Credit card at the pumps

[Csaks]

I remember reading here somewhere about what to do at American gas pumps with the postal code. Some had the old 90210 thing and other suggestions. Getting ready to take off next Friday morning and found this on the MasterCard site.
https://www.mastercard.ca/en-ca/consumers/features-benefits/travel-tips/mastercard-pay-at-pump.html

I hope it works, I hate guessing how much I'll need then under shoot it and have to go without a full tank or over shooting it and having to go back inside.
Has it worked for anyone?

 

[hcortesis]

Yes, that will work. The 3 numbers in your postal code followed by 2 zeros.

 

[hardis5]

This is the way I've used for a number of years. Works with both MC and Visa with us.

 

[starvenger]

XXX00 didn't work for me before as that zip code doesn't actually exist (which was a previous requirement), but XXX01 did, so I've been using that. Haven't actually tried the 00 in a few years, but I will give it a go on my next road trip.

 

[StarSeven7]

We use XXX00 frequently and it works fine for us.

 

[xlxo]

Another tip..... Anyone with a Costco MasterCard? Since September 2017, I've been able to use my Costco MasterCard at Washington and Oregon Costco gasbars. Ignore the Visa requirement.

I'll let others test other US states.

 

[isabellea]

xxx00 or xxx01 works 95% of the time for us.

 

[cdnSpinalTap]

It finally worked for us this year as well (Rogers Mastercard). For some reason, I previously had it in my head to add 3 zeros at the end. This year it clicked that I only needed 2, and lo and behold, it worked.

 

[Sue M]

Another tip..... Anyone with a Costco MasterCard? Since September 2017, I've been able to use my Costco MasterCard at Washington and Oregon Costco gasbars. Ignore the Visa requirement.

I'll let others test other US states.

Good to know. I thought they wouldn’t accept anything but Visa.

 

[Sue M]

I usually fill up at a Costco, they’re the ones who told me to use xxx00. But I also get a Speedy gift card when driving up to WDW from Ft Lauderdale because I return car rental at the Disney CCC and Speedy is right there so I can fill my tank before returning car. And I don’t totally trust the xxx00. It doesn’t always work. And I don’t like using Credit Cards at gas stations. They are higher risk of being compromised there.

 

[Csaks]

Works just fine. No denial yet.

 

[bankr63]

Quick update based on last week's experience.

Agree this works 95% of the time. We drove (5000km total), so several fill ups. The one place where this did not work was at the 7-Eleven gas station at the corner of 535 and World Center Drive near Disney. Refused both nnn00 and nnn02 (valid zip). I moved on to the Shell station down the 535 a bit, where I ran into the biggest gas scam in the area. I know that many stations charge around $0.10 more per gallon for credit (reasonable), but these guys jack the price $1.10 per gallon for credit card users - there are a couple of very bad Shell franchises in the area, so just a warning to pay attention at the pump and look closely at the price before you pump. Moved down the road the other direction to the RaceTrack station - my card worked without issue, and absolutely no surcharge for credit.

Another gas station thing to watch for. I think I got pranked by some idiot. Many have noticed that they still have the fill latches on the handles in the US (removed at all stations here, at least in Ontario) that lock the handle on until full. Some !@#!@ had latched the handle open after filling their tank, and I didn't notice. I hit the grade button on the pump with the nozzle still in my hand as gas started to spew out of the nozzle. I know, proper SOP is to put the nozzle in the filler first, but sometimes we get lazy. I did slam it into the tank filler pretty quick and really only spilled about a half cup of gasoline, luckily missing myself in the process. I can't begin to describe the things I was wishing on the perpetrator and their family, heirs and relations however.

 

[Csaks]

7-Eleven was the only place it didn't work for me.

 

[migel]

We drove back and forth from the Niagara area to Disney over March Break. I had about a 75% success rate using the postal/zip code trick using my CIBC Visa. At least two fill ups required no zip code or PIN. Handy trick!

 

[DavidL]

We drove down the length of the I75 (crossed over into Michigan @ Port Huron) and had 100% success rate of using the 3 digits of postal code followed by 00 on our Chase Amazon Visa (RIP Chase card as of March 15..) and our new Rogers Mastercard. Not all pumps asked for zipcode, but for those that did, the 3 digits followed by 00 worked fine.

I found it amusing that others had troubles with 7-Eleven in Orlando. We experienced the same years ago, and have avoided their pumps since that time.

 

[bankr63]

We drove down the length of the I75 (crossed over into Michigan @ Port Huron) and had 100% success rate of using the 3 digits of postal code followed by 00 on our Chase Amazon Visa (RIP Chase card as of March 15..) and our new Rogers Mastercard. Not all pumps asked for zipcode, but for those that did, the 3 digits followed by 00 worked fine.

I found it amusing that others had troubles with 7-Eleven in Orlando. We experienced the same years ago, and have avoided their pumps since that time.

And it is still a problem. I was using exactly the same cards as you as well!