Among Friends

[Travone]

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@depglass wrote:

We are in Michigan.  DH was pumping gas yesterday and some guy told him that station was putting a 50.00 hold on funds to make sure people weren't using fraudulent cards. He said another chain was putting a hold on 80.00.  This would not affect us as I keep enough money in that account to cover those amounts.  How about those that are living on the edge of their credit card balance?  Is this legal?  Is it a state practice?  Does it also apply to debit cards?  

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  @depglass was this "some guy" another customer or was it an employee of the gas station?  If it was another customer I wouldn't give it a second thought.  If this is a new policy of the gas station, I would think they would have a sign posted explaining the new policy.

[Bhvbum]

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@sunshine45 wrote:

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@Bhvbum wrote:

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@sunshine45 wrote:

this is not new at all and exactly the reason why they tell you not to use  gift cards at the pump. even if you just want to pump $10 worth of gas there can be a $75 hold put onto your credit card.

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there is never a hold on credit cards that I know of, I can see where there will be a hold on a debit card.

Debit cards aren't credit cards unless you have them set up that if your account goes to zero it will access a credit. 

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@Bhvbum 

yes, there can be......even from restaurants and other businesses, not just gas stations.

Swipe a card at the gas pump or check in to a hotel – or any place where your final total isn’t known – and merchants often place a temporary hold on the account. The purpose is to make sure you can pay for that tank of gas, or for raiding the minibar on your way out.

“They’re used in situations where the total purchase is not known and cannot be easily returned,” says Gray Taylor, executive director of Conexxus, a nonprofit that creates technology education and standards for the convenience store and retail petroleum industry.

https://www.creditcards.com/credit-card-news/need-know-credit-debit-card-holds.php

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The subject of the Question was about gas stations putting a hold on your "credit card." Once you get the gas, the amount is charged to your card and that is it.  If you don't have enough in your credit the charge will be declined before you can even pump.  

They don't hold anything extra afterwards.  

Of course there are other purchases where they may hold out funds on a credit car like a car rental, hotel where the final bill isn't known.  A debit card is different too.

[Sage04]

I´ve always used my Debit Card for gas and never had this happen. Now with Paypal debit, it holds $1. Doesn´t make sense though.

[ECBG]

Interesting.

[depglass]

Yes, this "some guy" was another customer.  He told DH it takes a few days to get those funds released and the stations are making a killing on the interest.  Well, that's B.S., no one is paying interest enough to bother with. DH declined to make the purchase and we went to another station a few miles away.  Personally I would not have bothered worrying, since an online auction I frequent tests each account with a minimal charge.  Our attorney general is pretty well tied up at present, with the absentee ballott hubbub, and a major flood going on in the lower peninsula.  

[CelticCrafter]

Yes, they have been doing it in NJ for a long time.

[Kachina624]

@depglass    For as long as I remember, gas stations have done this.  Maybe you just noticed because it drop off after a few days.

[pigletsmom]

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@Bhvbum wrote:

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@sunshine45 wrote:

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@Bhvbum wrote:

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@sunshine45 wrote:

this is not new at all and exactly the reason why they tell you not to use  gift cards at the pump. even if you just want to pump $10 worth of gas there can be a $75 hold put onto your credit card.

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there is never a hold on credit cards that I know of, I can see where there will be a hold on a debit card.

Debit cards aren't credit cards unless you have them set up that if your account goes to zero it will access a credit. 

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@Bhvbum 

yes, there can be......even from restaurants and other businesses, not just gas stations.

Swipe a card at the gas pump or check in to a hotel – or any place where your final total isn’t known – and merchants often place a temporary hold on the account. The purpose is to make sure you can pay for that tank of gas, or for raiding the minibar on your way out.

“They’re used in situations where the total purchase is not known and cannot be easily returned,” says Gray Taylor, executive director of Conexxus, a nonprofit that creates technology education and standards for the convenience store and retail petroleum industry.

https://www.creditcards.com/credit-card-news/need-know-credit-debit-card-holds.php

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The subject of the Question was about gas stations putting a hold on your "credit card." Once you get the gas, the amount is charged to your card and that is it.  If you don't have enough in your credit the charge will be declined before you can even pump.  

They don't hold anything extra afterwards.  

Of course there are other purchases where they may hold out funds on a credit car like a car rental, hotel where the final bill isn't known.  A debit card is different too.

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They wouldn't know the amount until after you finished pumping gas which is why they put a hold.

That said, around here they did that when the prices were really high. I didn't notice when it stopped but eventually it went back to the one dollar hold which dropped off the same day or overnight. Now I haven't seen a hold at all. I assume it must be checking some sort of amount but in general the credit card companies will just take the loss on smaller amounts. It's one of the reasons that you only have to sign for a purchase over a certain amount.

[CalminHeart]

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@depglass wrote:

We are in Michigan.  DH was pumping gas yesterday and some guy told him that station was putting a 50.00 hold on funds to make sure people weren't using fraudulent cards. He said another chain was putting a hold on 80.00.  This would not affect us as I keep enough money in that account to cover those amounts.  How about those that are living on the edge of their credit card balance?  Is this legal?  Is it a state practice?  Does it also apply to debit cards?  

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Every gas station I've gone to at home and around the country has done this for years.  The issue is when you hit the debit button.  I always select credit when using my debit card because it doesn't hold that much.  

[sunshine45]

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@Bhvbum wrote:

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@sunshine45 wrote:

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@Bhvbum wrote:

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@sunshine45 wrote:

this is not new at all and exactly the reason why they tell you not to use  gift cards at the pump. even if you just want to pump $10 worth of gas there can be a $75 hold put onto your credit card.

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there is never a hold on credit cards that I know of, I can see where there will be a hold on a debit card.

Debit cards aren't credit cards unless you have them set up that if your account goes to zero it will access a credit. 

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@Bhvbum 

yes, there can be......even from restaurants and other businesses, not just gas stations.

Swipe a card at the gas pump or check in to a hotel – or any place where your final total isn’t known – and merchants often place a temporary hold on the account. The purpose is to make sure you can pay for that tank of gas, or for raiding the minibar on your way out.

“They’re used in situations where the total purchase is not known and cannot be easily returned,” says Gray Taylor, executive director of Conexxus, a nonprofit that creates technology education and standards for the convenience store and retail petroleum industry.

https://www.creditcards.com/credit-card-news/need-know-credit-debit-card-holds.php

---

The subject of the Question was about gas stations putting a hold on your "credit card." Once you get the gas, the amount is charged to your card and that is it.  If you don't have enough in your credit the charge will be declined before you can even pump.  

They don't hold anything extra afterwards.  

Of course there are other purchases where they may hold out funds on a credit car like a car rental, hotel where the final bill isn't known.  A debit card is different too.

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@Bhvbum 

that is not true.

you can have the HOLD and the actual CHARGE on your debit or credit card from a gas station.

the HOLD should fall off within a few days and the CHARGE will go through.