You might have come across the fact that the payment made through your debit or a credit card at the gas stations comes with a charge of $1 on your account. Wondering why is it so? Well, do not worry as we will guide you through the Gas Stations That Only Hold $1 and how it works.
Gas Stations That Only Hold $1 – All You Need to Know
Before we begin, you need to know the basic difference between using a credit card at the pump stations and at the stores. Both have a variable set of rules, where the charge factor comes from.
Several gas stations only hold $1, reason of which is that the respective gas station needs to verify whether the card you provide is valid or not.
It is quite obvious, and needless to say, that the gas stations cannot trust you with the card because the authorization cannot be made unless you have your car pumped with the gas. And in this case, you have to insert your card before you start filling up your tank.
Therefore, the pumps have this preauthorization scheme to make sure and further signal your respective bank about a real transaction.
This scheme holds the funds in your bank account to a certain amount, particularly ranging in between $1 to $125.
The credit card or debit card companies demand the retailers make a $1 hold mandatory. Note that it is not a transaction but just a hold which is generally removed in a couple of days.
Gas Stations That Hold Only $1 – A Complete List
- 7- Eleven: Holds the charge between $1 to $100.It depends on the card issuer.
- Circle K: Completely dependent on the bank.
- Phillips 66: Charges up to $100 typically.
- Shell: Holds the charge between $1 to $75. It depends on the card issuer/your respective bank.
- Conoco: Completely dependent on your card issuer company.
- Chevron: Holds the charge between $1 to $100.
- BP: Holds the charge between $1 to $100.It depends on the card issuer.
- Sunoco: The amount is between $1 to $100.
- Raceway/RaceTrac: Charges up to $75. It again depends on the card issuer.
- ExxonMobil: It charges between $50 and $100; and no more than that.
- Valero: It depends on the bank how much it wants to keep a charge of.
- ampm: The charge is less than $75.
- ARCO: It usually charges less than $75.
- Costco: Charges up to $100.
- Sam’s Club: Charges between $75 and $100 in general.
- Kwik Fill: The charge depends on the bank you are a cardholder of.
The amount of held charges can vary from one gas station to another. However, the ones listed above have $1 as the lowest preauthorization amount.
How Does It Help?
National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS) introduced this preauthorization scheme when people made payments through their credit/debit cards at the gas stations. However, the holds are usually lesser on credit cards.
This step or method ensures that the customer pays for the fuel in full amount since you cannot know the exact amount until you fill-up the gas in your car.
Therefore, this hold confirms that no matter what amount of petrol you pump, the gas stations get a full amount, and the respective card companies get notified rightfully.
Note that these charges do not appear on your transaction statements.
How To Avoid the Preauthorization Holds?
The preauthorization scheme can get annoying for some customers, and if you too don’t want to indulge in it, then go with either of the two options mentioned below:
- PIN-based Transaction: You can make a PIN-based transaction that allows immediate release of the funds holds if any.
- Cash Payment: Or, pay with the cash to pay for your fuel.
Gas stations that only charge $1 do so as authorization of your fuel payment. It ensures that whatever amount of fuel your vehicle requires is paid in full. The amount of preauthorization depends on the gas stations, whereas the duration of holds depends on the banks you are a cardholder of. Keep in mind that in the case of some gas pumps, it is your responsibility to remove the holds on the funds as soon as you complete your transaction.
Miriam Caldwell is a dedicated & expert freelance writer to educate people about personal finance management and budgeting. She shared her knowledge and published the articles at TheBalance.com, GOBankingRates, and BlissfullyDomestic.com. Many financial institutes pick Caldwell as the brilliant source for educational personal finance content.
