Gas station limits credit card purchase to $50

[Soundguy]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( This morning I stopped for gas in Oakland California on the way to the airport and my card stopped at $10...yes ten dollars.

I walked inside and the manager told me they had to limit credit card purchases, inside or at the pump, to one swipe per 24 hours and $10 total. He said they had no choice but to limit it because so many people try to use stolen cards.

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Wow.. 10$.. not even 3 gallons in some places....

Maybee they should make you enter your billing zip code... I've seen some stations do that.

Soundguy

 

[CarlGlas]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Is it just where I live or do gas stations limit credit card purchases to $50 maximum at the pump? )</font>

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Limits are set by the individual merchant and this practice became necessary after the price of fuel increased above
$2 a gallon and identity theft became the latest rage.

However, if you go inside, with proper identification, the person controlling the pumps can program the pump for any amount. The last time I filled my drums the pumps would shut off at $100 and then I would have to swipe my card again. After the second swipe I had to go inside, show my identification and told the clerk what I was doing. (This was after Hurricane Katrina last year)

 

[CarlGlas]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( </font><font color="blueclass=small">( a couple drive offs a week )</font>

I suspect a lot of towns have large numbers of drive offs reported. Now the police don't want to "look the other way", they'd like to see the thief caught and punished. However, in the vast majority of the drive offs reported in Dallas, the clerk could give either absolutely no description of the person or vehicle, or only a color of the vehicle. Such vague descriptions, or lack thereof, left the police with no clues to follow up on. It also seemed that a majority of the drive offs reported were reported as happening just before the end of the clerks' shifts. /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif So, going on the theory, whether right or wrong, that many of the reports were actually to cover thefts or shortages by the clerks, many years ago Dallas quite taking reports of drive offs unless the clerk had the license number of the vehicle. The number of drive offs reported declined drastically, but of those reported, the culprits faced theft charges. )</font>

* * *

Sometimes merchants can be their own worst enemies. Failure to properly ID suspects, etc.

In cases of gas drive-off's, (Harris County) unless the merchant can positively ID the individual who pumped the fuel, they won't accept the charge. ADA's are retained on performance and many of them refuse to accept charges unless they have at least a 80% chance of winning. Class C Misdemeanors have been down-played because of higher charges, i.e. felonies, that citations are issued when possible because of jail overcrowding and when warrants are issued if the defendant doesn't have any money they are given accelerated time in the jail and kicked out. Some of them get out before I can go OD.
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[buppy69]

Are we talking about gas cards or Visa/MC or both? I can't get away from a staion for less tha $85.

Eugene

 

[ultrarunner]

In my case, I was using a regular Visa Card...I never thought about trying M/C or Amex...

 

[Z71]

This is nothing new. I can recall the same thing happening at a Amoco station I would fuel up my survey crew 'burb back in 2001 and 2002 after 9-11. $50 was the limit the station had set on all CC's purchases at the pump. So I quit going there, the K2500 HD suburban had a 44 gallon tank.

 

[CarlGlas]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Are we talking about gas cards or Visa/MC or both? I can't get away from a staion for less tha $85.

Eugene )</font>


All of the above. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[Z71]

I was talking with a friend who has a station and he said $50 was the floor limit on a CC purchase (set by the CC company) unless you have a direct phone link to the authorization center or call in for pre-authorization before making the sale. So the station has not programed the pumps to do this and thus they stay under under the floor limit.

 

[rback33]

I have run into this at our local station after hours. May wife ran into it the station the other day while trying to fuel our dually. I think she was a little freaked out at first when she called me to ask. I think she used the debit card and was worried something was wrong... meaning we were out of money when we shouldn't be.... I told her it was ok. I have been trying to get them to raise the amount. It is fine when they are open cuz you can run as much as you like in, but afterhours via Credit card is a pain. The limit is $50 dollars btw. Which at $2.50 diesel only get me to two thirds of the two tank total. Say that five times fast..... /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[NY_Yankees_Fan]

NOT a problem in NJ, NO self service gas permitted. The ONLY advantage of living in NJ, no gas on your hands. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif