For those that drive to WDW

[digskat]

Anyone who is planning on driving down to WDW, Pilot gas stations are no longer accepting Canadian Credit Cards at the pumps. All other stations are reportedly still okay with them. Perhaps Canadians should return the favour, with their own embargo.........just go elsewhere.

 

[A&CsMom]

Thanks for the tip. We will watch out for that in February when we go.

 

[adamsloco]

That seems very odd to me. Why would they do that? Especially as I believe they opened a Canadian location last year in Southern Ontario on the 401. (If I remember correctly.) I emailed them ... interested in what they have to say.

Since we are leaving in two weeks, I would like to know. No point stopping there if I can't pay.

 

[digskat]

That's a good question. It doesn't make any sense to stop accepting Canadian credit cards, when you are trying to make inroads in Canada, and with the dollar the way it is, more Canadians are travelling into the USA. We are getting close, so I checked a couple sites and was shocked to see it. I75 online says it is for pay at the pump, the other two say they don't recognise it at all. Either way, it will be another option on our trip.

One opinion that was raised, was that Pilot's former president (by title only, he still runs it through his family) Bill Haslam, is a big proponent of gun registry (Mayors for gun control), and it is costing him votes and business, so he is trying to use some anti-Canadian stance to garner some redneck votes. Still makes little sense to me.

 

[nosnobunny2006]

It isn't just Pilot - they're all doing it. A lot of the oil companies are requiring you to input a US zip code at the pump, especially in south Florida around Ft. Lauderdale and Miami. It's a security precaution for the credit card holder. The last time I asked, I was told there was no way to input a Canadian postal code since the keypad only accepts numeric codes. You can't fake it either. Believe me - I tried. The magnetic strip identifies your card as non-US. It's not really such a big deal, since you can always pay inside.

Beth

 

[digskat]

I'll have to check it out next week. I75 online still states that it is only Pilot, that BP still accepts canadian cards at the pump.

 

[nosnobunny2006]

I'll have to check it out next week. I75 online still states that it is only Pilot, that BP still accepts canadian cards at the pump.

It might only be Pilot along I-75 so far but in the south part of Florida, you could run into that at any gas station. It isn't even consistent through the company. I know of two Mobile stations in W Ft Lauderdale where I can't swipe my card but at others I can. There really doesn't seem to be a pattern that I've ever been able to determine. The only time it really annoys me is when it's raining.

Beth

 

[101DalmFan]

Just my two cents, but we never, never, EVER pay anything but cash for gas for our (frequent) driving trips down into the U.S. A couple of years ago my BIL had a fraudulent charge go through on their way down to South Carolina -- and of course you don't find out about it until you are a gazillion miles away from the offending source. It almost totally ruined their family vacation -- all because of a dishonest employee at a gas station. Yes, he got the charge reversed, but not until he got home.

Nope, cash only for us. We calculate what it will cost before we go and I have it all in an envelope, and on the outside of the envelope I track the $$, the gallons, and our mileage. The receipts get stuffed into the same envelope. It's a great reference when we get home and it's also handy at the border if they want "proof" of how long you've really been away -- I have the dated receipts for the whole trip

 

[nosnobunny2006]

That's a shame that you encountered that. We've been very lucky because we travel with very little cash, using credit cards everywhere we can. I'm not comfortable knowing that I have a lot of cash on me. If I lost it, it's gone. At least with the credit card, I can get compensated for any frauds or thefts. Besides, we get points back as a reward.

This works for us and we've been going back and forth to south Florida for many years.... long before one of our children moved to Florida the year before Hurricane Andrew hit.

Beth