Buying petrol in USA

[Homefireburn1ng]

Is it straight forward?

You'll need to go in as a credit card only works with a US zip code paying at pump.
Go in, say you want $20 on pump 4, go & full up. If you pay cash you don't get change but if you pay on credit card & don't use it all you get it refunded back on the card.

We've struggled to fill half a tank of a Hyundai Accent type car, petrol is cheap!

Very. Diesel cars are pretty much unheard of, so you always just want the cheapest unleaded.

In some states they do it for you.

If it's a self pump state, you either put your credit card in (if it asks for zip code use 00000) or go in to the station with cash and ask them to put it on pump number X. Then fuel up, the pump will automatically stop at the pre authorised amount.

Don't forget that fuel is MUCH cheaper in the states than the UK. So you don't need to pre authorise nearly as much as you think.

Depends on the state. Depends on the petrol company. I've used a prepay card there (loaded with dollars) but also been unable to use tbe card there . Being unable to provide a card registered to a US address has caused problems. My US cousin has often paid and I sub them. But this is when we are travelling together.

Just some advice about paying with cash. You can get change if you over pay (a previous poster said you couldn't) - say you put $30 down and only need $25 to fill up. You just need to go back into the shop and ask for your change! Pretty straightforward.
Most places now are pay first then pump yourself but some states/petrol stations require for a member of staff to pump for you but it will be made clear to you quite quickly if that's the case.

@bellinisurge - I think you might have been scammed - you absolutely do get change from cash pre pays.

Not me @Parkrunner25 , i think you meant someone else.

@bellinisurge yes, sorry, malteaser moment there!

Cheap petrol but struggled to find anywhere that took U.K. credit cards, often went to several garages before finding one.

Yes. It’s very easy. A lot of garages offer a cheaper price if you’re paying cash. If you go to a full service garage, they’ll do it all for you anyway. All gas stations in NJ are full service.

What I have done is the following:-

If there are two of you one goes inside with credit card and stands there whilst the other fills it and then you pay. Same with cash.

Paid a certain amount on card e.g. $40. If the tank only needed $30 then go back inside and get refund on card. Same with cash.

Gone in and said card doesn't work in pump. They hear my English accident and tell me to go and fill it up and then come back to pay.

Petrol (hire cars have always been petrol) is so cheap that don't preauthorise a high amount as PP have said. Also petrol pumps tend to be black which takes a bit of getting used to given that's the colour of diesel pumps in the uk.

I also tend to look up which grade of petrol I need by looking in the cars handbook if you have one.

We have refueled in Virginia and North Carolina this week and all petrol stations took UK Visa/AmEx cards in the kiosk and we pre paid. The bigger problem was the actual pumps were different. Some had an extra release lever below the hand held pump.

Yes to UK credit cards not being accepted in many fuel stations. I usually end up going in to the payment kiosk and let DH do the pumping.

But yes, be aware that you will use way less than you anticipate.

On one trip to California I booked a rental car and pre paid for a full tank so that we wouldn't have to worry about re fuelling before returning it at the airport - however we couldn't use it all up!

You'll figure it out.

When you pick up your hire car, ask what type of fuel. Also remember to check your deal with the hire company- do you need to return it full?

I always pay cash as using a credit card has triggered by bank’s fraud system (but other purchases have beeen fine, it’s just fuel). Go in, ask them to put $x on your pump and it will stop when it gets to that amount.

Agree, fuel,is about half the price or less, so it won’t cost much to fill up

I haven’t been asked fit my zip code when paying by card at Safeway fuel for a few months now. They have new machines for the card payment that don’t need the zip. Not sure if the new machines script overseas cards (can’t see why they wouldn’t) because I only have American cards. One thing that gets a lot of visitors is how quickly you have to take your card out after you slide it onto the slot. If you don’t remove it immediately it won’t work.

Fuel is getting expensive very quickly here. California is now around $4.50 a gallon abc we were told in the bees this week that we (Washington state) will hit $4 before the summer is over. Yes, I know that’s cheaper than the UK but the average person here drives more. Our closest supermarket is 22 miles away, for example. And they don’t deliver.