Do Not Use Your Debit Card to Pay at the Pump

If you use your debit card at a pump that does not require a PIN, the station regularly will block out an amount -- often $50 or $75 -- on your card.
That amount doesn't "un-block" as you drive away. Instead, the hold remains until that evening, and sometimes for up to several days, until the station does a "batch" transaction, according to the U.S. Public Interest Research Group.
Each big oil company has a different policy:
* Shell places a $75 hold for gas purchases, and it can stay in place for as long as three business days.
* British Petroleum places a $75 hold on accounts when customers use debit or credit cards, but the hold is usually lifted after about two hours, said spokeswoman Sarah Howell. The same policy applies at its Amoco and Arco stations, Howell said.
* Chevron applies only a $1 hold to debit cards, to ensure that a card is active, says a spokeswoman.