Frustrated buying gas in US

[hone eagle]

I send in the wife with a CC "we will need approx $$$" in a minute the pump(s) start.
When they shut off ,the attendant charges the exact amount ,by then I have capped the tanks and pulled ahead- several hundred dollars poorer.
We buy at least 200 gallons at a time.

[Gigattime]

Originally Posted by Mountain Art

We just got back from 6 weeks touring with our gas Class A in NM, AZ, UT and points on the way south and back to SK. We also travel routinely in the US with a car as well.
I get really frustrated trying to buy gas in most places particularly with the motorhome.
Firstly it’s clumsy to get in and out of most gas stations so we try to select places where there’s more room to manoeuvre. I realize it’s not the stations fault that our rig with toad is pretty clumsy.
My real frustration comes from paying for gas. Almost all stations require that you pay in advance and I understand that has become a requirement, but they typically have no acceptable way to pay in advance. If you use a credit or cash card most stations don’t have chip reader so it’s common for your card not to be readable and then they require you enter your zip code, which of course living in Canada we don’t have. Some will accept five zeroes but most won’t. So then you have to go inside and stand in line to see a cashier, who is able to accept a payment, but usually requires a specific $ amount. The option to just fill er up is usually not offered.
In some cases, if the pump does accept your card with no, or a made up, zip code then you think “great” and start pumping only to have it shut off at $75 or 100, when you actually want to buy well over that.
In many cases, we bought far less gas than we wanted to because of the station’s payment policy. It seems like they just don’t care if their policies make it inconvenient for us to buy gas.
There were a few places where we were able to just prepay at the pump and fill up. When this happened we typically bought $150+ in gas.
If i could find a brand of stations that would simply accept our payment cards I would buy all of our gas at the same brand.
We did find that ARCO doesn’t accept credit cards for gas and they charge a fee to use a cash card so we avoided them, but I never found a brand that routinely made it easy.
Rant done.

Actually hearing you outline the saga to fill up in the US made me chuckle. Never really thought about all the steps and hoops you have to jump through for a fill up until you pointed them out. I guess you just get used to it.

I have a Zip Code so that isn't a headache for us. It just adds an extra step and another minute to stretch the legs. The $75 limit just means I have to swipe my card a second time and repeat the Zip Code process to top off the dually's tank.

Enjoyed reading the rant...[emoji2]

Safe travels!

[Mountain Art]

I appreciate the various comments and suggestions. I have tried all of the various suggestions and they each work sometimes but not always. I have tried using the same card twice and had it work, but I also have had trying to finish off with a different card fail. I also have a US $ account in a US bank and cards issued by it, but the zip code issue remains. My postal code contains 3 zeros so using that and adding 2 zeros gives an entry of 5 zeros. Seems wrong to me even as I enter it, although it occasionally works.
The typical Canadian system using a chip card and PIN seems to effectively solve the fraud issue but unfortunately has not gained much traction in the US.

[Jim.B1]

We just arrived back in Canada after an 11 week vacation to Florida and have found the perfect solution.
We deal through TD Bank and have a TD Visa card.
I called Visa and they suggested taking out a TD Visa in US Funds (no application required).
An annual free of $35.00, but it eliminates the administration fee (around 2.5%) that is usually added when using a Canadian Visa card.
We try to buy our fuel at Flying J's and also use the Good Sam card to get a $0.05 discount on fuel, no request for zip codes or purchase limits.
You can pay at the pumps and they offer dedicated RV fuel lanes.
As a side note, I filled up Wednesday morning at Flying J in Ohio for $0.67/L (add on the exchange, $0.87/L) and filled again Friday in London ON at Flying J at $1.30/L.
Another reason why I love travelling in the US.

[dexters]

Originally Posted by Mountain Art

We just got back from 6 weeks touring with our gas Class A in NM, AZ, UT and points on the way south and back to SK. We also travel routinely in the US with a car as well.
I get really frustrated trying to buy gas in most places particularly with the motorhome.
.

Is it because you guys are dumping your steel and aluminum here?

