Pre-paying for gas can leave you broke, says B.C. driver

(CBC) - The only way to prevent getting hosed at the pumps is to pay with cash, says Barbara Donnelly of Keremeos, B.C.

When she bought a small amount of gas Tuesday, Donnelly said the Hilltop Esso gas station put a $100 hold on her credit card.

"I bought $10 worth of gas then ... I went in to buy some groceries on my way home and my card was declined and I know I didn't spend that much," Donnelly told CBC News Wednesday.

Under Grant's Law, which took effect on Feb. 1, patrons are required to pre-pay for fuel at all gas stations throughout the province.

The changes follow hearings by WorkSafeBC - the B.C. agency responsible for worker safety - after the death of gas station attendant Grant De Patie in March 2005. He was dragged to his death under a car when he tried to stop a driver from leaving a gas station in Maple Ridge without paying.

Donnelly said she was unaware that gas companies are allowed to put a $100 hold on patrons' credit cards if they are only buying a small amount of gas.

Mary Munroe, the manager of the Hilltop Esso Station, said her company told her putting a hold on credit cards is a "safety procedure."

"If somebody used their credit card and they bought $100 worth of gas, then went all around town and used their credit card and exceeded it, then Esso wouldn't be able to get their money," Munroe said.

The same practice applies to patrons using debit cards for fuel, Munroe said. The computer pre-authorizes and freezes that $100 in the debit card account. If a customer does not have $100 in the bank, they cannot buy gas.

An employee at a Vancouver Shell gas station told CBC News that they put a $110 hold on credit cards but it's lifted as soon as patrons put the nozzle back in the pump.

A Chevron gas station employee said their company puts a $100 hold on cards for 24 hours, while an employee with Petro-Canada said they don't put on a hold at all.

From now on, Donnelly said she will pay cash for her gas.

"Do not pay at the pumps Pay in the store" she said.