Well these days credit cards have an authorization function where they can hold $50 or $100 and then when done can release the hold and charge you the proper amount.
And cash is rare enough that they don’t mind inconveniencing those people anymore.
In Europe it blocks €300. Fuel prices are high. Sometimes a payment doesn’t go through as it should and the remaining amount isn’t released. Then you get an article in the newspaper of someone complaining their couldn’t pay in the shop because 300 was blocked on their account. These things resolve themselves as the bank does a check automatically after a day or two but some folks get caught close to payday.
A debit card payment is settled immediately. A credit card payment is actually a small loan that’s settled at the end of the month. This goes back to the time that shops made a carbon copy of the card, fill in the amount and let the buyer sign it. That’s why the numbers were raised. Basically they were used as cheques.
How do you pay before you know how much you need?
Pay the clerk. If you can’t fit x litres/gallons/whatevers, you go back to the clerk and they give you the remaining balance back.
Well these days credit cards have an authorization function where they can hold $50 or $100 and then when done can release the hold and charge you the proper amount.
And cash is rare enough that they don’t mind inconveniencing those people anymore.
In Europe it blocks €300. Fuel prices are high. Sometimes a payment doesn’t go through as it should and the remaining amount isn’t released. Then you get an article in the newspaper of someone complaining their couldn’t pay in the shop because 300 was blocked on their account. These things resolve themselves as the bank does a check automatically after a day or two but some folks get caught close to payday.
Credit cards? What’s that?
It’s a piece of plastic used in financial transactions, but that’s not important right now.
You mean like a debit card but worse?
Credit cards are more secure.
A debit card payment is settled immediately. A credit card payment is actually a small loan that’s settled at the end of the month. This goes back to the time that shops made a carbon copy of the card, fill in the amount and let the buyer sign it. That’s why the numbers were raised. Basically they were used as cheques.
Personally, I estimate. I have a quarter of a tank, I need 3/4 of a tank. That’s 9 gallons. Times $3.63 is $32.67. I get $30 on pump whatever