Finally got my creit card skimmed.

My card was skimmed at one of my gas shops. $100 here, $100 there, when I get a call from the major bank card issuer this morning. I inform her those are not my charges, she puts a block on my card, and is sending me a new one. Later that evening, another $100 there, $100 over there, and another $100 way over there. I get a phone call. What! I thought the card was blocked.. Blah blah blah. My card was skimmed at one of my gas shops. Anyway, I'm going to buy a gift card and start using that at the pumps. Something I had that about a long time ago, but never did it. That changes in the morning.

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Ugh!

I use Skimmer Scanner when I use my card at gas stations. It's an app that detects the technology of skimmers used at gas stations.

"I told myself to quit you; but I don't listen to drunks." -Chris Stapleton
Its a little more trouble to go through the additional step of finding the gift cards and buying them but well worth it imo. Fortunately for us chip enabled readers are now showing up. Our local Kroger gas station has them so I use a credit card there to collect on all the points we have collected but still buy gift cards for audits.
An easier alternative to gift cards (unless you can get them at a discount) is to use the station's mobile app. Most of the majors (except Shell) have the capability now. Chevron/Texaco, Phillips/Conoco/76, BP, ExxonMobile all have it.

There are reasons that a body stays in motion
At the moment only demons come to mind
True. I used google pay at my last 76 as well.
@bgriffin wrote:

An easier alternative to gift cards (unless you can get them at a discount) is to use the station's mobile app. Most of the majors (except Shell) have the capability now. Chevron/Texaco, Phillips/Conoco/76, BP, ExxonMobile all have it.
@HonnyBrown wrote:

I use Skimmer Scanner when I use my card at gas stations. It's an app that detects the technology of skimmers used at gas stations.

OMG my kids are going to die when they hear I downloaded this. I am constantly on the alert for porch pirates and mail thieves. They think that I am nuts. Somebody pulled a green skimmer off a Chase ATM near me last week.
I've had my cards skimmed more times than I care to count doing shops. With the credit cards it was a pain to wait for the new card and change the # but at least they fixed the problem quickly and I didn't lose any money The CC company were the ones to find the fraud usually. The gift card companies gave me the runaround forever when the cards were hacked and wanted me to get notarized statements and other documentation before they would even consider looking into the fraud. I never got money back from one of them. If I were to do gas jobs regularly I'd set aside a credit card card for just that work but I avoid the gift cards unless they have some discount or other benefit.
Another advantage in using gift cards is that you are charged cash price. I don't know if this is true everywhere but around here you are charged more for using a credit card.
No, that's a regional thing. Here in Ohio it's the same price no matter how you pay. I have noticed in Texas they have a .10 cents cash discount (assuming that might be the same for debit cards too, unsure).
That's an interesting fact. Gift cards can get skimmed too and then you might be completely out of the money altogether? Wow.

@wwin wrote:

I've had my cards skimmed more times than I care to count doing shops. With the credit cards it was a pain to wait for the new card and change the # but at least they fixed the problem quickly and I didn't lose any money The CC company were the ones to find the fraud usually. The gift card companies gave me the runaround forever when the cards were hacked and wanted me to get notarized statements and other documentation before they would even consider looking into the fraud. I never got money back from one of them. If I were to do gas jobs regularly I'd set aside a credit card card for just that work but I avoid the gift cards unless they have some discount or other benefit.
Cash discount at Chevron for using a gift card in CA.
So, I can pay $3.90 / gallon instead of $4.00 / gallon.
I saw $5 a gallon the other day.
I filled up my tank at a Speedway the other day for $2.10. I have the Speedway card which automatically takes .3 cents off per gallon, plus I had a Speedway gift card that takes another .3 cents off per gallon. Gas is ranging here from $2.16 to $2.40, depending on what part of town I am in.
The gas prices in CA make me so sadsad smiley I paid $1.90 today, but that was with my 20 cents off per gallon for using my Gasbuddy card.
For now, I will go with the stations gift cards. They are free. I will purchase multiple cards of $10-$20 in case they get skimmed or whatever. I won't be out too much if I ever have to take a lost.
I love paying with the BP app. I don’t know why it’s so much fun to turn on the pump remotely.

I feel lucky that I haven’t been skimmed with all the gas stations over the years. The Barclays card that I never use gets swiped at gas stations in PA every few months. That’s even after I get a new one and keep it at home.
@1forum1 wrote:

For now, I will go with the stations gift cards. They are free. I will purchase multiple cards of $10-$20 in case they get skimmed or whatever. I won't be out too much if I ever have to take a lost.
I buy them in $100 increments. The cashiers always think that something shady is going on.
I wouldn't recommend using a gift card unless you got it at a good discount. Too easy to get skimmed and you risk losing all the money. Even if you're credit card is skimmed, it's easy to dispute the fraudulent charges and get the charges reversed. My UberEats account was recently hacked into and they placed a $500 order. Barclays immediately reversed the charge once I called in to report it as fraudulent. I've also had good experiences with disputing transactions with Amex, Chase, and BOA.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/29/2020 04:45AM by azncollege.
Is Chevron the cheapest option in your area? All the Chevrons in my area are really overpriced. There's a Chevron near me that charges nearly a dollar more per gallon than the 76 across from it. I never understood why people get gas at Chevron. Costco in my area is now at $3.10/gallon and I get 5% cashback with my Chase Freedom card this quarter.

@SoCalMama wrote:

Cash discount at Chevron for using a gift card in CA.
So, I can pay $3.90 / gallon instead of $4.00 / gallon.
I saw $5 a gallon the other day.


Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/29/2020 04:39AM by azncollege.
@azncollege wrote:

Is Chevron the cheapest option in your area? All the Chevrons in my area are really overpriced. There's a Chevron near me that charges nearly a dollar more per gallon than the 76 across from it. I never understood why people get gas at Chevron. Costco in my area is now at $3.10/gallon and I get 5% cashback with my Chase Freedom card this quarter.

@SoCalMama wrote:

Cash discount at Chevron for using a gift card in CA.
So, I can pay $3.90 / gallon instead of $4.00 / gallon.
I saw $5 a gallon the other day.

No, Chevron isn't the cheapest. I usually use Costco (65 cents cheaper than Chevron). I have to use premium due to the engine.
Depends on the city. I usually do Chevron shops. Just not shopping for 3 months right now.
I just checked gas buddy. Most expensive gas station in my area is the Chevron closest to my house, of course.
For those who have mentioned the cost, gift cards are free. I bought 4 tonight $10 each, costing a total of $40. I get them in $10 increments because just in case they are skimmed, the most I could lose is $5 because I always use it for $5 because that is the reimbursement for gas. So, if I spent $5, that leaves $5 remaining. If the card is skimmed, the most I could lose is $5. I can handle that. I do a ton of gas shops.This is the first time I have ever had my card skimmed. It really was only a matter of time. I procrastinated getting the gift cards too long.

Chevron is not the cheapest, but it's where the shops are. Union 76 (Unocal) is the other gas shop out here. They are not the cheapest, but again that's where the gas shops are. Free gas is free gas. Yesterday, my gas tank was so full, I could not handle another gas shop. I had several gas shops on my calendar today, but had to move them to Thursday because my car is full of gas.

By the way, the only time I have used a credit card at the pump is for a shop. Otherwise, I go inside to pay.
I did one a short while ago where the owner had a running total on his wall of how much credit card fees were costing him. Was over a hundred thousand at the time. Just from ONE station. I wonder if the station owners have to pay on gift cards?

"Let me offer you my definition of social justice: I keep what I earn and you keep what you earn. Do you disagree? Well then tell me how much of what I earn belongs to you - and why?” ~Walter Williams
If the credit card fees cost him over $100,000, his station was making over $1M (if the fees were 1%).

"I told myself to quit you; but I don't listen to drunks." -Chris Stapleton
You dropped a decimal place. Sales would have been $10,000,000 if 1% was $100,000. However, credit card fees are often closer to 3% than to 1%. So, sales were somewhere between $3,333,333 and $10,000,000
@HonnyBrown wrote:

If the credit card fees cost him over $100,000, his station was making over $1M (if the fees were 1%).

Shopping Southeast Pennsylvania, Delaware above the canal, and South Jersey since 2008
I use cash. Credit card has been used illegally once by persn living in my house;by uber which included charges for rides that were never taken;by a taxi cab company who tried to charge me for rides that were not authorized;by my daughter-in-law who charged a couple of things and lastly by someone who tried to charge a hotel room in Spain. Each time my charges were reversed. The card company also called me. On the other hand, my debit card was used andmy social security check disappeared. Bank would not reverse charges unless I filed a police report. My husband gave someone the pin number and the card. Which is why he has no access to either. I was alerted by the credit card company.
@iShop123 wrote:

I wonder if the station owners have to pay on gift cards?

They don't pay on gift cards.

Honestly, I don't know any "poor" gas station owners. One lived next door to me until he died five years ago. The ones that I know that own Shell franchises in SoCal are driving black Mercedes, living in $1 mil + mansions and paying their employees minimum wage.
@1forum1 wrote:

Yesterday, my gas tank was so full, I could not handle another gas shop. I had several gas shops on my calendar today, but had to move them to Thursday because my car is full of gas.
So, no gas cans? We have 7 or 8 gas cans, and once the car is full, we fill the gas cans. In hurricane country, as we are, it's nice to have full cans going into the season, so the generator can run if power goes out! Plus, no one looks at you funny for putting 2 gallons of gas into a can winking smiley And like you said, free gas is free gas!
Most guidelines specifically say to use a credit card or gift card. They want to know that the card reader is working and printing out receipts.

@anniemaria wrote:

I use cash. Credit card has been used illegally once by persn living in my house;by uber which included charges for rides that were never taken;by a taxi cab company who tried to charge me for rides that were not authorized;by my daughter-in-law who charged a couple of things and lastly by someone who tried to charge a hotel room in Spain. Each time my charges were reversed. The card company also called me. On the other hand, my debit card was used andmy social security check disappeared. Bank would not reverse charges unless I filed a police report. My husband gave someone the pin number and the card. Which is why he has no access to either. I was alerted by the credit card company.
@1forum1 wrote:

Chevron is not the cheapest, but it's where the shops are. Union 76 (Unocal) is the other gas shop out here. They are not the cheapest, but again that's where the gas shops are. Free gas is free gas. Yesterday, my gas tank was so full, I could not handle another gas shop. I had several gas shops on my calendar today, but had to move them to Thursday because my car is full of gas.

This sometimes, not often, happens to me. I will usually find someone and give them gas. Preferably, I find a Spanish speaker because they are so shocked to see me speaking Spanish, they really don't question me wanting to put gas into their cars or trucks. smiling smiley
Nope.... No gas cans.... Not gonna ride around with explosives in the car.... I'm in beautiful sunny So Cal.... No hurricanes/tornadoes etc to worry about.

Nope... Not giving away my gas to anyone... I will just delay the shop or use my other car. ...

Nope... I never use cash... The shops mandate you pay at the pump... Also, I get big rewards on my credit card for gas. The closest station to me has credit card price the same as cash. The cost is only 1 or 2 cents difference (up or down) from the Arco across the street.

I'm really liking these gas shops. Once I didn't pay for gas out of pocket for a over a month.
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