# Purchasing gas with your credit card: A poll **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 10, 2007, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/purchasing-gas-with-your-credit-card-a-poll/425905 "2007-11-10T13:39:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2007, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/purchasing-gas-with-your-credit-card-a-poll/425905/1 "2007-11-10T13:39:55Z")
When you buy gas with your credit (or debit) card, do you always make sure that the total is an even dollar amount? What I mean is, do you “top off” so that it’ll come out to $23.00 as opposed to $22.87? I do so, obsessively. My wife, not so much; and she laughs at me because I do it. You? ---
**Author:** ![Kilvert\_s\_Pagan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c37758/32.png) [@Kilvert\_s\_Pagan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kilvert_s_Pagan)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2007, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/purchasing-gas-with-your-credit-card-a-poll/425905/2 "2007-11-10T13:46:53Z")
[QUOTE=Happy Lendervedder] When you buy gas with your credit (or debit) card, do you always make sure that the total is an even dollar amount? What I mean is, do you “top off” so that it’ll come out to $23.00 as opposed to $22.87? I do so, obsessively. My wife, not so much; and she laughs at me because I do it. You? [/QUOTE] No. I used to, but I got over it. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![flickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7bcc69/32.png) [@flickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flickster)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2007, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/purchasing-gas-with-your-credit-card-a-poll/425905/3 "2007-11-10T14:06:07Z")
Old habits are hard to break. I also used to do this and it ties back to the days of actually going inside and making a cash transaction. Since I started using my debit card, it matters not but I still catch myself doing it occasionally (which always results in a chuckle and headshake) ---
**Author:** ![Morelin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Morelin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morelin)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2007, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/purchasing-gas-with-your-credit-card-a-poll/425905/4 "2007-11-10T14:18:27Z")
Not even on a dollar, but I like to make it end in a 5 or a 0. This was actually really useful, because the gas station by my house is a Citgo, but they were showing up on my transactions as Food Mart(the name of the store that I never used or paid attention to). It was only the frequency and the fact that it was NEVER an odd amount that I finally put two and two together. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Arky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/87869e/32.png) [@An\_Arky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Arky)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2007, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/purchasing-gas-with-your-credit-card-a-poll/425905/5 "2007-11-10T14:22:01Z")
Yup. I’m not obsessed by it, though. It’s more of a game, trying to let loose of the handle at precisely the right moment to get the pump to stop on 00s. ---
**Author:** ![Ignatz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/3be4f8/32.png) [@Ignatz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ignatz)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2007, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/purchasing-gas-with-your-credit-card-a-poll/425905/6 "2007-11-10T14:28:13Z")
That’s funny. But I admit that I’ve done it. ---
**Author:** ![Hanna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b3f665/32.png) [@Hanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hanna)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2007, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/purchasing-gas-with-your-credit-card-a-poll/425905/7 "2007-11-10T14:54:17Z")
No, never. When my car is full I stop. ---
**Author:** ![Susie\_Derkins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e47774/32.png) [@Susie\_Derkins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Susie_Derkins)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2007, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/purchasing-gas-with-your-credit-card-a-poll/425905/8 "2007-11-10T15:32:49Z")
Nope, I just let it run until it clicks off. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2007, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/purchasing-gas-with-your-credit-card-a-poll/425905/9 "2007-11-10T15:41:25Z")
[QUOTE=An Arky] Yup. I’m not obsessed by it, though. It’s more of a game, trying to let loose of the handle at precisely the right moment to get the pump to stop on 00s. [/QUOTE] Ditto. ---
**Author:** ![Eureka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/74df32/32.png) [@Eureka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eureka)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2007, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/purchasing-gas-with-your-credit-card-a-poll/425905/10 "2007-11-10T15:42:01Z")
Never ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2007, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/purchasing-gas-with-your-credit-card-a-poll/425905/11 "2007-11-10T15:45:23Z")
Nope, never even thought of it. ---
**Author:** ![Gala\_Matrix\_Fire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/4da419/32.png) [@Gala\_Matrix\_Fire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gala_Matrix_Fire)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2007, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/purchasing-gas-with-your-credit-card-a-poll/425905/12 "2007-11-10T15:50:55Z")
Never. Never even considered it. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2007, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/purchasing-gas-with-your-credit-card-a-poll/425905/13 "2007-11-10T15:53:45Z")
[QUOTE=An Arky] Yup. I’m not obsessed by it, though. It’s more of a game [/QUOTE] Yeah, but I don’t try for even dollars. I try for whatever number strikes my fancy at the time. Often it’s 10.66 gallons. ---
**Author:** ![FilmGeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@FilmGeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FilmGeek)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2007, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/purchasing-gas-with-your-credit-card-a-poll/425905/14 "2007-11-10T16:04:18Z")
I used to. Now the attendant pumps my gas. Some attendants automatically pump to .00, some ask if you want them to. Some don’t care. ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2007, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/purchasing-gas-with-your-credit-card-a-poll/425905/15 "2007-11-10T16:19:56Z")
I don’t pay attention and it’s not uncommon for me to not even know how much I’m paying. I just squeeze until it stops. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2007, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/purchasing-gas-with-your-credit-card-a-poll/425905/16 "2007-11-10T17:14:35Z")
My husband does. I don’t. He also stands there pushing buttons to get a printed receipt – which he puts in his pocket – where it stays until it’s time to do laundry. Why does he need proof that he bought gas? Unless he does it to establish an alibi. Hmmmm. ---
**Author:** ![A.R.Cane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ee7513/32.png) [@A.R.Cane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/A.R.Cane)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2007, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/purchasing-gas-with-your-credit-card-a-poll/425905/17 "2007-11-10T17:24:01Z")
When I was still in the trucking business I always cut it off at an even gallon. We were required to report fuel used and fuel purchased by state, for tax purposes, so it made it easier to figure w/ even gallons. ---
**Author:** ![mnemosyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@mnemosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mnemosyne)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2007, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/purchasing-gas-with-your-credit-card-a-poll/425905/18 "2007-11-10T17:26:03Z")
I always do this, and I always get a receipt, which I promptly throw out once I’ve verified that it doesn’t display the entire credit card number. I always pay with a credit card - I don’t think I’ve paid cash for gas more than a couple dozen times in the past decade! It is especially pointless when I use my MasterCard, which is the PetroPoints one, which gives a rebate of 2 cents/litre when I gas up at a PetroCanada station. So I’ll pump in gas to a round number, and then the savings are applied, and turns out I paid 27.38$ or something! ---
**Author:** ![Carson\_O\_Genic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/cdc98d/32.png) [@Carson\_O\_Genic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carson_O_Genic)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2007, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/purchasing-gas-with-your-credit-card-a-poll/425905/19 "2007-11-10T17:29:43Z")
Another for .00 When the credit bill comes in,a glance shows gas purchases,and any deviation raises eyebrows. Tolerance of +/- .02 ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2007, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/purchasing-gas-with-your-credit-card-a-poll/425905/20 "2007-11-10T17:47:16Z")
I go for an even number, but in quantity of gas, not the total price. If one purchases gas at a Canadian Tire filling station with their credit card, one gets bonus money usable in the stores based on the quantity of gas and whatever multiplier is in place that week. My usual purchase is 60 litres. The next higher bonus kicks in at 70. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/purchasing-gas-with-your-credit-card-a-poll/425905.md?page=2)