Gas station pump screens caught me off guard last night

Stopped at a Shell station off I-35 in Tulsa around 11pm to fill up. The pump screen asked me to enter my zip code before it would let me pay with a card. Then it offered to save my payment info for "faster checkout next time" and said I could get a free car wash if I signed up for their rewards program. I stood there thinking how that data gets cooked up with plate readers and security cameras. Anybody else feel weird about how even a gas pump is trying to build a profile on you?

3 comments

3 Comments

max2234d ago

Hit cash instead of credit, skips the zip code prompt every time.

ross.lily4d ago

Remembered doing that at a gas station once and the pump just locked up on me. Had to go inside and tell the clerk what I did, felt like a total idiot standing there with the nozzle still in my car. They had to reset the whole machine, took forever. Guess it depends on the pump though, newer ones around here just cancel the whole transaction if you hit cash without putting one in first.

sean8544d ago

Read somewhere that some gas stations actually program the pumps to charge a higher temporary hold with cash vs credit. Something about them not being able to verify funds the same way so they tack on an extra buffer. One pump near me wanted a $100 hold for cash on a $30 fill up. Made me just swipe my card out of spite. Miss the old days when cash was king and zip codes only mattered for mailing letters.