AOPA credit card --- WARNING.

"Janet" wrote

snip a bunch of stuff so I can bitch about somethingg

Sometimes a preauthorized hold is put on the card without an actual
transaction
amount known yet just to make sure there will be enough funds available.
Examples are pay-at-the-gas-pump transactions (usually $50 is
preauthorized
before you start pumping),

What is that all about? $50 for gas on a card? That does not even come
close for me. My full size work van has a tank that will hold 31.6 gallons
of gas, and still be running. With gas at times up to $1.89, I have to let
the pump shut off, and then have to start up another charge to finish
filling up. Let's get real here, gas station owners of America!Thanks, I
feel better now.

Required aviation content: I drove that van up to OSH this year, and it
would have been cheaper to charter a plane, after buying the gas and a new
transmission. (well, almost) :-)
--
Jim in NC

Morgans wrote:

"Janet" wrote

snip a bunch of stuff so I can bitch about somethingg

Sometimes a preauthorized hold is put on the card without an actual
transaction
amount known yet just to make sure there will be enough funds available.
Examples are pay-at-the-gas-pump transactions (usually $50 is
preauthorized
before you start pumping),

What is that all about? $50 for gas on a card? That does not even come
close for me. My full size work van has a tank that will hold 31.6 gallons
of gas, and still be running. With gas at times up to $1.89, I have to let
the pump shut off, and then have to start up another charge to finish
filling up. Let's get real here, gas station owners of America!Thanks, I
feel better now.

Increasing that value would mean larger credit/debit preauthorized holds for
everybody, including the vast majority of people that fill up with less than
$50 at time. Why inconvenience everybody? If you need to pump more, just
restart the pump or pay with another method.

"Janet" wrote

Increasing that value would mean larger credit/debit preauthorized holds
for
everybody, including the vast majority of people that fill up with less
than
$50 at time. Why inconvenience everybody?

Inconvenience? What? You mean there are people running around filling
their tanks with a credit card, that will not have another $10 available on
their credit line? I'm not buying it, and neither would you if you thought
about it. In the meantime, it costs me, and all others with big tanks
another few extra minutes when we fill up. *That* is inconvenience, and I
will not go back to a place that has not kept up with the times and made a
higher preauthorizations.

If you need to pump more, just
restart the pump or pay with another method.

Rediculous.
--
Jim in NC

Morgans wrote:

"Janet" wrote

Increasing that value would mean larger credit/debit preauthorized holds
for
everybody, including the vast majority of people that fill up with less
than
$50 at time. Why inconvenience everybody?

Inconvenience? What? You mean there are people running around filling
their tanks with a credit card, that will not have another $10 available on
their credit line?

The $50 limit is set because it serves the vast majority of customers without
undue inconvenience of holding checking account money or tying up unnecessary
credit.


I'm not buying it, and neither would you if you thought
about it. In the meantime, it costs me, and all others with big tanks
another few extra minutes when we fill up.

I doubt you will find much willingness on the part of most consumers to require
more of their money to be held to save a moment to restart the pump for thirsty
gas guzzlers. Try using online debit.

*That* is inconvenience, and I
will not go back to a place that has not kept up with the times and made a
higher preauthorizations.

That's certainly your right. Since you don't shop at gas merchants where they
have only a $50 limit at least you don't have to deal with it when you do buy
gas.

Debit cards are limited too. I use autogas and I fill 7-5 gallon cans as
well as my car sometimes. I like to put 5 gallons exactly in the cans and
now that's more difficult to do since it cuts me off in the middle of a can.

mike regish

"Janet" wrote in message ...
Morgans wrote:

Try using online debit.

"mike regish" wrote

Debit cards are limited too. I use autogas and I fill 7-5 gallon cans as
well as my car sometimes. I like to put 5 gallons exactly in the cans and
now that's more difficult to do since it cuts me off in the middle of a
can.

mike regish

Janet is arguing, just to argue. There is not a reason that she has given
that stands up. It all boils down to the gas station operators being too
lazy to keep up with the changing gas prices necessitating a rise of the
purchase limit.

They can do it if they want to. They have done it at least 2 times before.
Some have already done it again. They will get my business.
--
Jim in NC

Morgans wrote:

"mike regish" wrote

Debit cards are limited too. I use autogas and I fill 7-5 gallon cans as
well as my car sometimes. I like to put 5 gallons exactly in the cans and
now that's more difficult to do since it cuts me off in the middle of a
can.

mike regish

Janet is arguing, just to argue. There is not a reason that she has given
that stands up. It all boils down to the gas station operators being too
lazy to keep up with the changing gas prices necessitating a rise of the
purchase limit.

They can do it if they want to. They have done it at least 2 times before.
Some have already done it again. They will get my business.

Actually I'm not arguing at all, just pointing out what is actually happening,
and laziness has nothing to do with it. The vast majority of gasoline purchase
transactions are under thirty dollars today.

Janet wrote:
Morgans wrote:


Increasing that value would mean larger credit/debit preauthorized holds for
everybody, including the vast majority of people that fill up with less than
$50 at time. Why inconvenience everybody? If you need to pump more, just
restart the pump or pay with another method.


It would if the original premise was true, but in fact, the $50 is an arbitrary
limit set by the pump. It has nothing to do with the preauth.

Morgans wrote:
saction

amount known yet just to make sure there will be enough funds available.
Examples are pay-at-the-gas-pump transactions (usually $50 is

preauthorized

before you start pumping),

Actually, that's WRONG. What they usually do is put through a $1
preauthorization. The $50 limit they put on the pumping is a number
that the point of sale determines is the max they will do based on that
$1 preauth.

Ron Natalie wrote:

Morgans wrote:
saction

amount known yet just to make sure there will be enough funds available.
Examples are pay-at-the-gas-pump transactions (usually $50 is

preauthorized

before you start pumping),

Actually, that's WRONG. What they usually do is put through a $1
preauthorization. The $50 limit they put on the pumping is a number
that the point of sale determines is the max they will do based on that
$1 preauth.

I'm familiar with pump POS systems that preauthorize $50. YMMV.

If the customer spends more than is preauthorized the merchant is not
guaranteed to get those funds. However I'm not surprised that some gas
stations would not be willing to take that risk since they readily accept
the risk of not requiring a signature, let alone not checking the signature.