You Know What Really Grinds My Gears? Now with 3x more gears...

[timun]

Originally Posted by Brupal

For those of you who dislike the ordeal of paying for gas (either at the pump or inside the store) if you have an EV you charge effortlessly overnight at home and drive off into your day and never have to use a gas station. An overlooked pro in the EV / ICE comparison.

EV drivers are the new vegans, or crossfitters.

[btimbit]

Originally Posted by Locke

I even like the ones that have tap...and theres my Gear Grinder, the tap function on my credit card seems to have magically decided to stop working so there I am inserting the card for the chip...like an animal!

Praise Satan for Apple/Google pay in those scenarios

[jayswin]

Originally Posted by PepsiFree

Had to go back to see what this was about. Glad I did. Not every day you see a wistful old man not just wishing he could go get a chocolate bar at the gas station, but that everyone had to… like the good old days.

It's especially weird because he can literally do everything he longs for currently, only difference is sticking his card in first.

I know he claimed that gas stations charging too much to the card is an issue but I've been filling up for personal and work use for a couple decades and have had that happen a total of zero times.

[Scroopy Noopers]

Originally Posted by flamesfever

I actually would like to see us go back to paying inside. I think it was just one really bad incident that made the change, and Governments tend to act too quickly by adopting simple solutions. Although people say there is a lot of theft going on when you don't have to pay at the pump. I don't know whether that's true or not. You don't have to pay at the pump in Ontario, and I don't think they are any more honest than Albertans.

Ontario is pretty big… you can’t just throw gas into a car without prepaying or a credit card at any gas station…….. where did you get this idea from that it was some sort of provincial difference?

[Scroopy Noopers]

My gear grinder is reading this thread when people have taken a vacation in Ontario…. “No body drives slow in the left lane!”, “everyone zipper merges”, or any other small experience they had extrapolated to the population. It’s nonsense.

[Ped]

If anything, I've noticed since the advent of HOV lanes in ONtario that there are far too many people who think that is now the passing lane, and it's okay to drive slow in the left lane.

[Ped]

And if you live in the GTA, you remember when they had the 403 entrance off the QEW moved like a kilometer away, and people never seemed to figure it out and always created a bottleneck at Ford Drive.

[PepsiFree]

Originally Posted by jayswin

It's especially weird because he can literally do everything he longs for currently, only difference is sticking his card in first.

I know he claimed that gas stations charging too much to the card is an issue but I've been filling up for personal and work use for a couple decades and have had that happen a total of zero times.

Pretty sure the charging too much thing was just him not understanding pre-auths that hang around for a while. Like you, I’ve literally never had the gas station charge the pre-auth and the actual amount… ever.

But I’ve also never had it eat my card and I understand that the receipt comes after you actually gas up. It GMG when people (I’d say elderly people because they’re the worst for this but it is an all ages thing, too) complain about how something is and how it should change when it’s clear they don’t understand it and have never just asked for help.

Like, you love going into the station so much, ask them to explain to you what a pre-auth is and how it’s different from “agreeing to pay more”. And as I’m assuming said person goes into a physical bank, ask the teller to explain how long pre-auths stay on your account. Pretty simple stuff.

Originally Posted by Scroopy Noopers

My gear grinder is reading this thread when people have taken a vacation in Ontario…. “No body drives slow in the left lane!”, “everyone zipper merges”, or any other small experience they had extrapolated to the population. It’s nonsense.

Swap Ontario for literally anywhere. It’s worse when it’s somewhere you live/have lived and know extremely well, for sure, but it’s still absurd when you can just tell it’s a vacation anecdote that’s obviously wrong.

“There’s no homeless problem in Europe!”

[Zary's-Mustache]

Originally Posted by flamesfever

I actually would like to see us go back to paying inside. I think it was just one really bad incident that made the change, and Governments tend to act too quickly by adopting simple solutions. Although people say there is a lot of theft going on when you don't have to pay at the pump. I don't know whether that's true or not. You don't have to pay at the pump in Ontario, and I don't think they are any more honest than Albertans.

Why though? What benefit is there to pay inside? Literally 0.

[puffnstuff]

Originally Posted by surferguy

My friend and I (with our kids) were walking down the street this morning and I had a guy challenge me to a fight (by meeting me at the local circle K) because I yelled at him to slow down, he was doing at least 60 in a school zone.

Weird interaction, he was very young and very bro

In amongst all this weird gas station talk, I dont think this post got enough attention.
How did the fight go?

[Titan2]

I agree we should move on but...

There should be a special place in hell for those that pull up, fill, then leave their car at the pump, wander their oblivious ass into the station, I assume to take a dump, browse the extensive selection of unique offerings, prepare or order a coffee, chit chat with the teller then wander their selfish ass back to move their dumb ass car so others can use the pump. #### these asshats.

[GGG]

Sometimes I do my Costco shopping while parked at the pump. I don’t see the harm it’s usually not lined up.

[powderjunkie]

Originally Posted by PepsiFree

Pretty sure the charging too much thing was just him not understanding pre-auths that hang around for a while. Like you, I’ve literally never had the gas station charge the pre-auth and the actual amount… ever.

