Prepay or At-the-Pump

When you were 3 years old, you learned your alphabet. Yeah, L-M-N-O-P was challenging, but A-B-C-D-E... and you were off and running. Never thought the the letter E appearing on your dashboard would make you cringe so much like it does today.

When the yellow or orange needle slowly descends upon the letter E, it's time to refill the tank. No matter how you look at it, gas is still hell-a expensive. Would you have ever imagined that $3.45 per gallon would be considered a deal? Amazing isn't.

In this particular post I'm not focusing on the gas prices per say. Everyone knows we're being pimped by the oil companies and the governmental officials that build their Hampton estates on our use at the pump. That being said, have you ever considered the effect and differences of paying at the pump vrs prepaying the cashier. This was a topic on a past FatGuyRadioShow Episode, I'll have to go back into the archives to dig it out for you.

When you and I arrive at the pump, if you're in a rush, you can't get your wallet our of your pocket or purse quick enough to slide that card at the pump. Others, may
have a little more time or may only have cash to which you hoof it into the store to pay the cashier at the counter. When you slide you card at the pump, you have full control over how much gas you want to put into your car. You control the handle, you decide when to stop and when to go. When you walk into the store and give your cash or use your card in the store (for whatever reason you would use a card inside) you have now submitted mercy to the cashier and the computer program controlling your pump.

Paying at the pump allows you to pull that trigger and let the gas flow. Prepaying allows the pump to preset when to come on and when to go off. My argument is such, after paying at the pump the flow of gas is continuous until you let go of the handle. This does have it's downfalls, because I've been a victim of the broken release lever. You arrive at the pump, you pay at the pump, you tell yourself I'm only going to put in $30. When that pump gets to $29.80 you go into penny counter mode with your hand on the trigger, soon as you see $29.97 you release the lever only to have the auto lock stay in place and by time you get the auto lock to release, you just pumped $32 worth of gas. And if you used your debit card and the account only had $30 to begin with, that extra $2 just cost you $35 additional dollars in an overdraft fee. It has it's downfalls.

However, the steady flow of gas will flow until you either top off your tank or you reach the stations preset security limit. Yes, every pump has an automatic shut off. Most auto shut offs are set at $75. Ask a boat or RV owner, they have to alert the cashier to allow complete free flow or they will end up swiping their card more than once just to fill their tanks. But the flow of gas is consistent until you say stop.

When you prepay at the pump say $30 with the cashier, when the pump reaches $29.50 it starts to lesson the flow of gas stopping at $30 your prepaid amount.

Being able to control a steady flow vrs a control slow down flow, has got to give you more in the end. I haven't tested this theory yet, gas stations kind of frown on doing investigative studies with highly flammable materials on their property. But it would be one for the record.

So I will always pay at the pump, because it allows more control and avoids the prepaid flow slow. Which I have experienced at more than one gas station, when the gas flow slowed I pulled the censor back and for the last $0.05 cents there wasn't a drop of gas coming out that pump. I don't suggest you pull a gas pump out of our tank, but I just had a feeling. But there wasn't a damn thing I could have done about it.

Prepay vrs Pay at the Pump. It's your call, the numbers don't lie.