‘I can make it any number I want’: Gas stations are charging customers $1 more a gallon for using credit cards

4 hours ago 2

Maurie Backman

Mon, May 12, 2025, 10:00 AM 5 min read

Credit cards person agelong been a fashionable and convenient mode to wage for astir things — including filling up astatine the state presumption — and determination are benefits to utilizing 1 astatine the pump, specified arsenic bonus points oregon currency backmost connected substance purchases.

However, if you’re not cautious, your inclination to wage for state with a recognition paper could extremity up costing you much money. That’s thing Pat Igo of Palm Beach Gardens, Florida precocious learned the hard way.

Igo, similar galore consumers, had noticed an uptick successful state stations charging much wealth per gallon for recognition paper purchases than currency purchases. Making matters worse, immoderate country state stations are adjacent trying to fell the other complaint for recognition cards.

In astir states, it's ineligible for businesses to enforce a surcharge connected customers who are paying by recognition card. One of those states is Florida.

The lone request is that businesses indispensable pass customers of those surcharges up of time. However, immoderate Florida state stations are investigating that conception to an unfair limit.

Igo told WPTV News that his company, North County Cooling, has a fleet of 12 trucks and fueling them each costs his concern astir $3,000 per month. He precocious went to capable up 1 of his trucks erstwhile helium noticed thing that shocked him astatine the pump.

“I noticed this small container astatine the bottom,” Igo shared with WPTV. “And it didn’t lucifer the terms that was retired connected the street.”

Igo says a tiny motion connected the pump showed that those paying with a recognition paper would wage $1 much per gallon, truthful helium asked the station's manager if that was an error. “And helium said no,” Igo said. “‘I tin marque it immoderate fig I want.’ And truthful I walked out.”

Reporter Dave Bohman looked into the substance and recovered that a fig of section state stations were charging $1 much per gallon for recognition paper payments than cash. When helium started asking questions, 2 stations dropped the surcharge down to 90 cents per gallon.

Bohman besides reached retired to user lawyer Thomas Patti to spot if this signifier is legal. His response? Yes.

"If they accidental ‘listen, we're going to supply you a discount for cash-based services and we're going to complaint you a modular terms for a recognition card,' that's seemingly a lawful mode to spell astir it," said Patti.

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