# Do Gas Stations Charge You Extra To Use Your Credit Card? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 30, 2009, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-gas-stations-charge-you-extra-to-use-your-credit-card/498182 "2009-05-30T18:03:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2009, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-gas-stations-charge-you-extra-to-use-your-credit-card/498182/1 "2009-05-30T18:03:17Z")
I don’t recall this in the past, but of late, no matter where I put gas in my car, there is an extra $1.00 fee to use my credit card! I never see any notice posted, but find it on my bank statements. Kind of pisses me off, and I guess I will just start having to pay in cash to avoid that, but is this common everywhere, or just locally here in Las Vegas? ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2009, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-gas-stations-charge-you-extra-to-use-your-credit-card/498182/2 "2009-05-30T18:09:48Z")
Are you sure it’s a fee? When you pay at the pump using a credit card, the system does a preauth for $1.00 to verify the account. This amount is either refunded once the transaction has been processed or is deducted from the charge amount, depending on how the system is set up for that particular station. ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2009, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-gas-stations-charge-you-extra-to-use-your-credit-card/498182/3 "2009-05-30T19:27:58Z")
Well, in looking over my statement, those $1.00 extra charges do NOT disappear after the payment is made…they are most certainly charging me extra. Granted, this is not going to make a difference in whether I can buy food for the week, but still…will start paying cash if I happen to have enough in my wallet when I tank up. ---
**Author:** ![Early\_Out](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Early\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Early_Out)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2009, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-gas-stations-charge-you-extra-to-use-your-credit-card/498182/4 "2009-05-30T19:39:14Z")
This sounds like a processing error by your credit card company (Q.E.D. is correct about the usual reason for these showing up as “pending charges” - it’s the preauth to use the pump). I’d give them a call. ---
**Author:** ![Ponch8](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponch8/32/9883_2.png) [@Ponch8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponch8)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2009, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-gas-stations-charge-you-extra-to-use-your-credit-card/498182/5 "2009-05-30T19:41:15Z")
There are some stations that charge one price if you pay cash and a higher price if you use a credit card. Are stations even allowed to do this? ---
**Author:** ![Amp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Amp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amp)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2009, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-gas-stations-charge-you-extra-to-use-your-credit-card/498182/6 "2009-05-30T19:44:10Z")
Some stations around here will charge you 2 to 3 cents more per gallon if you use a debit or credit card. They call it a cash discount. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2009, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-gas-stations-charge-you-extra-to-use-your-credit-card/498182/7 "2009-05-30T19:44:58Z")
> [@Ponch8](#): > > There are some stations that charge one price if you pay cash and a higher price if you use a credit card. Are stations even allowed to do this? They’re not allowed to charge additional fees to use a credit card (it’s not illegal, it merely violates the seller’s merchant agreement with the CC company) but they generally do an end run around this by offering, instead, a discount for using cash. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Vorlon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d07c76/32.png) [@The\_Vorlon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Vorlon)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2009, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-gas-stations-charge-you-extra-to-use-your-credit-card/498182/8 "2009-05-30T19:53:53Z")
I’ts not legal in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to charge a different ammount depending on payment method, in addition to being a violation of their cardholder agreement. That being said, the frackers still charge more. I suspect they are doing so untill caught, at which time they are in for a world of hurt, both from the state, as well as getting hit with chargebacks and fees. That law was about the only good thing M. Stanley Dukakis ever did. Other than climbing in the tank for the photo-op… ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2009, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-gas-stations-charge-you-extra-to-use-your-credit-card/498182/9 "2009-05-30T20:34:59Z")
The thing is they can’t charge you MORE but they can charge you less. Here’s an example: Gas is $2.00 a gallon. If you use cash or GAS CREDIT CARD, the gas is only $1.75/gallon. This is fine. It’s a DISCOUNT for using cash. ----\> Gas is $1.75/gallon but only if you pay by cash or GAS CREDIT CARD, otherwise it’s $2.00/gallon. This is NOT acceptable. You see it amounts to the same thing, but one way they are offering you a discount and the other way they are charging you a fee. In the end it’s the same thing. So in the end if it’s one price and they discount for certain payment methods it’s fine. But they can’t ADD A FEE for a particular method. In reality, there’s little you can do to stop them. Visa doesn’t care, the banks that issue Visa don’t care. As an end note, the government exempts themselves from this. This is why they CAN charge you more to pay your taxes with credit cards. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2009, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-gas-stations-charge-you-extra-to-use-your-credit-card/498182/10 "2009-05-31T14:11:02Z")
I would prefer merchants give me a cash discount. I get a 1% refund on my credit card purchases, but I know the merchants pay 2-4% charge for the credit card processing and I would happily pay case if they offerred me a 2% discount. But they never do. Sigh. Let the people who use the credit card for credit pay for it. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2009, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-gas-stations-charge-you-extra-to-use-your-credit-card/498182/11 "2009-05-31T14:44:34Z")
> [@Q.E.D](#): > > They’re not allowed to charge additional fees to use a credit card (it’s not illegal, it merely violates the seller’s merchant agreement with the CC company) but they generally do an end run around this by offering, instead, a discount for using cash. Actually, in some states, such as California, it _is_ illegal to charge additional fees for using a credit card. You can offer a discount for cash, as quite a few gas stations in my neighborhood do, but you cannot levy an extra fee just for using a credit card. We recently discussed the issue [here](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=507904), and **Gfactor** provided a list of states that prohibit credit card surcharges. I’ve copied and pasted it below: The following states prohibit merchants from adding surcharges to credit card transactions - California - Colorado - Connecticut - Florida - Kansas - Maine - Massachusetts - New York - Oklahoma - Texas. ---
