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.

[mpierce]

Passin Thru wrote:
You probably weren't aware of the scam Pilot was involved in? Cost truck companies millions in lost rebates. Still people on trial. I was leased to a company and they were fortunate as they took discounts upfront, at the pump and no rebates.

Of course, that has nothing to do with the question here. Only affected very large companies on accounts. NO personal or small accounts affected at all.

[Passin_Thru]

You probably weren't aware of the scam Pilot was involved in? Cost truck companies millions in lost rebates. Still people on trial. I was leased to a company and they were fortunate as they took discounts upfront, at the pump and no rebates.

[wilanddij]

If you look at your card account online, (at least my AMEX and VISA work this way) you have two categories of transactions - pending and posted.

I've found that most gas stations will put an inflated amount into the pending category, and when the transaction moves into the posted category it will match the amount on my receipt. I check my online accounts on a daily basis.

The only time I've ever had a problem with gas charges was when Target got hacked and my card number was used to buy fuel from Denver to Houston. One simple call to AMEX got the fraudulent charges removed immediately.

[mc_cc]

Just a correction on the comment about the Goodsam Credit card. It gives you 1 point on standard purchases. 3 on Goodsam campgrounds and 5 for purchases at Camping World. You do have to be careful with this card and watch to make sure you are getting credited appropriately. The actual cash back is not quite 1%. Some credit card company's that give you 2% cash back like Citicard Double Cash, may charge a fee every time you swipe the card at a pump. Good Sam does not charge that fee.

[crasster]

never had a problem there...

[dkreuzen]

Another happy user of the RV Plus card. It is way easier to use at Pilot/Flying J. No pre-authorizing, use the truck pumps, and no limit* so you don't have to run your card again (and again...).

*The account has a limit but not a transaction limit.

[holstein13]

hipower wrote:
The pump limit per transaction is the one that always winds me up. It is a bigger PITA to me. I've gone to the other end of the spectrum by going inside and telling the cashier how much fuel I expect my fill-up will be and they set the transaction amount based on my estimate. Usually I am pretty close and mostly estimate slightly high. A little experience with your fuel gauge and mileage since the previous fill will get you real close and reduce any hold amount to a minimum.

This is exactly what I do at every other gas station other than Pilot / Flying J.

But at Flying J, I have the "pump start" privilege so I can pump whatever I need and then pay for it inside. No holds, authorizations, or estimates involved. They charge exactly what I purchased at the time I purchase it.

[hipower]

The pump limit per transaction is the one that always winds me up. It is a bigger PITA to me. I've gone to the other end of the spectrum by going inside and telling the cashier how much fuel I expect my fill-up will be and they set the transaction amount based on my estimate. Usually I am pretty close and mostly estimate slightly high. A little experience with your fuel gauge and mileage since the previous fill will get you real close and reduce any hold amount to a minimum.

[georgelesley]

When we had a diesel MH I used the truck lane once to get DEF at the pump. We needed only about $5 worth. Still cheaper and more convenient than buying a 2 gallon container of the stuff. However, I just about died when I saw a $500 hold on my cc the next day. The explanation was that trucks usually take lots of def so that is the way that truck pump was set up. In the end it did clear out in a few days and my heart started beating again!

[koda55]

I have the pilotFlyingJ GS card with the $2,000 limit. Ten days before the bill is due I get an email telling me how much will be deducted from my checking account. I get 7 cents off the cash price. To me I prefer to keep the extra in my pocket and not theirs. I have a 150 gallon tank and use the truck lanes most of the time. I plan my fuel stops using the PilotFlyingj state site.

[holstein13]

Mile High wrote:

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.

That was a rumor for 2017 but it doesn't look as if it will happen. I'd love it as well.

[Effy]

4x4van wrote:
I hate the idea of a "pre-authorization", for any amount, at a fuel pump. In my day-to-day life, I use Arco AM/PM. Swiping my bank card to fuel up DOES NOT pre-authorize a specific amount. In fact, I have actually had the pump stop pumping when the amount reached the balance of what was actually in my bank account at that minute. So the technology IS there for a debit card/bank card to ONLY allow spending what is available. Credit card? Well, the technology certainly exists for the retailer to not exceed your credit limit as well.

A retailer putting a $150 "hold" on my account when I only purchased $50 of fuel is bu__sh__, and can indeed affect me when I go to use my card again (and that "hold" is still there, tying up my money). And what if I only have $100 in my account? Will it not allow me to pump that $50, because the $150 hold is more than is available?

Sorry, it's not a legitimate practice. Even restaurants, which will typically end up with a higher amount charged (due to the tip), only puts the card through for the initial billed amount, with a "processing" notation. I have never had a higher amount show up in my account as a "hold".

Question; when you buy gas, how is the merchant or bank to know exactly how much you plan on purchasing? Unless they employ the latest future predicting technology - they can't. So to mitigate risk, they authorize the maximum amount to make sure you can actually pay for what you pump. I am certain this is an evolution of people pumping for more than they can or will actually pay for. There are lots of vehicles out there that will hold $150 in fuel or more. And again, since they have no idea how big your tank is, or how much you will buy, they approve for the max. If you owned a gas station next to the highway, how would you protect yourself from people buying more gas than they can afford, or pumping and running without paying at all?

If you still don't like it, you can always go inside, pay for the exact amount you want and pump. It will shut off at the amount you paid for. Unless you don't know how much it will take.. 😉

Many folks complain about the opposite problem. trying to fill up your MH and the preauthorization is too low, (needing $150 and the authorization is $50 or $100) thus shutting the pump off and having to swipe again to finish the fill up.

[4x4van]

I hate the idea of a "pre-authorization", for any amount, at a fuel pump. In my day-to-day life, I use Arco AM/PM. Swiping my bank card to fuel up DOES NOT pre-authorize a specific amount. In fact, I have actually had the pump stop pumping when the amount reached the balance of what was actually in my bank account at that minute. So the technology IS there for a debit card/bank card to ONLY allow spending what is available. Credit card? Well, the technology certainly exists for the retailer to not exceed your credit limit as well.

A retailer putting a $150 "hold" on my account when I only purchased $50 of fuel is bu__sh__, and can indeed affect me when I go to use my card again (and that "hold" is still there, tying up my money). And what if I only have $100 in my account? Will it not allow me to pump that $50, because the $150 hold is more than is available?

Sorry, it's not a legitimate practice. Even restaurants, which will typically end up with a higher amount charged (due to the tip), only puts the card through for the initial billed amount, with a "processing" notation. I have never had a higher amount show up in my account as a "hold".

[Dale_Traveling]

Filled up Monday at a Pilot and used my Frequent Fueler Advantage card to get a discount. Tuesday morning check the account and had a pending charge of $150. This morning had a completed transaction for the amount of fuel I purchase. Standard practice. Can't recall but isn't $150 the pump limit when using a card at the pump?