I’m so lazy I won’t even swipe a card. I always go to M[color=red]obil[/color] and use Speedpass. Its a little box like the EZpass for tolls. As soon as I pull up to the pump (dispenser, whatever) the winged horsey lights up! I’m so lazy that if for some reason the Speedpass system isn’t working and the pump doesn’t come on I drive to a different station rather than bother pulling out my card!
I’m amazed that more gas companies haven’t introduced similar systems. It spoils you so much you stay totally brand loyal.
My behavior changed the second I realized that no one else was going to fill up the car for me.
When I split the car with someone, I was much more likely to put in a a few dollars worth of gas, and drive until I ran out, then put in a few more, etc. As there was always the hope that perhaps the other person might notice the car was getting low and fill up the entire tank. (Occasionally I’d fill it, but not always).
But then, when the epiphany came (after I stopped sharing a car) I started filling the car up. Though, I never worried much about even numbers either way if a credit card was involved.
Is that benefit not cancelled out by the loss of fuel economy caused by having to haul a full tank of gas around? That extra 40ltrs of gas has got to weigh a fair bit and thus impact on your mileage.
I could be wrong though - it has happened before
Mostly when I post a ‘factual’ statement here I might add!!!
I fill my tank up all the time but that is simply because the car I have has never had a functioning gas gauge. So I know that the car gets about 25 miles per gallon (worst case for stop and start driving although it might be 23 or 24 in winter) and that I have at least a 12 gallon tank. I’m not exactly sure of the tank size because I don’t have an owners manual but it is considered mid-size so probably a 12 or 14 gallon tank. So I figure I have a range of 300 miles if I have a 12 gallon tank and get 25 mpg. So I fill up after 200-250 miles of driving. I just reset my trip meter after filling up. Of course now that my trip meter is broken I have to write down the odometer reading. If I only filled up partially this would end up creating more problems about having to remember that I only put in 10 dollars last time and therefore I could only drive 100 miles before refueling, etc. So I would end up running out of gas sometime which would be bad.
acsenray, I would suspect that this is the type of person that saves their credit card receipts and then matches them with the line by line items on the monthly statement. If you have 100 lines that all say $10, it’s much harder to match the receipt with the line item. If, however, you have 1 line that says $10.23, it’s much easier to spot and then match your receipt to.
However, I could be talking out my butt since I don’t know if that is what that poster was getting at for sure, I don’t have a credit card, and usually only put in even dollar amounts of gas.
When self-service gas stations became popular, there was no pay at the pump option. Therefore, one had to make at least one trip to the window to pay for their gas. Stations quickly became aware that a significant proportion of their customers would drive off with the gas, if they were permitted to. A “drive-off” is someone who pumps the gas, and leaves without paying for it. In order to prevent drive-offs, many stations required one to pay first. This presented an interesting incentive system, especially in colder climates, like Michigan in the winter.
a. If you paid with a credit card. You would have to deliver your card to the window first. Pump your gas. And then return to the window no matter what. Two trips.
b. If you paid cash, you could either give the cashier a big bill–a twenty, for example. Fill up, assuming the bill covered a full tank. And then return to the window to get your change. Two trips,
or
c. You could give the cashier an amount that would cover a partial fill-up. Pump your gas. And leave, having saved a trip through the cold to the window.
Many opted for this procedure. Since it is easier to remember a round amount, many people left a five or a ten. Kids tended to empty their pockets of pennies and crumpled singles. Often buying “a pack of Reds, and the rest in gas.” At least at the Total station at Maple and Inkster, where I worked.
Many self-serve stations tried to combat the loss of margin to credit card discount (the amount the card provider and servicer charge for each credit transaction) by offering a lower price for cash. Which made things that much more complicated for cashiers. Then as competition grew (I’m speculating here) they began undercutting themselves by offering cash or credit at the same low price, which was actually the price that they had been charging all along for credit. In otherwise they did away with the cash discount and spun it as a savings.
Now, of course, the incentives are reversed. If you want to pay cash you (usually) have to go to the window at least once. If you pay with credit, you can stay with your car. There is little reason to fill to a round amount, because doing so will result in more stops.
