Pay before you pump?

[Jazzy]

In in the USA you are required to pay before you fill your car with gas/petrol. How do you know the amount it will take to fill up?

 

[Lamb]

I use my credit card and filler up! I have had to go into the service station probably twice to pay by card and guess how much I needed and I always went under the amount. I do the math in my head based on how many gallons my tank is and how much I have already used and what I need to come up with a reasonable amount.

 

[Fritz Kobus]

Where my son lives in South Dakota they don't have to pay first.

I usually pay at the pump by scanning my credit card. A few times I had to go inside and pay because the pump scanner was broken. I could put in an amount greater than I would need and it would only charge me for what I actually got. You can ask at the individual station, but probably they all work that way.

 

[Castle Church]

I almost always pay first using a credit card. However, some stations here allow you to register for a "pay after you pump card". It allows you to scan it like a credit card, but you have to go inside to pay after you pump. But without that card you cannot buy gas without paying inside first or using your card at the pump.

 

[tango]

In in the USA you are required to pay before you fill your car with gas/petrol. How do you know the amount it will take to fill up?

Chances are you don't, you either take a best guess or overestimate and get your change when you're done. You just have to decide whether you'd prefer to put a fixed amount in and accept you may not completely fill the tank, or have to go back in to get your change once you're full.

 

[Albion]

Unless a person is intent upon filling his tank to the brim, paying by cash in advance of the pumping can be more satisfying than running through everything that using a card at the pump often requires.

For a 5c/gallon discount, I'm quite capable of walking into the office and paying, then letting the pump put in the amount I paid for and automatically shut itself off. No fiddling with the credit card, following the instructions on the little screen, answering whether I have a (petroleum company name) preferred customer account or whether my card is debit or credit, keying-in my zip code, answering whether I want a car wash in addition, or any of that.

 

[Fritz Kobus]

As I recall, most of the times my credit card was compromised was when using it at gas stations. Cash might be a better alternative.

 

[tango]

Unless a person is intent upon filling his tank to the brim, paying by cash in advance of the pumping can be more satisfying than running through everything that using a card at the pump often requires.

For a 5c/gallon discount, I'm quite capable of walking into the office and paying, then letting the pump put in the amount I paid for and automatically shut itself off. No fiddling with the credit card, following the instructions on the little screen, answering whether I have a (petroleum company name) preferred customer account or whether my card is debit or credit, keying-in my zip code, answering whether I want a car wash in addition, or any of that.

My credit card gives me 3% cash back at gas stations, which is worth more than 5c/gallon. Most places near me either offer no discount for cash or it's maybe 3c/gallon. Or I can take 12c/gallon cash back from my card. Let me think about that one....

The only time I've needed to enter a zip code at the pump is if I'm away from home. I guess that's a security thing in case someone steals my card and takes off with it. I've never seen the other things you mention.

 

[Albion]

Okay. You've never seen what I referred to. We are aware that what holds true in one state probably doesn't apply in the next one. And not in every gas station in any particular city, either.

However, my experience has been that there is a lot of benefit to be had from patronizing a station like the one I described, and the price per gallon is only one of the benefits.

In addition, in a market that sees different gas stations jockeying their prices up and down daily, the best deal today can well be had at a station that I won't want to use two weeks from now. The station I described is my fave for a number of reasons, but other stations sometimes offer a lower price, and I may go there instead so long as their deal is better. I'm not tied to one particular petroleum company, needing to use its credit card only...in order to qualify for its price.

Then too, I do not like to carry four or five different credit and/or debit cards, using each of them at different times, running the risks that come with any credit or debit card, and needing to pay on each of them every month...all so that I can take advantage of a variety of small, mutually exclusive promotions.

 

[tango]

Okay. You've never seen what I referred to. We are aware that what holds true in one state probably doesn't apply in the next one. And not in every gas station in any particular city, either.

Sure, although I've never seen anything other than an option to enter a rewards cards at any gas station in any of the places I've been. That doesn't mean they aren't out there - you've obviously seen them and been annoyed by them - but I've never seen them anywhere I've travelled.

However, my experience has been that there is a lot of benefit to be had from patronizing a station like the one I described, and the price per gallon is only one of the benefits.

Unless a gas station gives me problems I typically go for the ones that give me the best price. Usually in my area they are all much the same, although when prices change it usually happens that one of them changes the price and within a week or so the others follow. Depending on whether the move is up or down I may shift my purchase habits for that short time.

In addition, in a market that sees different gas stations jockeying their prices up and down daily, the best deal today can well be had at a station that I won't want to use two weeks from now. The station I described is my fave for a number of reasons, but other stations sometimes offer a lower price, and I may go there instead so long as their deal is better. I'm not tied to one particular petroleum company, needing to use its credit card only...in order to qualify for its price.

Then too, I do not like to carry four or five different credit and/or debit cards, using each of them at different times, running the risks that come with any credit or debit card, and needing to pay on each of them every month...all so that I can take advantage of a variety of small, mutually exclusive promotions.

Neither do I, I just use the same credit card and get 3% back at anything classified as a "gas station". I don't need to worry about whether I'm using the right card at the right station. I never bothered with the gas stations' own credit cards because they usually only offer an extra 5c/gallon back, which isn't as good as my credit card. At current prices I get 5c/gallon off at my local station with their (free) loyalty program, and then just shy of 12c/gallon back thanks to my card. I think their branded credit card offers 10c/gallon off for a limited time which then drops to 5c.