Gas Stations Are Charging You More Than You Think — Here’s the Sneaky Reason Why!

Okay have you ever filled up your tank looked at your receipt and thought Wait why did that cost more than I expected You re not crazy A lot of gas stations do charge you more if you use a credit card instead of cash And while it feels kind of sneaky there s a reason for it even if it s still a little annoying So Why Is This Happening Here s the deal every time you swipe a credit card that gas station has to pay a fee to the credit card company It s like a thank you for letting us take your money fee These charges usually fall somewhere between to of your total purchase Doesn t sound like much Well imagine hundreds of customers a day that adds up fast And here s the kicker gas stations don t make a lot of money on the actual gas Seriously it s like pennies per gallon So if they eat the card fees they re basically losing money To make up for it they bump the price for people paying with credit Isn t That Kinda Shady Honestly It depends on how upfront they are about it In the bulk states it s totally legal to charge more for card payments as long as they let you know That s why you ll sometimes see signs that say something like Particular places do the opposite and call it a cash discount instead of a credit surcharge Either way same outcome you ll save if you pay with cash But Sometimes It Feels Like a Surprise Charge Yep Not all gas stations are super clear about it Particular have tiny signs or don t mention it until after you ve already pumped your gas And there have even been reports of people getting charged up to more per gallon without much warning That s a serious jump if you re filling a big tank How to Dodge the Extra Fees Here s how you can keep from paying more than you have to Pay with cash when you can Yeah it s a bit old-school but it ll usually get you the best price Use a debit card particular stations treat debit like cash and won t charge extra Check the signs on the pump or the station s price display If there are two prices now you know why Use an app like GasBuddy to find nearby stations and see which ones charge extra for credit cards It s Not a Rip-Off But It Feels Like One At the end of the day gas stations are just trying not to lose money But that doesn t mean you have to like it Knowing why it happens and how to avoid it can save you selected cash and specific frustration So next time you pull in for a fill-up take a second to check the price signs and maybe swing by an ATM if it makes sense Even if it s just or cents more per gallon that adds up over time especially with how gas prices are these days