99.9% this. I recently had a $15.00 pre-auth from a car wash hang around for nearly a week. I was a bit excited to do my first ever charge-back, but the next day it resolved. Pretty sure gas stations get reconciled within 48 hours at the latest

[flamesfever]

There's obviously a benefit to being able to quickly pay for gas with your credit card at the pump...no problem. But if you want to fill up and you know approximately how much to spend, why not just let it be what it comes to, without having to press a number above what you anticipate?

Also, by being able to easily fill up without using your credit card, it forces you to take a break by going into the station to pay. This is particularly important for longer driving times. You can have a coffee or bottle of water, etc. say "hope you are having a good day" to the immigrant behind the counter making a measly $15 an hour trying to feed his family. Now you have given yourself a rest, are healthier for being hydrated, and made the world a better place by interfacing with your fellow man.

Also, the person, who owns the gas station, can offer you cheaper gas with the money he has made selling you the coffee and water.

[Wormius]

Originally Posted by flamesfever

There's obviously a benefit to being able to quickly pay for gas with your credit card at the pump...no problem. But if you want to fill up and you know approximately how much to spend, why not just let it be what it comes to, without having to press a number above what you anticipate?

Also, by being able to easily fill up without using your credit card, it forces you to take a break by going into the station to pay. This is particularly important for longer driving times. You can have a coffee or bottle of water, etc. say "hope you are having a good day" to the immigrant behind the counter making a measly $15 an hour trying to feed his family. Now you have given yourself a rest, are healthier for being hydrated, and made the world a better place by interfacing with your fellow man.

Also, the person, who owns the gas station, can offer you cheaper gas with the money he has made selling you the coffee and water.

Are you preparing for the world of EV charging where you could be waiting for 3 hours?

How do you not know how much gas you think you’ll need? It’s not even really guessing. You can get a pretty good estimate, assuming a 50L tank on empty, you’d want at least: price per litre/2 * 100, if you really care about the amount you’re pre-authorizing. If your credit limit is really low on that cc maybe it is important?

The other non-tangible aspects of going in are fine if it’s not a busy station.

[PepsiFree]

Originally Posted by flamesfever

There's obviously a benefit to being able to quickly pay for gas with your credit card at the pump...no problem. But if you want to fill up and you know approximately how much to spend, why not just let it be what it comes to, without having to press a number above what you anticipate?

Also, by being able to easily fill up without using your credit card, it forces you to take a break by going into the station to pay. This is particularly important for longer driving times. You can have a coffee or bottle of water, etc. say "hope you are having a good day" to the immigrant behind the counter making a measly $15 an hour trying to feed his family. Now you have given yourself a rest, are healthier for being hydrated, and made the world a better place by interfacing with your fellow man.

Also, the person, who owns the gas station, can offer you cheaper gas with the money he has made selling you the coffee and water.

Ignoring your second/third paragraph which is just absurd logic, can you explain why you struggle with having to pre-auth for a number higher than what you’re going to spend on gas? Do you understand what a pre-authorization is? Do you understand how it ensures that you have the money to spend on the gas you’re planning to buy?

[flamesfever]

Originally Posted by Wormius

Are you preparing for the world of EV charging where you could be waiting for 3 hours?

How do you not know how much gas you think you’ll need? It’s not even really guessing. You can get a pretty good estimate, assuming a 50L tank on empty, you’d want at least: price per litre/2 * 100, if you really care about the amount you’re pre-authorizing. If your credit limit is really low on that cc maybe it is important?

The other non-tangible aspects of going in are fine if it’s not a busy station.

I am probably too old to worry about the EV world.

I guess I have been underestimating the importance of pre-authorizing. I see it's importance with so many crowding the limits of their credit cards these days. However, I don't recall having to pre-authorize any amount, when spending time in Ontario, and somehow thought Alberta may be going overboard in this regard.

[Ped]

Gas stations work the same in Ontario. When you tap your credit card, you're pre-authorizing a certain amount - sometimes 100, but I've seen some do 250. But you're not going to be charged that; you're going to be charged what you pay. So if you spend 86.71, that's what you'll be charged at the end of the day once the transaction goes through. If you use a gas station app like shell you don't even have to tap.

[Jason14h]

When Gas was cheaper and people weren’t in debt it wasn’t as much of an issue

A pre auth on a $30 tank of gas isn’t as critical or as big a risk

When tanks of gas can easily run $150-200 on a larger vehicle it becomes a big deal

And a lot of gas stations were actually already pre authorizing in the background and you just didn’t know .

Pre Auths didn’t use to show on your cards statement in real time as it does now

It’s actually consumers bitching that gas stations would secretly pre auth a card with a hard coded amount that locks up their credit that resulted in the change to make it more apparent and give the options to the payee

[Zary's-Mustache]

Originally Posted by Jason14h

When Gas was cheaper and people weren’t in debt it wasn’t as much of an issue

A pre auth on a $30 tank of gas isn’t as critical or as big a risk

When tanks of gas can easily run $150-200 on a larger vehicle it becomes a big deal

And a lot of gas stations were actually already pre authorizing in the background and you just didn’t know .

Pre Auths didn’t use to show on your cards statement in real time as it does now

It’s actually consumers bitching that gas stations would secretly pre auth a card with a hard coded amount that locks up their credit that resulted in the change to make it more apparent and give the options to the payee

But you can pick what number you want to pre authorize. You can pre authorize $10 and only fill up $5.