Paying For Gas With Paypal Debit Mastercard

[angiesvariety]

Hi I read that when you pay at the pump it pre-authorizes your card so pay inside, ok when paying inside should I pay with the card as a debit or a credit so it doesn't get pre-authorized for more than I'm spending?

[Jezabele]

The preauthorization has nothing to do with whether you pay using a credit or debit card. It occurs when you pay at the pump, since you are not choosing a set amount, but rather filling until your tank is full or you have reached the amount you want. The system checks to make sure you have a minimum amount on the card (usually $75) before authorizing the transaction since the final dollar amount is unknown. If you want to avoid preauthorization, just pay inside with a set amount.

[daygrafix]

just made a payment at gas tank didnt really know about the 75 ahead but had enought for the accual transaction. what happens next. do i wait to be charged the acual price. what happens next?

[Ladybrinx]

I use mine for gas all the time and have never been declined at the pump, I know when I use my bank card they only authorize it for a dollar, if that goes through you're accepted and pump gas as usual.   At least that's how it works in my neighborhood (Michigan).  I rarely have $75 in my paypal account, so I'm sure it didn't authorize for that much.

[PayPal_Olivia]

Welcome to the forums, angiesvariety, Jezabele, daygrafix, and Ladybrinx!

Some gas stations actually will try to authorize $75 if you pay at the pump, just like Jezabele explained. I think $75 is a bit excessive, myself. If it took anything close to $75 to fill up my car, I'd be in the best shape ever from walking everywhere! 🙂

The funds for an authorization are supposed to release when the actual charge is captured. If the gas station didn't capture the charge and associate it with the correct authorization, it would process the charge separately from the funds held for authorization. An authorization that doesn't have an associated "capture" of funds will expire, but it can take up to 5 days. I'm wondering... did you actually complete the gas purchase at that pump, or move to a different pump? Did you have to pay inside for some reason after swiping the card at the pump?

If you find that there is one particular gas station at which this repeatedly happens, let them know! I bet they'd like to fix it!

Olivia