# Pumping gas isn't rocket surgery you lazy twit **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [April 12, 2016, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pumping-gas-isnt-rocket-surgery-you-lazy-twit/751976 "2016-04-12T04:22:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 9
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2016, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pumping-gas-isnt-rocket-surgery-you-lazy-twit/751976/161 "2016-04-15T12:20:04Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > It may still be illegal in some states, but otherwise the typical requirement is only to stay outside the car within sight of the fueling. Until very recently they were illegal in MA. That restriction was removed last year but not all stations have installed the latches. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2016, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pumping-gas-isnt-rocket-surgery-you-lazy-twit/751976/162 "2016-04-15T13:11:40Z")
> [@Celidin](#): > > This is why you get out of your car and go inside the Wawa to get coffee or a delicious sub or maybe some other snack. What? You don’t have Wawas where you are? Too bad, you’re missing out. > … So everybody in Jersey grabs lunch while their cars are being filled up. Great news for Tesla! People everywhere else shy away from electrics because it takes so long to get a charge, but that will seem completely normal for Jerseyites. ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2016, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pumping-gas-isnt-rocket-surgery-you-lazy-twit/751976/163 "2016-04-15T13:18:04Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > So everybody in Jersey grabs lunch while their cars are being filled up. Great news for Tesla! People everywhere else shy away from electrics because it takes so long to get a charge, but that will seem completely normal for Jerseyites. As long as someone from the power company comes out to plug it in for you. ---
**Author:** ![Ruken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f475e1/32.png) [@Ruken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruken)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2016, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pumping-gas-isnt-rocket-surgery-you-lazy-twit/751976/164 "2016-04-15T14:00:38Z")
> [@Sailboat](#): > > As long as someone from the power company comes out to plug it in for you. I’m pretty sure the car explodes if you plug it yourself. ---
**Author:** ![lance\_strongarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/87869e/32.png) [@lance\_strongarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lance_strongarm)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2016, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pumping-gas-isnt-rocket-surgery-you-lazy-twit/751976/165 "2016-04-15T14:09:17Z")
> [@Ruken](#): > > I’m pretty sure the car explodes if you plug it yourself. Only in New Jersey. ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2016, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pumping-gas-isnt-rocket-surgery-you-lazy-twit/751976/166 "2016-04-15T15:28:57Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > It’s only a 10 gallon tank, so unless gas is at $2.50 or more a gallon $20 will probably be more than a fill up. That sounds great. I live in Communist California where gas hasn’t been under $2.50 for decades. > [@BigT](#): > > but using the word “retarded” as an insult in this day and age is no different than saying “faggot” or “nigger.” This is retarded. You’re retarded. > [@](#): > > The mentally challenged have told you it is offensive to them, and even made national television ads to ask you stop using it. I have seen no such ads. Maybe your state is full of retards so people need to be told this because they’re so retarded. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2016, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pumping-gas-isnt-rocket-surgery-you-lazy-twit/751976/167 "2016-04-15T15:29:26Z")
> [@Ruken](#): > > I’m pretty sure the car explodes if you plug it yourself. No, the power company explodes. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2016, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pumping-gas-isnt-rocket-surgery-you-lazy-twit/751976/168 "2016-04-15T15:30:27Z")
> [@lance\_strongarm](#): > > Only in New Jersey. Or maybe New Jersey explodes. ---
**Author:** ![Macca26](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/13edae/32.png) [@Macca26](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Macca26)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2016, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pumping-gas-isnt-rocket-surgery-you-lazy-twit/751976/169 "2016-04-15T16:58:56Z")
> [@Spiderman](#): > > Holds are soft or memo posted; they only reduce the available balance, which is not the same as account balance. If your account isn’t on fumes, you probably wouldn’t run into it. Nah, my bank clearly shows my account balance and then right next to it, available balance. If there is any hold, the available balance turns into a link where I can see what holds there are and for how much. Any holds I’ve seen have only been on purchases for exact amounts, never for pre-authorizations. I have, a few times in my life, been down to $8 or so as my account balance. No problems. ---
**Author:** ![lance\_strongarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/87869e/32.png) [@lance\_strongarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lance_strongarm)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2016, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pumping-gas-isnt-rocket-surgery-you-lazy-twit/751976/170 "2016-04-15T18:07:04Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > Or maybe New Jersey explodes. Which would be awesome. But hey, in any state, if you try to plug an electric charger in a gas-powered car, it’ll probably explode. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2016, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pumping-gas-isnt-rocket-surgery-you-lazy-twit/751976/171 "2016-04-15T18:12:18Z")
> [@lance\_strongarm](#): > > Which would be awesome. > > But hey, in any state, if you try to plug an electric charger in a gas-powered car, it’ll probably explode. Fair is fair – if you fill the battery compartment of an electric car with gasoline, odds of an explosion are very good too. ---
**Author:** ![watchwolf49](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9c0ed/32.png) [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2016, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pumping-gas-isnt-rocket-surgery-you-lazy-twit/751976/172 "2016-04-15T20:21:48Z")
> [@lance\_strongarm](#): > > Which would be awesome. > > But hey, in any state, if you try to plug an electric charger in a gas-powered car, it’ll probably explode. This is why it takes a highly trained and skill **technician** to know the difference in States full of retards. ---
