OT Credit card charging

[clare]

Except at least here in Canada, the technology at gas stations controls the pump making it totally IMPOSSIBLE to pump more than you paid for. Don't know how it works in some of the American backwaters.

Nope, not with the more advanced Canadian banking system. They come to your table with the credit / debit card machine, and you pay the bill, including adding the tip if you want to, and either sign it right there, or in most cases now enter your PIN for the chip-card, and it's all done - virtually instantly.

We don't have a lot of "dine and dash" situations where people leave without paying their bills. In areas where that happens, and in fast food restaurants, you pay before you get your food - and no tips are expected. If you choose to tip, it is usually in cash

[clare]

Here in Canada you can sometimes buy a $50 card for $45

[clare]

At the pump in Canada it is the same - your card is "pre-authorized" for a certain amount - the card is "locked" so no other transaction that could excede your card limit can occur before the current transaction is finished, and the account is released with the actual amount charged to your card as soon as the transaction is finished (the pump shut off by you, or the maximum authorized purchace reached)

[clare]

Ticketron charges you a service fee to sell you a ticket too.

[clare]

Some banks provide overdraft protection at no extra cost on some accounts. They likely pay a little less interest on your deposit, but when is the last time you got any reasonable interest on a bank account???

[gfretwell]

I have not seen a pump that could not be loaded with an amount from the store in 25 years, even in remote little country stores. The problem with a debit in a pay at the pump situation is they can't charge you in real time and they do not know how much money is available until they attempt the transaction. If you pump $20 and only have 15, they are stuck so they put a hold on a big number to verify it is there and charge it later, freeing up the excess. The problem is it might be a day later. I don't understand why that is not immediate either. It is certainly not a hardware limitation.

[gfretwell]

Publix will sell you a $50 Visa card for $40 on a special now and then but they still tack on $5 for processing so it is $45. That may be what you are seeing A much better deal is the $50 Shell gas card for $40 and no fee. It os pretty much the only way I buy gas. I get a gas card every time I am in the store when the deal is on. It is a far better return on investment than anything else I do. (25% immediately or as soon as I need gas)

[clare]

Must be the American banking system.

[micky]

BabiesRUs seemed to tell me that there were no hidden costs. It was a present and they probably spent it all the first day, considering how much babies cost, but I didn't want it sitting in their wallet getting smaller and smaller.

[micky]

They offered me somthing like that at BOA but I was afraid I'd use it by accident if I had it.

[micky]

Exactly. I knew that and accepted that, but to then charge for the right to get charged was too much.

[Ed Pawlowski]

Hey, I made 30 cents on my savings last month. I've ot looked into it for some time, but in the past you could link accounts and they would do an automatic transfer from savings to checking for a nominal fee.

[Ed Pawlowski]

Some stations have that. Most, you slide the card and pump what you want so they have no idea how much yu will be charging. Inside you can pay in advance.

[gfretwell]

When the difference between saving and interest checking is about a quarter of a percent, it is worth keeping several thousand in your checking, just so you do not have to worry about crap like this.

[Sam E]

[snip]

Since you HAVE to spend money you don't have?

[Mark Lloyd]

[snip]

I buy gift cards at Kroger. They're sold at face value, but you also get points for a discount on fuel.

[Mark Lloyd]

[snip]

Before Christmas one year, I was getting fuel at a Wal-Mart. They were offering a 10-cent-a-gallon discount with one of their cards. I went inside and bought a card.

The pump knew how much was on that card. It slowed down for the last gallon or so, and stopped at the right time.

[Mark Lloyd]

[snip]

I have a friend who buys a lot of cat and dog food at Brookshire's. They give fuel points, which can reduce the price to as low as 1 cent per gallon (limit 30 gallons). She often gets 30 gallons for 30 cents.

[DerbyDad03]

I used to buy the discounted Walmart cards. The lines at the pumps were always too busy to be worth the trouble. I can pay just about the same price at BJ's and get in and out quicker.

[clare]

No, but an overdraft gets EXPENSIVE