Buying fuel with credit card
Attention Avoid Pilot and Flying J= They add 100 plus dollars to your card and hold it for 3 days!!!!!!!!!
Forum Discussion
I used to be in charge of credit card processing for a very large institution. EVERY place puts a hold on your card (and on any kind of card). That happens as soon as the card is swiped. If the amount due is known, then that is the hold. If not, then it is based on either the retailer policy or their credit card processor policy. The hold reserves the money until the merchant "settles", usually overnight - they send all their transactions in a batch to the bank (done usually automatically by the system). That batch gets processed, and any holds are replaced with actual charges. BUT - if there is an issue, and the retailer doesn't settle (or has device issues), then no real charges take place. Eventually, as determined by the processor, any holds that did not have charges are then released, and you have your money back. May not mean you get away free, as they can come back later and hit your account again, after the hold expired. But sometimes.....
So, if you notice "holds" larger than your purchase, especially the next day (or longer), the usual issue is that the merchant didn't send their charges through in a timely manner, and things are waiting to be cleared up. Or, like a hotel, they put the hold on, and don't actually charge until the full amount is known many days later.
Beware the truck pumps - those guys can see holds of up to $500 at some stations!
So, if you notice "holds" larger than your purchase, especially the next day (or longer), the usual issue is that the merchant didn't send their charges through in a timely manner, and things are waiting to be cleared up. Or, like a hotel, they put the hold on, and don't actually charge until the full amount is known many days later.
Beware the truck pumps - those guys can see holds of up to $500 at some stations!
