# Americans Buying Gas in Canada? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 13, 2007, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-buying-gas-in-canada/411689 "2007-07-13T18:54:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Wallet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e99b99/32.png) [@Wallet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wallet)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2007, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-buying-gas-in-canada/411689/1 "2007-07-13T18:54:12Z")
Based upon the following thread: [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=8777166#post8777166](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=8777166#post8777166) is it true that Canadian gas stations will not accept American credit cards? Or, did it only mean that the pumps won’t accept the cards, but if you go inside the workers will be able to process the sale? (sorry for the poorly worded question) ---
**Author:** ![Helen\_s\_Eidolon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Helen\_s\_Eidolon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Helen_s_Eidolon)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2007, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-buying-gas-in-canada/411689/2 "2007-07-13T18:58:48Z")
Yes, you can still use them inside, although not at the pump as far as I am aware. This is also true of Canadian credit cards at American gas pumps. ---
**Author:** ![Wallet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e99b99/32.png) [@Wallet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wallet)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2007, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-buying-gas-in-canada/411689/3 "2007-07-13T19:02:11Z")
[QUOTE=Helen’s Eidolon] Yes, you can still use them inside, although not at the pump as far as I am aware. This is also true of Canadian credit cards at American gas pumps. [/QUOTE] Thanks for the quick reply! ---
**Author:** ![Cerowyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/82dd89/32.png) [@Cerowyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cerowyn)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2007, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-buying-gas-in-canada/411689/4 "2007-07-13T19:15:21Z")
:dubious: Is this a recent thing? Are we talking about VISA/MC and AMEX? I’m pretty certain that I’ve used my [Canadian] credit cards on I-80 and I-91 in NY in recent years. ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2007, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-buying-gas-in-canada/411689/5 "2007-07-13T19:16:26Z")
Some gas stations _do_ accept them at the pump, especially noticeable to me at the highway service station rest stop oasis areas between Port Huron - Detroit - London - Toronto - Buffalo, where there are 'Merkins aplently. ---
**Author:** ![LionelHutz405](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lionelhutz405/32/536_2.png) [@LionelHutz405](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LionelHutz405)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2007, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-buying-gas-in-canada/411689/6 "2007-07-13T19:22:54Z")
[QUOTE=Wallet] the pumps won’t accept the cards, but if you go inside the workers will be able to process the sale? [/QUOTE] A sign just appeared on the pumps of my regular gas station saying exactly that. I’m not sure if that’s a new thing or they just got fed up with having to explain it. ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2007, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-buying-gas-in-canada/411689/7 "2007-07-13T23:29:10Z")
I have paid at the pump using my VISA card while in Vancouver. ---
**Author:** ![Bill\_Door](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@Bill\_Door](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_Door)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2007, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-buying-gas-in-canada/411689/8 "2007-07-13T23:33:51Z")
Two weeks ago I drove from Vancouver to Jasper and back, filling the tank several times. I used my Mastercard at the pump every time. There were no problems. ---
**Author:** ![Daffyd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/daffyd/32/8923_2.png) [@Daffyd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daffyd)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2007, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-buying-gas-in-canada/411689/9 "2007-07-13T23:57:28Z")
Had all kinds of problems buying gas in Toronto before I had Canadian credit or debit cards… I’d suddenly realize I was low on gas, stop at a gas station, and the pump would tell me to “see the attendant”… and 90% of the time, they’d tell me I couldn’t use my U.S. cards… And explaining that I had used them at other stations did nothing to improve my odds… Can’t use my U.S. cards to pay for cellphone service in Canada either… ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2007, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-buying-gas-in-canada/411689/10 "2007-07-14T03:04:52Z")
[QUOTE=Wallet] is it true that Canadian gas stations will not accept American credit cards? Or, did it only mean that the pumps won’t accept the cards, but if you go inside the workers will be able to process the sale? [/QUOTE] At a number of places I’ve gone in BC, there was no pay at pump for anyone. The gas stations accepted my card as soon as I went in, though one woman did say that she made Americans prepay as we were so used to paying at the pump, we’d drive off before paying for gas. I’ve never been able to use my non-MC/VISA debit card in Canada for anything other than an ATM. But the credit cards have always gone through. ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2007, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-buying-gas-in-canada/411689/11 "2007-07-14T03:34:07Z")
The only time I had a problem using a US card at at a Tim Hortons in Vancouver. Tims doesn’t take credit cards, so I gave the lady my debit card. Here in the US debit cards are branded with either a VISA or Master Card logo. The [del]Tim’s employee[/del] bitch saw the logo and told me it would not work, that only debit cards would work. I showed her where it very plainly said **debit** on the face of the card, but she insisted that my debit card was not a debit card. :rolleyes: She would not even attempt the transaction. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2007, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-buying-gas-in-canada/411689/12 "2007-07-14T03:36:59Z")