**Author:** ![Daylate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9dc877/32.png) [@Daylate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daylate)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2016, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pumping-gas-isnt-rocket-surgery-you-lazy-twit/751976/173 "2016-04-16T02:04:46Z")
Out here in the Soviet of Washington - the western part, anyway - a goodly number of gas stations will give a discount for paying in cash. This usually is somewhere between 5¢ and 20¢ a gallon. Worth while going for! ---
**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2016, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pumping-gas-isnt-rocket-surgery-you-lazy-twit/751976/174 "2016-04-16T02:22:14Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > lance armstrong is a whiny git, but using the word “retarded” as an insult in this day and age is no different than saying “faggot” or “nigger.” The mentally challenged have told you it is offensive to them, and even made national television ads to ask you stop using it. > > … That’s why I call them tards. It’s so much cleaner and the retards don’t object to it. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2016, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pumping-gas-isnt-rocket-surgery-you-lazy-twit/751976/175 "2016-04-16T19:08:19Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > lance armstrong is a whiny git, but using the word “retarded” as an insult in this day and age is no different than saying “faggot” or “nigger.” The mentally challenged have told you it is offensive to them, and even made national television ads to ask you stop using it. No it’s not. Not nearly. ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2016, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pumping-gas-isnt-rocket-surgery-you-lazy-twit/751976/176 "2016-04-16T22:43:23Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > lance armstrong is a whiny git, but using the word “retarded” as an insult in this day and age is no different than saying “faggot” or “nigger.” The mentally challenged have told you it is offensive to them, and even made national television ads to ask you stop using it. > > And before you say I’m humorless or looking to be offended, may I remind you that people flipped the fuck out over a silly anti-cash joke? Shut up, BigTard!! 😛 ---
**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:** [April 17, 2016, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pumping-gas-isnt-rocket-surgery-you-lazy-twit/751976/177 "2016-04-17T00:53:36Z")
> [@Drunky\_Smurf](#): > > That sounds great. I live in Communist California where gas hasn’t been under $2.50 for decades. Your point about a $20 bill is generally correct, but… I live in Communist California (San Diego), and my records indicate that i paid $2.41 for gas just about six weeks ago. Gas was also well under $2.50 here for a while during the early stages of the global financial crisis in late 2008 and early 2009. ---
**Author:** ![Uzi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/91b2a8/32.png) [@Uzi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uzi)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2016, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pumping-gas-isnt-rocket-surgery-you-lazy-twit/751976/178 "2016-04-17T05:54:43Z")
> [@lance\_strongarm](#): > > Finally someone says “retarded” in the Pit so I can respond appropriately. > > Fuck you for using that word as an insult. It should be used affectionately, “You’re my little retard, aren’t you!? Yes, you are!” > [@Morgenstern](#): > > That’s why I call them tards. It’s so much cleaner and the retards don’t object to it. Until someone tells them, that tard equals retard… After explaining what ‘equals’ means of course. ---
**Author:** ![Jake\_Jones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Jake\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jake_Jones)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2016, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pumping-gas-isnt-rocket-surgery-you-lazy-twit/751976/179 "2016-04-17T16:45:09Z")
> [@Macca26](#): > > Nah, my bank clearly shows my account balance and then right next to it, available balance. If there is any hold, the available balance turns into a link where I can see what holds there are and for how much. Any holds I’ve seen have only been on purchases for exact amounts, never for pre-authorizations. I have, a few times in my life, been down to $8 or so as my account balance. No problems. There is no such thing as a pre-authorization. There is sometimes an authorization before a capture (charge) and this is a function of the merchant, not the card issuer. At gas stations, I usually see a $1 authorization for a couple days before the funds are captured for the total amount. At restaurants, I see an authorization for the amount of the meal for a couple days before the funds are captured for the total of meal plus tip. At hotels or resorts I’ve booked through a third party like Expedia, they ask me for a card for incidentals and usually authorize $100. Authorization exists because the final payment amount is unknown. All of this is a function of the merchant and it makes not one bit of difference if I use a my Citi, BoA, Discover or Amex cards. I’m not sure why you’re so adamant that your Credit Union operates in an alternate reality, but let’s focus on the pay at the pump situation that started this conversation. You pull up to a pump to purchase an undetermined quantity of gasoline. Before you begin pumping, the gas station wants to know that you have means of payment. You swipe your card. The gas station has to authorize your card for some dollar amount, and they don’t what the final sale will be. They can authorize for $1 which is obviously well under your purchase price or they can authorize for $50 which is probably more than your purchase price. They could conceivably authorize for a single penny, but they can’t authorize nothing. It’s not common, but I have seen $50 or $75 (when gas was $4/gallon) authorizations at pumps. I promise you that this is the way it works. There is no way for the gas station to know what you’re going to put into your tank until the pump is turned off, so they have to authorize something before the final charge is processed. The authorization can’t possibly be for the exact purchase amount. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2016, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pumping-gas-isnt-rocket-surgery-you-lazy-twit/751976/180 "2016-04-17T20:04:42Z")
> [@Jake\_Jones](#): > > There is no such thing as a pre-authorization. This guide for merchants titled [Understanding Credit Card Pre-Authorizations](https://www.merchant-accounts.ca/understanding-credit-card-pre-authorizations.php) seems to hold a different point of view. So does [this one](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Authorization_hold). That said, I see no particular issue with the rest of your post, other than how it starts with some kind of futile debate about terminology. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pumping-gas-isnt-rocket-surgery-you-lazy-twit/751976.md?page=8) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pumping-gas-isnt-rocket-surgery-you-lazy-twit/751976.md?page=10)