A Florida man issued a warning about using credit cards at gas pumps after being shocked by the surcharge for not paying with cash.
There has always been an additional cost associated with using cards while filling up.
According to the Association for Convenience and Petroleum Retailing (NACS), the reason is that credit card companies typically take about 2.5 percent of each card transaction.
However, it seems the surcharge may have increased.
Truck driver notes higher credit card fees at the pump
According to Yahoo Finance!, Pat Igo, owner of North County Cooling, made a shocking discovery when he stopped at a Florida gas station to fill up one of his trucks.
He noticed a sign stating that customers using a credit card would be charged $1 more per gallon.
Curious, he asked the station manager if the sign was a mistake.
“And he said no,” Igo reportedly said. “‘I can make it any number I want.’ So I walked out.”
In many states, it is legal for companies to impose surcharges on customers who pay with credit cards.
In Florida, that charge could be any amount once consumers are informed about it before making a purchase.
Gas stations lower surcharges in response to pressure
After a local reporter investigated Igo’s claims, they checked out.
The reporter also found that several local gas stations were charging an additional dollar per gallon on credit card transactions.
In response to the investigation, two stations reduced their charges to 90 cents per gallon instead of a dollar.
For Pat Igo, that reduction simply wasn’t enough.
He put his employees on the look out for gas stations with these extra charges to avoid them completely.
He also believes consumers should be better protected.
“There should be a law showing what they’re going to charge you if you use a credit card,” he said.
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