**Author:** ![Wrognside](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecd19e/32.png) [@Wrognside](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wrognside)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2009, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-gas-stations-charge-you-extra-to-use-your-credit-card/498182/12 "2009-06-01T03:05:43Z")
Is it legal for them to charge extra for debit like CC? Also, since in CA where I live civil code 1748.1, is it legal to not allow you to use you debit as a CC…since that is the point of a debit card. And I mean debit card as in checkcard with a Visa logo for example. I ask this because Arco does not give you that option at all, they ONLY let you run it as a debit and makes you enter pin which forces you to pay a .45 fee. But 76 stations allow you to run it as a credit and asks for billing zip code in lieu of entering pin. Wouldnt that be breaking their Visa Merch agreement? It clearly states that surcharges are illegal when making a purchase with Visa. All CC companies have that same policy btw ---
**Author:** ![IAmNotSpartacus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/cc9497/32.png) [@IAmNotSpartacus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IAmNotSpartacus)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2009, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-gas-stations-charge-you-extra-to-use-your-credit-card/498182/13 "2009-06-01T03:33:25Z")
> [@Wrognside](#): > > I ask this because Arco does not give you that option at all, they ONLY let you run it as a debit and makes you enter pin which forces you to pay a .45 fee. But 76 stations allow you to run it as a credit and asks for billing zip code in lieu of entering pin. > > Wouldnt that be breaking their Visa Merch agreement? It clearly states that surcharges are illegal when making a purchase with Visa. All CC companies have that same policy btw Arco doesn’t have a Visa merchant agreement, there’s nothing for them to be in violation of. ---
**Author:** ![Wrognside](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecd19e/32.png) [@Wrognside](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wrognside)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2009, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-gas-stations-charge-you-extra-to-use-your-credit-card/498182/14 "2009-06-01T04:48:20Z")
> [@IAmNotSpartacus](#): > > Arco doesn’t have a Visa merchant agreement, there’s nothing for them to be in violation of. Really? I use my work Visa all the time to track miles, and no it is not a gas card. ---
**Author:** ![IAmNotSpartacus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/cc9497/32.png) [@IAmNotSpartacus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IAmNotSpartacus)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2009, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-gas-stations-charge-you-extra-to-use-your-credit-card/498182/15 "2009-06-01T05:32:42Z")
> [@Wrognside](#): > > Really? I use my work Visa all the time to track miles, and no it is not a gas card. Is it a fleet card? Arco’s website says they have not accepted credit cards since [1982](http://www.arco.com/sectiongenericarticle.do?categoryId=16002899&contentId=7022959) ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2009, 7:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-gas-stations-charge-you-extra-to-use-your-credit-card/498182/16 "2009-06-01T07:23:40Z")
Are you sure that it’s the Gas Station charging you the extra buck? I bet it’s the bank doing it. On my Visa Bank Card all check card transactions are free. However if I do a debit card transaction it costs me a dollar in an “ATM” fee. It’s the same card and the same account, the only difference is if I validate it by signing my name or by entering a PIN. Occasionally I’ll do an online payment and it will get processed as a debit transaction instead of a credit transaction. It’s a retarded system and I’m probbaly going to ditch my bank over it, but you might want to check and see if the “fee” you are paying is actually a bank surcharge and not a gas station one. I’d bet that this is the case. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2009, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-gas-stations-charge-you-extra-to-use-your-credit-card/498182/17 "2009-06-01T14:16:02Z")
> [@IAmNotSpartacus](#): > > Is it a fleet card? > > Arco’s website says they have not accepted credit cards since [1982](http://www.arco.com/sectiongenericarticle.do?categoryId=16002899&contentId=7022959) Funny. I used my Citi MasterCard to buy gas from an Arco station not 30 minutes ago. Credit, not debit. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2009, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-gas-stations-charge-you-extra-to-use-your-credit-card/498182/18 "2009-06-01T14:28:08Z")
The gas station on the corner charges 7 cents a gallon less, if you use cash. That keeps me using it. My wife hates to carry cash for anything so she does not have the option. ---
**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:** [June 1, 2009, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-gas-stations-charge-you-extra-to-use-your-credit-card/498182/19 "2009-06-01T16:02:26Z")
When I’m below a quarter tank, I’ve got to put in 16 gallons. Credit cards at many gas stations here now have cash discounts of 7¢ to 10¢. So, it’s a $1.60 at the most that I’m stuck overpaying. To take cash out of the ATM machine (assuming it’s not my bank) is probably about $3 to $4 bucks these days (not sure; I don’t do it). So, there’s already a savings, assuming I would have to take out cash each time, which I would, since I use no cash for anything else. So for $1.60, I save ATM fees, but I also have full accountability in Quicken, the convenience of not having cash, and airline miles. I don’t include interest as a drawback, because I simply pay it off every month. Luckily there are still some gas stations that don’t offer cash discounts, and they’re generally the same price as the cash discount in other places, so I get all of the credit card goodness without a markup (err, unmarkdown). ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2009, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-gas-stations-charge-you-extra-to-use-your-credit-card/498182/20 "2009-06-01T17:43:52Z")
I’m in California, and despite the prohibition on charges for credit cards there are still discounts. The Valero station near me offers 5 cents a gallon, and 10 cents a gallon if you buy their car wash. But nowhere on their complex signs do they give their credit price, so I’ve stopped going there. I’ve never heard of a flat charge for using a credit card. That almost sounds like a scam - if enough people don’t notice, the gas station operator can make a bundle. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-gas-stations-charge-you-extra-to-use-your-credit-card/498182.md?page=2)