Oh, you poor thing. I hope the buttons do not callous your delicate fingertips too much. 
Gosh, you’re lucky. The first time I tried to use my US credit card to pay at the pump, it didn’t tell me anything. I went inside and asked for a receipt because the pump didn’t spit one out for me. The clerk told me that US cards didn’t work at the pump, and he’d written down my license plate number because supposedly we stupid Americans drive off all the time thinking we’ve paid!
The Marathon gas station near my home just started asking for zipcodes. There are new stickers on the gas pumps which explain the process, so I’m guessing it’s for all credit cards (I used a Visa). Ah, progress… :dubious:
The Zip Code thing is used for checking an account. The reason it isn’t used everywhere is simple, there is a different rate charged by the credit card. For instance, I allow my clients to pay via credit card. If I take the charge card online and require a the three digit code to be entered (on the back of the credit card) it costs me substantially more than if I just bill it as a “card not present.” The big difference is that if a customer disputes the charge and does a “chargeback” it’s virtually impossible to win on a card not present. BUT if I have the kind of agreement with the credit card company that requires the client to enter the three digit code it is MUCH harder for the customer to dispute the charge
Same with the zip code, it cost the gas station or store MORE per credit card transaction if they require a zip code, but if a chargeback is done, they get more protection.
Thus each business has to decided what level of protection they want to buy from the credit card company. Actually it’s the bank that process your credit card not Visa, Master Card etc etc.
Aaach! Zombie!
When websites insist on an American zip code I just pretend I’m Dylan and enter 90210.
When I saw this thread and clicked on the title, I was thinking: Hey! Someone opened a new thread just like… the… one… I… oh, this is that thread…
You folks shouldn’t be using a card for gas anyways. I’ve noticed recently that almost all gas stations post a cash price. If you use a card they charge an extra 10 cents a gallon.
That tank I drive takes 18 gallons, and why would I want to pay a buck eighty extra, especially when it’s the card of the station I’m using? Shell Suckers Card.
Arco charges a fee for using a card. But I’m not aware of any other company that has a different cash price.
I live in California.
I hadn’t been driving for the last year so I just found out about this.
The station has a sign on the corner with the prices listed for each of the grades. Say, $3.099 for regular. It also says “cash price” on the top of the sign.
When you go to the pump the LCD display shows $3.099 for the price. But if you use a credit card the display price changes to $3.199.
I tried this with the station card, Shell Oil, and also with my debit card. The machine reads the debit as a credit card. Extra 10 cents a gallon each time.
I pay cash now. Looking around, I think almost all of the brand stations are doing this.
Most gas stations in the US don’t do this, so it’s not an issue. Not sure what stations you are visiting, or if this is common in CA, but it’s not common elsewhere.
It’s very common in the Northeast for gas stations to have different prices for credit and cash. The cash price is always more prominent.
I rarely see a difference in CC vs cash prices, when I do it is typically $0.03/gal, but anyway with the $0.10/gal difference, given that my CC gives 5% back on gas, at a price of $3/g that’s $0.15 off per gallon, so the CC still is cheaper. Also consider that using cash may incur a trip to the ATM, which could very well be a $2 fee to get your cash.
So yeah you may be saving $1.80 by paying cash (if you take all 18 gallons, but add a atm fee and your down $0.20.
This is completely unknown in the parts of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama I’ve driven through/lived in over the past several years. Also did not notice it in recent trips to the suburbs of Houston and Chicago.
Paying with cash means you have to go inside and pay the cashier…and it usually means waiting in line while people buy newports, beer, lotto tickets, and (heaven forbid) money orders…I try and avoid situations with a high degree of “wait for the idiot factor”.
What brand of gas are you buying? The Chevron and Union 76 stations near me do not do this.
Shell.
I’m in Boston, and I haven’t seen this for a long time.
In the Bay Area, no station I know of does this. Arco doesn’t take credit. That includes Chevron, Valero, and lots of cheapo stations. I do remember this back a long time ago, but not recently. I’ll check the Shell station near me, but I don’t remember seeing a cash price.
What part of California are you in?
Central Valley.