Forum Discussion
LaTriker
Jan 16, 2014Explorer
Reason for setting limits on "at the pump" purchases.
If you go to Walmart and make a $200 purchase, Walmart will get a $200 approval from the credit card company, all is well. When you make a fuel purchase at the pump, the credit card company does not know the amount of your purchase until after you have completed the purchase, so they approve you for the largest amount most people buy ($75 or $100). The approved amount results in a conditional hold against your credit card limit. If the conditional hold was $500, and you only purchased $10 in fuel (motorcycle purchase) 3 or 4 times in one day, the $500 conditional approvals would quickly eat up a large credit card limit.
If you go to Walmart and make a $200 purchase, Walmart will get a $200 approval from the credit card company, all is well. When you make a fuel purchase at the pump, the credit card company does not know the amount of your purchase until after you have completed the purchase, so they approve you for the largest amount most people buy ($75 or $100). The approved amount results in a conditional hold against your credit card limit. If the conditional hold was $500, and you only purchased $10 in fuel (motorcycle purchase) 3 or 4 times in one day, the $500 conditional approvals would quickly eat up a large credit card limit.
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