[EdInArk]

I use a Capitol One Quicksilver Visa, and I asked before the trip if they charged a fee of any sort for Canada, and they said they don't. Now, I can't prove that there wasn't a fee somewhere along the way, but it was hidden in the conversion if it was.

Like I said, I enjoyed the chip readers I used in Canada. They were very convenient and had no problem with my US card. I didn't like paying $3.80 a gallon (US dollars and gallons). Whenever I hear someone here griping about the price of gas I have to chuckle at how good we've got it.

FWIW, I went into Canada full and came out as empty as I dared. That probably saved me $100. Balanced against the overall cost of the trip ... OK, it didn't really matter.

[runamuck]

Originally Posted by EdInArk

Well, allrighty then. But how'd you like the lower prices?

Seriously, we were in Canada last fall, and I do like the way their pumps work better. I could put in the card, select an amount to pre-approve and fill the tank. I'm hoping the US will get the system soon.

I hope you enjoyed your stay otherwise.

I guess I dont understand this. I never have to go inside and prepay. is it just when you dont have a us zip code to enter.

[Superslif]

In general, as a RV'er you need to be patient when entering a gas station. The Pilot's have RV fueling stations usually. But even those can get tight. I usually look for the outer pump. Sometimes the wife will get out and hold my spot in line so I don't block up the staging area to fuel up. If and when I pull up to a outer pump island, I'll stay as far away from the pump as possible to give myself more turning room when finished.

[Finance]

Thank you for visiting us! The difficulty in fitting a towing MH into urban gas stations is a challenge for residents too. Fortunately the trend in New fuelling stations is toward the big mega stations with dozens of pumps and big lanes so there's hope.

You might consider a U.S. based mail forwarding service as a way to get a U.S. address complete with zip code. If it's worth the expense to avoid the hassle. We use SBI.
https://www.sbimailservice.com

PS some banks may take some extra effort to accept a private mail box.. Bank of America I had some extra effort. Talking with SBI and the bank has always ended with a fix.

[325BH]

Originally Posted by Old-Biscuit

Credit card companies are the ones that 'impose' spending limits..NOT the fuel stations.
They would like you to spend 100s of dollars

Pay at pump readers are set up to try and stop 'thieves' from using them ......hence the need for SOME kind of information. IE: Pin Number/Zip Code etc


How well do you do maneuvering in campgrounds?

Not true. The authorization amount is totally the gas station.

[Waiter21]

Interesting. When we traveled from Ohio to Alaska a couple years ago, we found getting gas in Canada to be a challenge. We are spoiled in the US with our interstate and large truck stop franchises every few miles. These seemed like they were non-existent in Canada...

When in the US, we generally stay clear of normal car gas stations and look for Flying J as most have an RV island. I suspect the car gas station have no need to up the purchase limit, but the truck stop type stations, I've never had a problem going over $100.


Thats an interesting observation about ZIP code... I wonder if a call to the CC customer service has any suggestions on how to deal with this?

[TXTiger]

Many fuel companies have their own credit cards. Maybe you should apply for one and it may make fueling up more convienent for you. I used to have a Chevron card and it was very easy to use. I now use my Visa to get the cash back awards.

[EdInArk]

Originally Posted by runamuck

I guess I dont understand this. I never have to go inside and prepay. is it just when you dont have a us zip code to enter.

In Canada the pump would ask for an amount I'd like to have pre-approved with the credit card company. I'd just put the largest number in they allowed and fill the RV up. By pre-approving a larger amount than I'd ever use, it never shut off before full.

Originally Posted by 325BH

Not true. The authorization amount is totally the gas station.

Yes. I think that's correct. Our corner station shuts off at $75. One mile down the road we have one that shuts off at $125.

[Gordon Dewald]

Originally Posted by dexters

Is it because you guys are dumping your steel and aluminum here?

Sorry - no dumping. With the American dollar being so strong it is much cheaper for American manufacturing buy products abroad. Bring your dollar to par and you will quickly find your producers are competitive.