So I had to travel across Ohio yesterday to pick someone up unexpectedly. The person I had to pick up was waiting at one of those Love’s gas stations and I need to put some gas in the car to have enough to return home. I have a sedan and put in about $30 worth. I check my credit card online to plan how much I need to set aside to pay off my credit cards and they placed a $175 hold for that $30 purchase of fuel. This post is to warn everyone else about these holds. There is a class action lawsuit on this as well.
This is correct. $100 used to be the standard, and a notice on many pumps still says that. If you are using credit, it shouldn’t be a big deal. You really shouldn’t be using credit right up to the limit anyway, so a few days shouldn’t be a big deal.
OTOH, if you are using debit (or similar), that’s actual money out of your pocket that you can’t spend.
I recommend using a credit card anyway, since there are many with completely free rewards. Some even have 5% cash back, which is money right back into your pocket.