Gas station zip code

[Mrs. M. Mouse]

The US postal codes never seem to work for me, they don't match up with my CC. I started buying the Pre paid gas cards. Hess when I'm in Florida. Or Shell. Then I can pay at the pump, instead of going in.
You can load any amount on the card, and refill when necessary.

When I go to Bellingham I fill up at Costco with my Amex.

Most places accepted we weren't from the US. We fill up at costco when we can too and use our debit card. Most that wanted the prepay we prepaid in cash.

Why they need our zip codes at the gas station anyways is kinda weird don't ya think??!

 

[mamaCta]

Most places accepted we weren't from the US. We fill up at costco when we can too and use our debit card. Most that wanted the prepay we prepaid in cash.

Why they need our zip codes at the gas station anyways is kinda weird don't ya think??!

It's no different than places like Walmart asking for postal code on occasion. They are trying to track where their customers are coming from.

 

[Disneylovers2000]

Oh, that is a great suggestion!! I hadn't thought about prepaid cards! That would work like a charm!! Thanks for the idea!

 

[Disneylovers2000]

But HONESTLY, they must be able to over ride that somehow for visitors from other countries. Surely Canadians are not the only ones that have this issue. It just doesn't really make sense to me...maybe its just me lol!

 

[Disneylovers2000]

It's no different than places like Walmart asking for postal code on occasion. They are trying to track where their customers are coming from.

True, but from what I understand, if the zip code doesn't match the CC zip/postal, then you are unable to use your card. That's a little bit different than just finding out where the customers reside. At least with a retail store, you can still make your purchase. I think....I hope lol!

 

[hcortesis]

Like someone mentioned earlier, use the 3 numbers from your postal code followed by 00. It has never failed us yet. Saves a bit of time from not having to go inside, leave your C/C, go fill up, then come back and pay with your C/C.

 

[maryliz]

True, but from what I understand, if the zip code doesn't match the CC zip/postal, then you are unable to use your card. That's a little bit different than just finding out where the customers reside. At least with a retail store, you can still make your purchase. I think....I hope lol!

That was my understanding as well ... if the zip code doesn't match the mailing address on file with your CC, then it won't allow it. I've tried the 90210, as well as our Ohio friends' zip and it has never worked. A few years back, I went into a station and explained that this whole "prepay" thing drove me nuts because I want to FILL my tank, not "guess how much and underestimate the $ amount because the refund will also cost me". That Canadians trying to simply buy gas should not be such an ordeal. The manager gave me a card that basically allowed you to fill up without having to prepay ... allowed me to swipe the card, pump the gas, then I could go in and pay the actual amount with my CC. It was for Racetrac, so they were only in Georgia and Florida at the time ... but saved me huge headaches for that trip. On our last trip that we drove, we coundn't find a Racetrac station so I assumed they went out of business.

I will try the postal code trick when we go next month ... keeping fingers crossed that it works for us.

 

[EastYorkDisneyFan]

I think the zipcode thing with credit cards is instead of Chip in pin as for some reason they are about the only country in the world that hasn't switched over to it. Maybe because they have too many banks.

 

[Disneylovers2000]

Like someone mentioned earlier, use the 3 numbers from your postal code followed by 00. It has never failed us yet. Saves a bit of time from not having to go inside, leave your C/C, go fill up, then come back and pay with your C/C.

I will give it a shot!

 

[Disneylovers2000]

That was my understanding as well ... if the zip code doesn't match the mailing address on file with your CC, then it won't allow it. I've tried the 90210, as well as our Ohio friends' zip and it has never worked. A few years back, I went into a station and explained that this whole "prepay" thing drove me nuts because I want to FILL my tank, not "guess how much and underestimate the $ amount because the refund will also cost me". That Canadians trying to simply buy gas should not be such an ordeal. The manager gave me a card that basically allowed you to fill up without having to prepay ... allowed me to swipe the card, pump the gas, then I could go in and pay the actual amount with my CC. It was for Racetrac, so they were only in Georgia and Florida at the time ... but saved me huge headaches for that trip. On our last trip that we drove, we coundn't find a Racetrac station so I assumed they went out of business.

I will try the postal code trick when we go next month ... keeping fingers crossed that it works for us.

I agree!! Its too bad they couldn't run gas stations like here!
I know we have to prepay at some stations after midnight but I don't often need gas at that hour so don't run into that issue! Haha!

 

[Disneylovers2000]

I think the zipcode thing with credit cards is instead of Chip in pin as for some reason they are about the only country in the world that hasn't switched over to it. Maybe because they have too many banks.

Really?? They don't have chip and pin? That concerns me as I was going to purchase a pre pay MasterCard from CAA to use rather than carry cash or use my own CC!! The ones from CAA are chip and pin! Yikes, my plans may be foiled once again! Grrrr!

 

[Susie63]

We had a rental in Feb that we needed to refill before we returned it. After unsuccessfully trying to get the pump to turn on for 5 minutes....the car next to us mentioned that we had to go inside to pay first. Of course I said I had no idea how much gas I needed. They were amazed that we could pump our gas and THEN pay for it in Canada. I know that is not the case in all areas in our country ,but I am thankful that we are such an honest country.

 

[minnie mum]

Really?? They don't have chip and pin? That concerns me as I was going to purchase a pre pay MasterCard from CAA to use rather than carry cash or use my own CC!! The ones from CAA are chip and pin! Yikes, my plans may be foiled once again! Grrrr!

I've never purchased a prepaid cc, but all of my current cards have chip and pin. They also have the swipe stripe on the back. If that is the case with the prepaid ones, then you're fine.

 

[Martini35]

We travel frequently over the border and find you get different responses where you go. The postal code numbers and 00 work at some stations and not at others. One (Valero?) lets us leave our driver's license and than fill up and pay. The further you get away from the border, the less experience the station will have dealing with cc from other countries. We also try to stick to stations that worked in the past. Sunco let us use our cc with chip at the pump no problems, so that is our first choice when we have to stop.

On the other side, many pumps in our area now have stickers saying US cc won't work at the pumps, go inside to pay. Interesting.

 

[EastYorkDisneyFan]

Really?? They don't have chip and pin? That concerns me as I was going to purchase a pre pay MasterCard from CAA to use rather than carry cash or use my own CC!! The ones from CAA are chip and pin! Yikes, my plans may be foiled once again! Grrrr!

don't worry about that they will have a magnetic stripe too just like all other cards do.

 

[EastYorkDisneyFan]

On the other side, many pumps in our area now have stickers saying US cc won't work at the pumps, go inside to pay. Interesting.

I think that maybe that most of the machines here are now set up to read the chip rather than the magnetic stripe so without it the machine can't process the card properly.

Also some a lot of the American Credit Cards are now tied to bank accounts rather than just the credit card company. Up here the card registers as being a credit card when it is swiped trough a machine rather then as a debit card like it does in the states. Last summer well I was working at a hotel concierge / tour desk in a couple of hotels a number of Americans questioned having to sign a slip rather than punch in their pin.