Credit vs. CASH at the gas pump

[jenopher]

Just paid 4.25 and 9/10 in the Inland Empire. $72.00 to fill up a Camry.

[epiphany]

gas stations are charged a transaction fee by c/c companies for processing the transaction and this is cutting into their profit- so some stations are offering a discount for those that pay in cash. not sure if people realize that gas stations barely make a profit on selling gas.. razor thin margins.. with oil expected to hit $150 a barrel by 4th of July - $5.00 a gallon is heading our way shortly and $6- $7 a gallon expected in the next one to two years...

Charging more to pay with credit cards than with cash is illegal in California and some other states. So I always wondered how ARCO got away with charging .45 cents for a debit transaction (they do not take credit cards). And just found this on the web:



Arco is always at least 20 cents less per gallon than every one else so I forgive them.

Learned somthing new today.

ep

[AngelinaCat]

In our area, there are two Mom and Pop type 'cash only' stations, and diagonally across the street from one of them is a Citgo that uses credit or debit cards. Today driving through town, I observed the 'cash only' stations with unleaded at $3.96, and the Citgo, unleaded was $4.09. The two cash only stations are actually a penny or two cheaper than Murphy's out at our Wal*Mart.

One of the few times a Mom and Pop is besting Wal*Mart?

[sisterfunkhaus]

As for me, when gas goes up, my gas tank gets bigger. Otherwards, I buy one gallon but actually receive a short gallon. In that case, if you get mad, file a complaint with your state (the department that regulates scales/measures).

We paid over $60 to fill up a tank that should have cost $55 to fill up. We're not sure what to do about it. We got totally ripped off.

[HRx]

Gas prices can technically rise to $20 per gallon but, it will come with a hefty economic affect too. If something isn't done soon all the HIN (high income nations) will be in certified long-term recession, affecting the economics of the rest of the world.

[twuoo]

I was at a gas station where the pump just stopped at $50.00 even though I wasn't fueled up yet.

That's frustrating, because now I have to waste more time at another station, sooner to fuel up.

[magyar123]

Charging more to pay with credit cards than with cash is illegal in California and some other states. So I always wondered how ARCO got away with charging .45 cents for a debit transaction (they do not take credit cards). And just found this on the web:



Arco is always at least 20 cents less per gallon than every one else so I forgive them.

Learned somthing new today.

ep

That first sentence of your response - that it is illegal in California to charge more for credit card purchases is wrong. There are some Union 76 stations here in Sacramento who do just that. Note - only some.
Others - Shell, Exxon, Chevron - don't.

[AngelinaCat]

In our area, there are two Mom and Pop type 'cash only' stations, and diagonally across the street from one of them is a Citgo that uses credit or debit cards. Today driving through town, I observed the 'cash only' stations with unleaded at $3.96, and the Citgo, unleaded was $4.09. The two cash only stations are actually a penny or two cheaper than Murphy's out at our Wal*Mart.

One of the few times a Mom and Pop is besting Wal*Mart?

Today, the 'cash only' stations had jumped their price for unleaded to $4.05 a gallon. I guess I should have put a couple more gallons in my tank yesterday........ The Citgo is the same as yesterday.

[Footprints1973]

I feel pretty lucky that gas is only about 3.99 here in FL. The salaries aren't all that great as compared to some parts of the country, but if you live pretty close to work (like I do), it could be much much worse.

When it hits $6 a gallon though, I am going to have to ride a bike to work. First I have to buy one. Then I have to get a toddler seat to strap to back of it so I can take my kid to daycare. Then I have to pray very hard because riding on a bike/cycle/scooter down here is very dangerous. You wouldn't believe how many accidents are if Florida.

[HRx]

It seems as though alot of gas stations will try to move to being cash only as a way of saving themselves money on electronic payment transaction fees. Which are supposedely eating heavily into the miniscule profits they make on gas.

[AngelinaCat]

I was going through town today and noted that the two cash only stores were $4.05 for regular, and the Citgo across the street was still at $4.09. I did my errands and on going back through town, noticed a Chevron that had a sign of $3.98 for unleaded. I turned around, and put $10.00 in the tank. The price was the same as what was on the pump. I got around two and a half gallons, same as I did last week when the price was $3.96 at the 'cash onlies'.

[momof5]

This scenerio has me thinking there is some serious ripping off happening at the pumps as well. 5 gas stations on one road.... 3 within seconds of each other... $4.08, $4.10. and $4.10... go up the road about 5 semi short blocks, less than a mile to the other 2 gas stations... $4.19 and $4.22!

How come those other 2 are so much more expensive? I will tell you how... someone is doing a little consumer gouging. I sent an email off to one of our local news stations and a reporter emailed me back this afternoon to say "Thank you for the information" " We really appreciate you as a viewer bringing this to our attention"

I dont believe for one second that those 2 gas stations are paying that much more per gallon than the other 3. They are just hoping to cash in on a little more of our hard earned money.

I was just reading something about this in a different state on the Yahoo headlines.

[FLBK7]

This scenerio has me thinking there is some serious ripping off happening at the pumps as well. 5 gas stations on one road.... 3 within seconds of each other... $4.08, $4.10. and $4.10... go up the road about 5 semi short blocks, less than a mile to the other 2 gas stations... $4.19 and $4.22!

How come those other 2 are so much more expensive? I will tell you how... someone is doing a little consumer gouging. I sent an email off to one of our local news stations and a reporter emailed me back this afternoon to say "Thank you for the information" " We really appreciate you as a viewer bringing this to our attention"

I dont believe for one second that those 2 gas stations are paying that much more per gallon than the other 3. They are just hoping to cash in on a little more of our hard earned money.

I was just reading something about this in a different state on the Yahoo headlines.

Were any of the more expensive ones Shell stations, by any chance?