Gas Station Adds Improper Fee For Small Credit Card Purchases

May 6, 2011 5:07 PM

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Business, Consumer, Local, News, Seen on CBS 2, Watch + Listen

Related tags

BP, credit card, Dorothy Tucker, Matteson, Surcharge

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CHICAGO (CBS) — Gasoline prices are at record levels in Chicago, and now some drivers are being charged extra just for using a credit card.

It’s happening at a BP gas station in south suburban Matteson. And it’s a big violation of credit card rules

CBS2’s Dorothy Tucker checked out an e-mail complaint that came from a viewer.

In her email, the woman explained how she needed some gas, but only wanted to put $5 in her tank.

“When I stated to the attendant that I wanted $5, she stated that any amount of gas purchased under $10, one must pay a 25 cent fee,” she wrote.

The BP station sits on the corner of Crawford and Governors Highway in Matteson. Gas is advertised as $4.46 a gallon for regular. There were no visible signs that said the station would charge a fee for gasoline credit card purchases under $10.

CBS 2 went inside to put $5 in the tank, the clerk warned we would have to pay 25 cents extra to use a credit card.

Cordell Rush got the same warning.

“I don’t think that’s fair at all. Most people don’t have much to pay extra for gas.” Rush said.

The station said he’d call the owner for a comment about the fee, but instead called the police.

We left and called the two biggest credit card companies. According to both Visa and MasterCard it’s against their rules.

Visa spells it out: “A checkout fee, or payment card surcharge, is an unfair surprise fee.”

“They should take his credit card machine.” said Ash Zayed, owner of the Citgo station at Vollmer and Cicero in Matteson.

Ash Zayed is the competition. He owns the Citgo station down the road. He lists two prices: $4.45 if you pay cash, $4.55 if you use your credit card.

Credit card companies say this is acceptable because the merchant is offering you a discount for paying cash. Zayed believe most merchants know it’s a violation to offer one price, but charge a fee for credit.

They do it anyway, Zayed said.

“With gas prices so high merchants get greedy.” he said.

CLICK HERE TO REPORT A MERCHANT VIOLATION

Gas Station Adds Improper Fee For Small Credit Card Purchases

Bill S.

Greedy bast@rds!
dan

It’s finally being stated on an oil company’s tv commercial. If you have a 401k with mutual funds you likely are part owner of an oil company. All this blabbing about oil company profits is bs since they are publicly traded companies and people (stockholders) are the owners making the money. Now I realize the lady trying to put $5 in her tank probably doesn’t own stock in an oil company but the people who do have a right and desire for their investment to appreciate.
PETER C

That BP station is located in Olympia Fields.
I never buy gas there…..they charge the highest prices in the area!
Carr Mann

Those people who are charging extra should be charged for fraud and send them to do community service and fine them so they will not do that again.
Gas prices are high and many of us can not afford to pay extra.
Please hold accountable all this people who are robbing customers of their hard earned cash.
Ray

Dan If you own stock in BP (British Petroleum) you own stock in an oil company but you don’t own stock in in an owner franchised BP station that sits on the corner of Crawford and Governors Highway in Matteson. Fact is that it is a violation of the credit card company rules and the charge should be contested with the credit card company because your recipt would show you how much gas you bought
ITISWHATITIS

This is just another fine example of the greed that has overtaken our society. The gap between the haves and the have nots keeps getting wider. At the rate our country is going we should be a real “Third class country” real soon. The attitude of stick it up your butt so I can make more money is growing every day. And the wheel goes round and round.
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[...] Gas Station Adds Improper Fee For Small Credit Card Purchases … [...]
sam

is it legal or not?
msme

Is it typical for someone to order only $5 for gas and charge it on a credit card? I wonder if they have insurance?
Victor Keesee

you think they do it because they want to…I work at a gas station, the reason why they are charging 25 cents is because per transaction, the owner has to pay 20 cents per transaction, on top of they have to put give the credit card companies 2 percent of the total. the store only makes 9-10 cents per gallon they sell, when is credit or debit. So when you put in 5-10 dollars, the store loses money because of the 20 cents and when its really high they make pennies because of the two percent. to top that the percent that the store makes is only about 3-4 percent of the price per gallon, so the credit card companies always make way more money than the store….no matter what!!!