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Author Topic: Using a credit card to buy gas in the US, who knew?  (Read 3909 times)

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Offline Vinman

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Using a credit card to buy gas in the US, who knew?
« on: April 26, 2016, 08:13:10 PM »
Everytime I travel to the US its been a pain to buy gas, when you try to pay at the pump it always asks for a 5 digit zip code or the pump won't accept the card forcing you to go into the store and pre-pay or they may hold your card.
Well, I found out today that if you enter the 3 numbers in your postal code followed by "00" for a total of 5 numeric digits the pump  will now accept the card.
Is this common knowledge and I've been living under a rock or maybe sniffed too much gas?
/l ,[____],
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Quote from: Bnine link=topic=25904.msg162940#msg162940      date=1341881306

 Resident prick is my job and it took me ten years to earn that title

Offline raf2379

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Re: Using a credit card to buy gas in the US, who knew?
« Reply #1 on: April 26, 2016, 08:30:23 PM »
yeah the damn 5 digit zip code, it pisses me off every time I need to fuel up in USA, but I did not know about the first 3 numbers of postal code followed by 00, I'm gonna try that

Offline Immortal

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Re: Using a credit card to buy gas in the US, who knew?
« Reply #2 on: April 26, 2016, 08:30:52 PM »
First I heard about it
if we were smart with our money we wouldn't own Jeeps.
Here's your cup of STFU... ENJOY!

Offline Vinman

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Re: Using a credit card to buy gas in the US, who knew?
« Reply #3 on: April 26, 2016, 08:44:25 PM »
Yup, I cursed for years over the zip code thing. I went to buy gas this morning and the chick at the counter told about it so I tried it and it works!!!!
/l ,[____],
 l---L -OlllllllO-
 ()_)-()_)-o-)_)

Quote from: Bnine link=topic=25904.msg162940#msg162940      date=1341881306

 Resident prick is my job and it took me ten years to earn that title

Offline Vinman

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Re: Using a credit card to buy gas in the US, who knew?
« Reply #4 on: April 27, 2016, 12:45:33 AM »
 I decided to do some digging and found an article in the Globe & Mail from 2013 about using the postal code plus zeroes  when travelling. I guess I better crawl out from under my rock more often and pay attention.
/l ,[____],
 l---L -OlllllllO-
 ()_)-()_)-o-)_)

Quote from: Bnine link=topic=25904.msg162940#msg162940      date=1341881306

 Resident prick is my job and it took me ten years to earn that title

Offline JohnB

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Re: Using a credit card to buy gas in the US, who knew?
« Reply #5 on: April 27, 2016, 10:15:08 AM »
Yes.  A gas station attendant told us this years ago.

Offline dubbleJs

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Re: Using a credit card to buy gas in the US, who knew?
« Reply #6 on: April 27, 2016, 03:50:29 PM »
Awesome, good to know! I was getting a bit annoyed in Hawaii recently with the zip code security thing! Thanks Vince
'91 XJ - 3" procrap - cutout for 33" MT's  - More and more dents every run...Sold.
'98 XJ - Lifted, locked and lovin' it

Offline Dingleberry

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Re: Using a credit card to buy gas in the US, who knew?
« Reply #7 on: April 27, 2016, 09:27:06 PM »
What is the reason they force you to enter a zip code during purchase anyhow?

Offline Vinman

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Re: Using a credit card to buy gas in the US, who knew?
« Reply #8 on: April 27, 2016, 10:25:20 PM »
What is the reason they force you to enter a zip code during purchase anyhow?

Avoid using a stolen credit card or just filling up and driving away.
I think most of the US cards don't have chips or require pins yet.
/l ,[____],
 l---L -OlllllllO-
 ()_)-()_)-o-)_)

Quote from: Bnine link=topic=25904.msg162940#msg162940      date=1341881306

 Resident prick is my job and it took me ten years to earn that title

Offline w squared

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Re: Using a credit card to buy gas in the US, who knew?
« Reply #9 on: April 28, 2016, 06:01:38 PM »
Avoid using a stolen credit card or just filling up and driving away.
I think most of the US cards don't have chips or require pins yet.

Correct - only "Visa Debit" cards and ATM cards seem to have PINs in the US. It was a bit of an adjustment when I moved down.

Credit cards are starting to have chips in them now here....but the places where you actually insert the card are still few and far between, and even there you don't enter a PIN.

I wasn't smart enough to figure out the "00" thing so I just went ahead and got a US based credit card when I started travelling to the US a lot.
I followed a rainbow out to a garage and found a leprichaun. The rainbow ended in a potted cactus on his porch, but there was no gold :(

Offline Matt4x4

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Re: Using a credit card to buy gas in the US, who knew?
« Reply #10 on: May 17, 2016, 08:51:30 PM »
Careful of digits in your PIN too when traveling. I got sidetracked in some country side town in Spain on a 5 digit PIN. Ryanair airport an hour from Barcelona.
I used a word as my PIN, I lived and I learned. UK was fine though, Ireland too probably.

Offline jaguar

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Re: Using a credit card to buy gas in the US, who knew?
« Reply #11 on: July 14, 2016, 03:09:14 PM »
Yup, could have used this info a few months ago lol thanks for sharing!!