Gasoline, cash or credit?
 

I’ve read about different prices between cash or credit but have never seen it until now. Local Exxon station right on the interstate changed their big glass/plastic permanent sign, instead of regular, mid-grade, and premium or diesel listed it just had regular cash and regular credit. The difference was 4 cents. When I mentioned it at work someone said they have seen a Loves truck stop that does that with their electronic sign. Just doesn’t seem too practical since you can’t pay at the pump though. I always fill up my vehicles when I get gas and I just don’t usually have that much cash in my pocket. That, and there’s no way I’m going to go inside and wait in line behind some tool that wants to scratch off their lottery tickets. My wife pointed out she would never leave the kids in the car to go pay.
So I wondered how common this was in other parts of the country? On another note, whatever happened to a free car wash with a fill up?

My observation at the local Quik Trip is that those who pay cash for gas typcially can't qualify for a credit card...

Haven't noticed the cash/credit thing down here.

I have seen it in New jersey and here in Pa. If you pay cash it is a few cents cheaper than paying for it with a debit/credit card. Makes no sense but just another bs thing we gotta get raped at the pump for.

Common in North Jersey...... as much as 10cent/gal higher for Credit Card...... I will NOT use those stations.....

That's been the situation for years in Northern California. I use a debit card. Those are still no additional charge.

It's been lke that in PB County, Martin County, and St Lucie County, Florida for as long as I can remember. I don't mind spending the extra .04/gallon even when it is a 22 gallon fill up, because this allows me to
1. Always have my driver or GTO in plain sight.
2. allows me to avoid going inside.

Never seen that in The Cleveland Ohio Area.

Wonder if we will eventually. :confused:

the difference in price is due to the credit card company servicing fee. Usually around 3% but you can broker for a cheaper rate.
someone at O'riley mentioned using your debit card they charge a flat rate per transaction and not a % of all transactions.
so by paying cash you save the gas station the service fee.

Sometimes when I do pay cash I give them more than the tank will handle. then I have to go back in to get the difference.

patrick

Pretty typical in Minnesota, too.

You can put the blame squarely on the credit card companies for that. They have been raising their "swipe fee's" and the station owners aren't absorbing the cost anymore.

This was the norm back in the 70's. And yes, it was because of the 3% fee that the gas station had to pay the credit card company's. One price for cash .04 to .05 more for credit.

Credit card companys worked out a deal with most gas companys to get away from these differences in the 80's, because they wanted to sell more credit cards to the consumers, and everyone started to pay the same price.

Now, Credit card companys are losing profits, Gas Stations are losing profits, One side is trying to screw the other again and the stations are going back to two different prices.

I'm seeing the differences in prices advertised in Northern KY, Cincinnati southern and central ohio.

For 4 cents, I'll still use my CC. I get between 1 - 5% rewards on my CC's. With gas currently selling for about $3.70 per gallon locally, at worst I'm losing less than a penny per gallon. At best, I'm making over 4 cents per gallon...;)

Guess that's why they started asking " Debit or Credit" at pump when you use a card ..
Not really sure it makes a difference in price??....guess I better pay attention !!

That's funny. Doesn't make sense as to why only deadbeats pay cash but funny.


And no I don't use credit to buy gas. Even with a pocketful of c.c.'s But then again I don't see a house as an investment either.

That's pretty much the norm here, except for Valero,Sam's Club, BJs,Hess and Pilot.

What people don't understand is that the gasoline dealer pays about 2% credit card fee. That's 8 cents per gallon. Jon

I stopped in a gas station in southern California last fall and the pump wouldn't work. After installing the credit card numerous times I went into the station and the clerk advised me that they took debit cards only. I had to look closely for any sign that said debit cards only. Well, on to the next station.

Not sure if this is still the case, but in Arizona it is illegal for places to charge more for credit cards. There was a big stink when they started doing this with gas prices, and the state attorney general got involved.
Don't remember the details, been quite a while.
Russ

Exxon/Mobil does it here also. Haven't checked other stations/brands.
jim