Ahh I had the gas station thing, but the other way around when I was visiting the US! I had to pay before I filled up the tank, but I had a rental (no idea how big the tank was) and wasn’t doing too well calculating litres to gallons etc. It was a mess haha. I asked the guy behind the counter how much he thought I should pay and he looked at me like I was an alien. Which, perhaps, was fair.
Why do you have to pay beforehand? And how do you calculate filling up the tank if you don’t know precisely how empty the tank is?
They use stolen car plates so it is hard to find the car/thieves. So even with all those cameras on our petrol stations, there are zero consequences for them.
Just about all gas pumps have a card reader or tap to pay on them. You tap or insert, choose the type of fuel, fill up, put the nozzle back, get in your car and leave. No going inside unless you use cash.
If you’re paying with a card, there’s a spot to tap/insert your card right at the pump to start the transaction (you can then put your card away, don’t need it any more). Then you fill up. The pump displays the current total (in both dollars and gallons) as you fill up. When you return the gas nozzle into its cradle, the transaction is considered finished and your card is charged the final amount. You can press a button for a receipt if needed.
You only need to go inside to pay if you are paying cash. Then you say, “$20 on pump 4 please,” if you only want to fill up a specific amount. Give them $20 then and there, go out and fill up, and leave. If you want a full tank, tell them “full tank on pump 4, please,” fill up, then return back inside to pay the balance.
The pump has a credit card reader. You use your card, select your fuel, pull the trigger to lock it in automatic mode, and then the pump automatically turns off. Then you hang up the pump. Then you leave. The screen will display a price as you're pumping fuel. Whatever it ends up at is what you pay. It's very fast and easy.
You don't do any math or calculating.
The situation when you pay first would be if you have physical money, say $20 bill. You give the clerk your $20 and tell them which pump you are using. Then you will only be able to dispense $20 worth of fuel. If you only used $15, you have to go back inside and they will give you $5.
Most people don't pay like this. It's usually how people pay when they don't have a lot of money and know they don't have enough money to fill the car up. Or people who don't have a card, which are usually people who don't have a lot of money
That makes sense! It’s pretty much the same here, except credit cards aren’t very common and they don’t do “open amount” transactions with debit cards. So you get your gas, it tells you the amount, and then swipe your debit card or phone at the card reader.
As a Canadian at American gas stations, they ask for my ZIP code while using the prepay option, so I always have to walk in and tell them the amount and enter my PIN.
FYI if you’re ever in the same situation and paying in cash, you can say to the gas station attendant “I’d like a full tank on pump 3”, then you go out to fill up, and return back inside to pay your total.
I have to get out of my car and trudge towards the pump, I have to get my phone out of my pocket to wave it around some part of the pump. Then I have to take this pump fill the car and put the pump back, then have to trudge all the way back to the car so I can drive off!
90% of people will just swipe their card at the pump. The other 10% are usually paying cash, so the cashier will put that dollar amount on the pump and it automatically stops. They do it this way because it's really easy to steal gas if you can pay inside after.
I think that we’ve encountered another difference between the US and Europe - credit cards aren’t as common here! So yes, I had either debit or cash :)
Yes.but in the US if you have a card, you tap your card, put gas in the car and the pump turns off when the fuel tank is full or if you decide to stop it early. The screen will show how much fuel and how much money it costs as it's being dispensed. Then you hang up the pump and drive away. Your card is charged based on how much fuel you used. You don't have to interact with anyone.
It’s pretty much the same here, except credit cards aren’t very common here and they don’t do “open amount” transactions for debit. At a lot of gas stations you still have to go in to pay, but many (if not most?) have a card reader. You just tap your card or phone after the precise amount is determined.
This is only a problem when paying in cash. Most transactions are done with a card at the pump. You don't actually have to go in. Us poors still pay in cash often tho. You just guess.
58
u/Low_Strawberry_7965 11h ago
Ahh I had the gas station thing, but the other way around when I was visiting the US! I had to pay before I filled up the tank, but I had a rental (no idea how big the tank was) and wasn’t doing too well calculating litres to gallons etc. It was a mess haha. I asked the guy behind the counter how much he thought I should pay and he looked at me like I was an alien. Which, perhaps, was fair.
Why do you have to pay beforehand? And how do you calculate filling up the tank if you don’t know precisely how empty the tank is?