Forum Discussion

Canada_Irl's avatar
Canada_Irl
Explorer
Nov 17, 2019

Postal code

What is the procedure for using a Cdn c card at US gas stations that require entering a US postal code?

Irl
  • Get a US account from TD Bank a wholly owned subsidiary of TD. It may be BMO has the same. The code has to match the cc address on file.
    I use TD and it is painless.
  • Use the 3 digits of your postal code followed by two zeroes. Ignore the letters. This has worked for me.
    Brian
  • Good luck. We had a friend who never figured out how to use a Canadian postal code in the US.

    My suggestion?? Use the online chat, or if you have to, call your Canadian bank and ask them directly.

    Good Luck!!
  • Just spend 3 months in Vermont this past summer and every pump I used had instructions posted on it on how to workaround US Zip requirement.

    Sorry TMI for me so I don't know what the poster said.

    Also surprised to find a couple stations/pumps that did not ask for ZIP...?
  • Yeti plus wrote:
    Use the 3 digits of your postal code followed by two zeroes. Ignore the letters. This has worked for me.
    Brian


    Brian is correct! For instance if your postal code is M5H3T5, you would enter 53500 as your zip when requested.
  • Unless you have a US address on file for your credit card it is likely that playing with zip codes will not work. Aside from that using a Canadian Credit Card in the USA will incur charges from 2 to 4% from Visa/mastercard. There are a few credit cards that will not have this charge. Using Vancouver and Nogales as an example: If you travel 2000 miles each way your unit could use 500 US gallons at a cost of say $4.00 USD per gallon. 8MPG. At 3 % that would be $60.00 for the privilege of using a CDN. credit card. For thrifty Canadians tat is a hefty charge. AS for postal codes: It depends on your postal code. If it is R2W2Z4 then 22400 may not work.
    +
  • IB853347201 wrote:
    Yeti plus wrote:
    Use the 3 digits of your postal code followed by two zeroes. Ignore the letters. This has worked for me.
    Brian


    Brian is correct! For instance if your postal code is M5H3T5, you would enter 53500 as your zip when requested.


    That work around has worked about 95% of the time we've tried it, except in "backward" places where no cards seem to work. You should also be aware that there are glitches in stations that have converted to chip readers, I talked to one cashier who said the readers hadn't worked for week at her location, the swipe worked.
  • Even MasterCard's website states to use the three numbers followed by two zeros.
  • IB853347201 wrote:
    Yeti plus wrote:
    Use the 3 digits of your postal code followed by two zeroes. Ignore the letters. This has worked for me.
    Brian


    Brian is correct! For instance if your postal code is M5H3T5, you would enter 53500 as your zip when requested.



    This works for me using Visa.
  • We travel thru the USA every winter on our way to Mexico. Punch in 01000 and it works 9 times out of 10. Give it a try!
    JerBear