[QUOTE=Helen’s Eidolon] Yes, you can still use them inside, although not at the pump as far as I am aware. This is also true of Canadian credit cards at American gas pumps. [/QUOTE] I’ve used my Canadian credit cards at American pumps. I did so not two days ago, in Michigan. ---
**Author:** ![Antigen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Antigen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antigen)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2007, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-buying-gas-in-canada/411689/13 "2007-07-14T03:48:27Z")
[QUOTE=Helen’s Eidolon] Yes, you can still use them inside, although not at the pump as far as I am aware. This is also true of Canadian credit cards at American gas pumps. [/QUOTE] I’ve been using my Canadian TD Visa at gas pumps in Maryland since I moved here four months ago and haven’t had a single problem with machines not taking my card. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2007, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-buying-gas-in-canada/411689/14 "2007-07-14T05:04:58Z")
[QUOTE=Rick] The only time I had a problem using a US card at at a Tim Hortons in Vancouver. Tims doesn’t take credit cards, so I gave the lady my debit card. Here in the US debit cards are branded with either a VISA or Master Card logo. The [del]Tim’s employee[/del] bitch saw the logo and told me it would not work, that only debit cards would work. I showed her where it very plainly said **debit** on the face of the card, but she insisted that my debit card was not a debit card. :rolleyes: She would not even attempt the transaction. [/QUOTE] Probably because it wasn’t an _Interac_ debit card–that’s the Canadian national debit card network. VISA or Master Card have nothing to do with the Interac network or debit cards up here, so your card wouldn’t work, no matter whether it said “debit” or not. If it makes you feel any better, my debit card doesn’t work in the US. Because it’s also coded to allow it to work with US banking networks, I can use it at American ATMs. But I can’t use it at a retailer who offers payment by debit card–even though it’s plainly a debit card. ---
**Author:** ![Antigen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Antigen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antigen)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2007, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-buying-gas-in-canada/411689/15 "2007-07-14T15:22:33Z")
[QUOTE=Rick] The only time I had a problem using a US card at at a Tim Hortons in Vancouver. Tims doesn’t take credit cards, so I gave the lady my debit card. Here in the US debit cards are branded with either a VISA or Master Card logo. The [del]Tim’s employee[/del] bitch saw the logo and told me it would not work, that only debit cards would work. I showed her where it very plainly said **debit** on the face of the card, but she insisted that my debit card was not a debit card. :rolleyes: She would not even attempt the transaction. [/QUOTE] You found a Tim’s that takes debit?? The ones around Montreal all have signs up saying that to maintain speed of service, they don’t take cards of any kind, just cash. Which really sucks when I need to go get a $20 out of a bank machine so I can get a coffee. ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2007, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-buying-gas-in-canada/411689/16 "2007-07-14T15:29:53Z")
[QUOTE=Antigen] The ones around Montreal all have signs up saying that to maintain speed of service, they don’t take cards of any kind, just cash. [/QUOTE] This is kind of funny. There are commercials down here for one of the major credit-card carriers (VISA or MC, I forget). They show people paying for all sorts of items with a swipe of their cards, one by one … and then one person pulls out a wad of cash. The music stops, people drop their drinks, flowers wilt. The cashier, with a heavily perturbed look on her face, completes the cash transacton with a huff. The next customer whips out their card, and life is great again. They are trying hard to sell that cash is far, far _slower_ than cards. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2007, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-buying-gas-in-canada/411689/17 "2007-07-14T15:42:39Z")
Were you trying a Discover card, perchance? They are rarely accepted anywhere outside the US. ---
**Author:** ![jasonh300](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/46a35a/32.png) [@jasonh300](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasonh300)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2007, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-buying-gas-in-canada/411689/18 "2007-07-14T20:04:20Z")
[QUOTE=ElvisL1ves] Were you trying a Discover card, perchance? They are rarely accepted anywhere outside the US. [/QUOTE] And fewer and fewer places in the US. ---
**Author:** ![Antigen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Antigen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antigen)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2007, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-buying-gas-in-canada/411689/19 "2007-07-15T15:13:43Z")
[QUOTE=bordelond] This is kind of funny. There are commercials down here for one of the major credit-card carriers (VISA or MC, I forget). They show people paying for all sorts of items with a swipe of their cards, one by one … and then one person pulls out a wad of cash. The music stops, people drop their drinks, flowers wilt. The cashier, with a heavily perturbed look on her face, completes the cash transacton with a huff. The next customer whips out their card, and life is great again. They are trying hard to sell that cash is far, far _slower_ than cards. [/QUOTE] Actually, I’m pretty sure that in the ad you’re thinking of, the woman brings out her checkbook and starts writing a check for her purchases. Which is the slowest damn way to pay for anything, ever, and should be outlawed. ---
**Author:** ![Helen\_s\_Eidolon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Helen\_s\_Eidolon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Helen_s_Eidolon)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2007, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-buying-gas-in-canada/411689/20 "2007-07-15T15:38:50Z")
Well, a gas station in NY state didn’t accept my parents’ Canadian credit card in May. I had to use my American one. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-buying-gas-in-canada/411689.md?page=2)