Pilot Flying J

[RicoSuave]

Filled up the 80 gallon M/H tank at a Pilot this morning and was notified later in the day by my credit card company to verify the charge. It appears Pilot reversed the initial charge for which I have a receipt and upped the charge an additional $50. Called Pilot customer service but their accounts receivable dept. is closed until 8:00 AM. Has anyone had a problem like this. Anyone have any thoughts.

[chuckbear]

Many service stations put a hold on your card in far excess of your purchase. Chevron typically puts a $125.00 hold on your card even if your purchase is $5.00. We don't buy at Chevron. But this practice is not all that unusual. Some will come off a day later and the actual charge will show up. Others can take a week to release the hold. Chuck

[Mile_High]

holstein13 wrote:

Mile High wrote:

holstein13 wrote:
I should also mention that I have a 200 gallon diesel fuel tank and therefore almost exclusively fill up at truck stops (flying j / pilot work well) and I buy a lot of fuel because I travel full time.

Wow, that would be nice. I thought 100 was a lot, but now I wish I had 150, or 200!

I love the 1,250 mile range. I'm thinking of getting the Grand Cherokee diesel as well with 600 mile range as a toad.

Ya I saw that in your post! I didn't know they made a diesel, interesting. Would love to see that in the Wrangler.

[holstein13]

Mile High wrote:

holstein13 wrote:
I should also mention that I have a 200 gallon diesel fuel tank and therefore almost exclusively fill up at truck stops (flying j / pilot work well) and I buy a lot of fuel because I travel full time.

Wow, that would be nice. I thought 100 was a lot, but now I wish I had 150, or 200!

I love the 1,250 mile range. I'm thinking of getting the Grand Cherokee diesel as well with 600 mile range as a toad.

[Mile_High]

holstein13 wrote:
I should also mention that I have a 200 gallon diesel fuel tank and therefore almost exclusively fill up at truck stops (flying j / pilot work well) and I buy a lot of fuel because I travel full time.

Wow, that would be nice. I thought 100 was a lot, but now I wish I had 150, or 200!

[holstein13]

10forty2 wrote:

holstein13 wrote:

supercub wrote:
Get a Flying J Good Sam CC, you'll get about 7 cents off below cash price, and you don't have to go inside to start the diesel pumps at the truck islands.

I wouldn't bother with the charge card. Why?

The regular Good Sams card gives you a 3 cent discount per gallon on fuel. I've got an Amazon Rewards card that gives me 2% on gas purchases 3% on Amazon purchases. That 2% equals about 5 cents per gallon on top of the 3 cents from Good Sams.

Result: 8 cents per gallon discount on fuel using the simple Good Sams membership plus a cash rewards card.

Not criticizing, but all in all, I'm wondering the benefit of gaining about 2 gallons of fuel over the course of an average fillup..... If you save $.08/gallon over an 80 gallon fillup, that comes to $6.40....about the cost of two gallons of fuel or a #4 combo meal at McDonald's. If I have to worry about $5-$6 at every fillup, then I probably shouldn't have gotten the RV. Again, not criticizing anyone who uses the cards....just my observation and my opinion.

I couldn't agree more with you. Here's my logic:

• I need a credit card anyway. So I have one credit card, the Amazon cash back card that pays me 3% on Amazon purchases, 2% on fuel and food, and 1% on everything else.
• I have the Good Sams card anyway. I use it for campground discounts and discounts at Camping World.
• I don't need any other charge cards or complications.

I should also mention that I have a 200 gallon diesel fuel tank and therefore almost exclusively fill up at truck stops (flying j / pilot work well) and I buy a lot of fuel because I travel full time.

[Triker33]

The regular Good Sams card gives you a 3 cent discount per gallon on fuel. I've got an Amazon Rewards card that gives me 2% on gas purchases 3% on Amazon purchases. That 2% equals about 5 cents per gallon on top of the 3 cents from Good Sams.

I use a Bank of America Visa 3% discount on Fuel card with a Good Sams 3¢. 😉

OP if you check on line with your CC account the $150 is most likely in the pending process. And when posted will show the actual amount you charged. And the $150 will be gone.

[barmcd]

All gas stations get an approval for some amount before they turn the pump on. Around here, some are as low as $50 and others as high as $80. When I fill my pickup I have to swipe the card twice to fill the tank because they don't authorize enough. I'd think that a truck stop probably get's approval for a lot more since truck and RV tanks are larger. How long that initial charge stays on your card before it is reduced is up to your card company.

