Price spread based on cash/credit, etc

[y_p_w]

I've been looking at most gas stations around here and the most common price spread is 10 cents/gallon more for credit. However, I've seen as little as 6 cents difference to 20 cents. I suppose it creates an incentive to pay cash and maybe go into the convenience store, but then again someone may see the higher price and not want to fill up in the first place.

 

[atikovi]

I get 2% cash back on my card so cash would have to be at least 5 cents cheaper just to break even. Paying at the pump and leaving quicker is an added incentive to pay with a card.

 

[paulri]

That happened to me a few times at first, but when my eyes got used to seeing 6 prices per sign (1 for cash & 1 for credit, for 87, 89, & 91) that stopped. It seems like this was rare in my neck of the woods until a few years ago, now almost all gas stations have this two tiered pricing.

Originally Posted by y_p_w
but then again someone may see the higher price and not want to fill up in the first place.

 

[y_p_w]

Actually - quite a few gas stations here have the same price cash or credit. Most that have a higher price are a higher cash/debit. There are a few that have the same price cash/debit including many supermarket gas stations like Safeway. I remember Safeway got in trouble for providing a better price for those with their loyalty card, which could be gotten with a credit card. They got around that by switching to a cash/debit discount.

A lot of the gas stations around here have the marquee price where it says "Cash Price" but then there's a smaller sign at ground level that shows a cash and credit/debit prices. I also remember one gas station that didn't say anything on the outside, but on the pump it said there was a 3 or 4 cent discount for cash.

I guess it could get crazy since quite a few places also have discounted gas prices if one pays for a car wash.

 

[SZR48207]

You got Arco stations in your area? I always see those in Vegas and they have head-turning low prices but are cash or debit only.

Otherwise, my understanding is that Costco Gas is your best friend out west.

 

[y_p_w]

Originally Posted by Reddy45
You got Arco stations in your area? I always see those in Vegas and they have head-turning low prices but are cash or debit only.

Otherwise, my understanding is that Costco Gas is your best friend out west.

Actually a few Arco stations now accept credit cards. Before then I remember most would accept debit cards, but had something like a 40 cent transaction fee. Often it would work out cheaper than other gas stations even with the fee. The one thing I haven't seen in a while are bill acceptors that will take cash. This is one I've been to that's near San Francisco Airport that now takes credit cards. It shows a credit card price.

https://www.gasbuddy.com/Station/18225

I do remember when Arco stopped accepting credit cards in the 80s. They announced it with this commercial showing an Arco credit card being smashed up with a wrecking ball. Still - there was this one Arco station I remember in the 90s that bucked the trend of other Arco stations and accepted credit cards the same price as cash. Not sure if they could program a credit card price at the pump. The way they did it was accept the credit card, preauthorize manually on a separate credit card terminal, and then finish the transaction when it was done. I hadn't gone there in a while and I noticed they no longer took credit cards.

The odd thing about Costco stations is that there's a huge difference in pricing. Especially the spread between regular and premium. It can be 20 cents but sometimes it's 30 cents. And around here I've seen the price of regular anywhere from 2.89 to 3.09. If I'm planning on going somewhere I'll check on Gasbuddy to see where I might find the lowest priced Costco gas station on the route.

 

[PandaBear]

These days between 10c to 20c each grade.

 

[Gasbuggy]

Fight the cashless pressure

 

[Garak]

Up here, you don't get to do different pricing that way. The only way I ever saw a different price by payment method was when I had a specific Petro-Canada credit card and it would automatically lower the price at the pump a couple cents per litre when used there.

 

[Unicorn01]

Usually it's a dime more for debit/credit. Mostly it's to cover the charge the station pays for using it's card reader. Credit costs any retailer between 2 and 4 percent of the total amount it's ran for.

 

[SevenBizzos]

Yeah, I don't do cash at gas stations, so I know which stations to avoid. It's probably a third of them around here.

 

[PimTac]

The only stations around here that price differentiate are the Arco stations. Everyone else charges the same whether cash or credit.

I am surprised that so few if any gas stations take Apple Pay or Android. I would rather go that route than taking a chance that a skimmer might have been placed.

 

[y_p_w]

Originally Posted by PimTac
I am surprised that so few if any gas stations take Apple Pay or Android. I would rather go that route than taking a chance that a skimmer might have been placed.

I've seen a few pay at the pump systems that use the "chip" system. Safeway supermarket gas stations around here now have readers that use those, although there might still be a magnetic card reader in there where maybe a skimmer could still be used. These ones are different where the card has to be completely inserted and where it's locked in until authorized.

Several ATM machines around here use a mechanical mechanism that sucks in the card by slowing and speeding up. I guess it's supposed to mess with skimmers since they can't figure it out without knowing the pattern for slowing/speeding, which can vary.

 

[Sayjac]

Quote
Fight the cashless pressure
Nope. Not when I'm regularly earning 4.25-5% cash back using a CC, I'll stick to CCs. Awhile back, one station close by tried the lower for cash concept. With another no cash discount Shell station across street regularly matching, apparently didn't work out and they gave up. There's some lower price for cash stations, but around here few and far between. Another example, Pilot truck stop gas on one side of interstate advertises cash price, QuikTrip same exit other side, same price using CC. And, QT is TT.

 

[RTexasF]

I have seen ONE station in the past dozen years that does the cash/credit pricing. All others are the same price regardless of payment method.

 

[Rmay635703]

Originally Posted by RTexasF
I have seen ONE station in the past dozen years that does the cash/credit pricing. All others are the same price regardless of payment method.


Around here you are more likely to see the following, lots of places take neither credit no debit.

One place charges a dollar fee to use plastic

Still others only accept discover card or check only.

 

[Skippy722]

I'm showing how little I get out... but I had never seen a difference for cash vs card prices at gas station pumps till I went to Georgia in 2017.

 

[JustinH]

Well some states do not allow cash/credit price spreads. I think New York didn't allow it either.

Here in Texas, Shell is notorious for doing this, usually a dime spread. They are getting even worse, they put their "price with carwash" price in the main marquee, little do you know its 20 cents higher when you get to the pump.

I have been sticking with HEB gas mostly these days, they don't play games. Also Valero, or QT. They are both top tier and usually have the best prices.

 

[skyactiv]

I think we should have an RFID chip implanted in our wrist. Link it to an account and simply wave your wrist at the pump and enter your pin number. Joking!

 

[y_p_w]

Originally Posted by skyactiv
I think we should have an RFID chip implanted in our wrist. Link it to an account and simply wave your wrist at the pump and enter your pin number. Joking!

There's a woman who owns a Tesla. She had the RFID key tag extracted from the card, tested it, and had it surgically implanted in her arm.

A few years back I remember a radio ad for a mobile phone where the joke was that someone loved it so much that he had it surgically attached to his hand.