Watch Your Credit Card at the Pumps!

[MA-Caver]

This news story relates on how gas station owners are cheating us even MORE by getting folks to use their credit cards to pay for fuel. They'll show one price which is "oooh cool, cheaper than across the street/town) and you swipe your card and the price automatically goes up by as much as 10 to 20 cents a gallon.
http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/up/player/popup/?cl=8732718
Stations like these should be reported if/when found.

Terrible. It's bad enough to put $10.00 in the tank and get maybe 2.55 gallons of gas out but worse when you're not paying what you're think you're paying.

My thought is... gotta fill up... go to the bank or use your fee-free ATM (if you have one) to get cash and pay what you should pay.

Anyone found these yet? Post here to let other MT members in your city know where to avoid.

 

[Kacey]

I've not run into that one yet - hadn't even heard of credit card fees for years - but I'll certainly keep an eye out for it from now on! Thanks much for the heads-up. :asian:

 

[jks9199]

I remember when it was normal for there to be a different price based on paying cash or credit -- but it was also advertised. (Of course, back then, there wasn't nearly as much of the "you must pay first" gas stations, either...)

The idea of advertising one, and switching the price with little or no notice is real close to bait & switch... as the one guy found out! (He should have been fined anyway, in my opinion.)

 

[MA-Caver]

I remember when it was normal for there to be a different price based on paying cash or credit -- but it was also advertised. (Of course, back then, there wasn't nearly as much of the "you must pay first" gas stations, either...)

The idea of advertising one, and switching the price with little or no notice is real close to bait & switch... as the one guy found out! (He should have been fined anyway, in my opinion.)

Well abject (national) public humiliation does pretty good as a fine I think. :uhyeah:

 

[Bob Hubbard]

Last I checked, charging the consumer for using their CC was against the CC Processors TOS.

 

[theletch1]

I still see folks paying different fees based on a cash vs credit card transaction. Oddly, though, some places charge less for paying cash and others will charge less if you use "their" credit card. It's the incentive to get you to save .02 per gallon by paying with their card and paying 25% interest for it.

 

[arnisador]

In Calif. you couldn't charge more for credit but you could give a discount for cash when we lived there.

 

[dart68]

I've not run into that one yet - hadn't even heard of credit card fees for years - but I'll certainly keep an eye out for it from now on! Thanks much for the heads-up. :asian:

Kacey, I live in the Denver area too. I've seen several stations offering a reduced price for cash. This is the same BS that used to be the norm a few years ago. The difference of what I've seen is that the stations are openly advertising a different cash/credit price.

 

[Kacey]

Kacey, I live in the Denver area too. I've seen several stations offering a reduced price for cash. This is the same BS that used to be the norm a few years ago. The difference of what I've seen is that the stations are openly advertising a different cash/credit price.

Hmm... I guess we go to different stations. I've seen a few that offer a discount for using the chain's credit card, but haven't seen any offering a cash discount. Thanks for the info - I'll keep an eye out for that!

 

[tellner]

It's been happening here for years.