Many restaurants do the same thing so you can add a tip. They have no idea how much you might leave so many get approval for 25% over the amount of the bill. Normally, once you sign and the server processes the charge, it's adjusted to the actual total amount.

[Mile_High]

X2 - my wife drives me crazy with all of these discount cards bless her heart. I carry one card that gives me points and don't worry about all the rest.

[10forty2]

holstein13 wrote:

supercub wrote:
Get a Flying J Good Sam CC, you'll get about 7 cents off below cash price, and you don't have to go inside to start the diesel pumps at the truck islands.

I wouldn't bother with the charge card. Why?

The regular Good Sams card gives you a 3 cent discount per gallon on fuel. I've got an Amazon Rewards card that gives me 2% on gas purchases 3% on Amazon purchases. That 2% equals about 5 cents per gallon on top of the 3 cents from Good Sams.

Result: 8 cents per gallon discount on fuel using the simple Good Sams membership plus a cash rewards card.

Not criticizing, but all in all, I'm wondering the benefit of gaining about 2 gallons of fuel over the course of an average fillup..... If you save $.08/gallon over an 80 gallon fillup, that comes to $6.40....about the cost of two gallons of fuel or a #4 combo meal at McDonald's. If I have to worry about $5-$6 at every fillup, then I probably shouldn't have gotten the RV. Again, not criticizing anyone who uses the cards....just my observation and my opinion.

[holstein13]

supercub wrote:
Get a Flying J Good Sam CC, you'll get about 7 cents off below cash price, and you don't have to go inside to start the diesel pumps at the truck islands.

I wouldn't bother with the charge card. Why?

The regular Good Sams card gives you a 3 cent discount per gallon on fuel. I've got an Amazon Rewards card that gives me 2% on gas purchases 3% on Amazon purchases. That 2% equals about 5 cents per gallon on top of the 3 cents from Good Sams.

Result: 8 cents per gallon discount on fuel using the simple Good Sams membership plus a cash rewards card.

[holstein13]

Executive wrote:
Another user that's never had a problem with Flying J...and we use them almost exclusively coast to coast.....Dennis

Same here. In fact, I now have the Amazon Rewards Card that gives me 2 cents per dollar (about 5 cents per gallon) discount on the fuel on top of my Good Sams discount.

I love Flying J and get bummed when I need to fill-up and I'm too far from one.

[10forty2]

Effy got it right. It's a preauthorization to guarantee the vendor that the card being used actually has a minimum amount of funds available to make the purchase. At practically any gas pump, it will preauthorize and put a hold on a certain amount of money so that if you get up to that amount from the pump, they know that the card you are using can actually pay for it. On some pumps, they will actually cut off when it reaches the preauthorized amount and you will have to re-swipe your card. If you don't use the preauhtorized amount, then it will be credited back to your card, or un-held. But sometimes that can take as long as 24-48 hours to happen. It's common practice for most places that take cards for sales that are variable at the point of service.

[Effy]

Lots of merchants, including gas stations, hotels and other - "we aren't sure exactly how much you will actually be charged until you leave" - establishments put holds on your credit card. I imagine a place like flying J who is patronized by trucks and large vehicles getting a lot of fuel, puts a larger holds to reduce the risk of pump and dash theft. The hold is usually removed within 24 hours and is pretty transparent to the customer. The card is not actually charged, it's just a hold in case they need to charge it if you didn't pay. it's fairly common.

[RicoSuave]

Update: Finally was able to speak to an assistant store manager(manager was on vacation) and the explanation given was that a $150 hold is placed against the credit card for "certain" transactions of varying amounts. No specific reason could be given. It could be placed on purchases as little as $10. I suspect an out of state card may be the trigger in this case. It is also at the discretion of the store manager/owner which explains why it has not happened at any other PFJ I have used.
The lesson here is to read the fine print disclaimer on the face of the fuel pump which many of us ignore. Lesson learned. Pilot/Flying J fuel cards seem to be the answer for us nomads who travel this country in RVs.

[afrescopXx]

So far, in seven years with RV Plus Card, no issues. Flying J is one of the very few places with RV specific fuel islands, waste dumps, RV parking and propane. Folks with DPs have diesel pumps on both sides for quick fill ups. They treat RVers very well.