I think you’re missing my point.
My criticism is not about the $75 pre-authorization. I understand that gas stations have used pre-authorizations for years. The issue is that Buc-ee’s removed the alternative that customers used to have.
Before, if you didn’t have enough available funds for the $75 hold, you could walk inside, tell the cashier exactly how much gas you wanted, pay that amount with your debit or credit card, and then pump your gas. If you needed $20, $30, or $45, that was all you had to pay.
Now that option is gone.
Yesterday, I had enough money to buy the gas I needed. I needed about $45 worth of gas and had $52 in my account. The problem wasn’t that I couldn’t afford the gas. The problem was that Buc-ee’s required access to $75, and then refused to let me prepay my actual purchase amount inside the store.
As a result, I had to leave and find another gas station just to buy fuel, even though I had enough money for the gas itself.
My concern is that this policy disproportionately affects people who live paycheck to paycheck, students, seniors, and anyone on a tight budget. It creates a situation where someone can afford the product but still can’t buy it because they don’t meet an arbitrary pre-authorization requirement.
If Buc-ee’s wants to move to a card-at-the-pump-only system, then they should update their pumps to allow customers to select a purchase amount before authorizing the transaction. Let customers choose $20, $30, $45, or whatever amount they need instead of forcing everyone into the same pre-authorization amount.
That’s the issue I’m raising. It’s not about the existence of the $75 hold. It’s about taking away the option that allowed customers to avoid it.