" are thieves and the occasional cash-only customer.

Also no surprise they don't want you to pay cash, that means dealing with cash which is expensive.

Employees at the gas station could spend their time selling hot dogs instead :)

mminer2372y ago

Most of the stations around me actually offer a cash discount. When you're dealing with a single-digit margin, that 2.5% CC fee looks pretty tempting. More are trying to push their station cards now though.

kolinko2y ago

Or people from Europe. It’s 50/50 whether an automated station will accept my European card - can’t figure out the pattern there

2 more replies

theultdev2y ago

Well you can fill it up, but you have to run back in to get your change.

If you have two people one can wait, start it once the other pays, then you both go to the bathroom and pick up the change on the way out.

mminer2372y ago

Well yeah, but it's cold out lol

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse

0 pointsvinay4272y ago0 comments

0 comments

mminer2372y ago

Putting a card in before pumping is considered "prepay". They'll put a hold on your account to make sure you have the money. There isn't much point to post-pay with cards.

jopsen2y ago

When you can pay with card at the pump, the only remaining users for "pay inside" are thieves and the occasional cash-only customer.

Also no surprise they don't want you to pay cash, that means dealing with cash which is expensive.

Employees at the gas station could spend their time selling hot dogs instead :)

mminer2372y ago

kolinko2y ago

Or people from Europe. It’s 50/50 whether an automated station will accept my European card - can’t figure out the pattern there

2 more replies

theultdev2y ago

Well you can fill it up, but you have to run back in to get your change.

If you have two people one can wait, start it once the other pays, then you both go to the bathroom and pick up the change on the way out.

mminer2372y ago

Well yeah, but it's cold out lol

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse