What the !@##@$

[HotHolly]

I just went to Sams Club to fill up with gas. They preauthed $100! What the heck is up with that!

[Debbi]

Too much, not enough? Seriously, the hubster's truck takes $100+ to fill up weekly. He has to get preauthorized.

[HotHolly]

Way too much! I drive an escort. It takes $20 to fill it up. They charged me 5x that amount and now I have to wait 10 days for my money to reappear in my checking account.

[Bruce M. Morris]

Sounds like some of the old Doonesbury comics from many yrs ago talkiing about the energy crisis. having to take out a loan to fill the gas tank, guys standing on the corner with long overcoats selling chances for a gallon of gas..

[Debbi]

Ouch! Obviously, not everyone preauthorizes for EVERY purchase. Now we have to read the fine print to buy gas. Grrrrrr. I "wish" it was only $20 to fill up my car and it's small.

[DEMDeepEllumMusic]

They don't TAKE $100 out of your account they just BLOCK $100 on your account the money is still there but you can't get to it which would tell you to pay cash next time.

[HotHolly]

Originally Posted by DEMDeepEllumMusic

They don't TAKE $100 out of your account they just BLOCK $100 on your account the money is still there but you can't get to it which would tell you to pay cash next time.

You can't pay cash at Sam's Club.

As for whether they take the money or not...What's the difference? I can't spend it for 10 days. So, if I fill up 2x this week using Sam's Club, I'll end up tying up an addition $160? That's not right. (Obviously not going there again - so you dont need to mention that, but I've been going there for 7 years, so Im a little taken by surprise).

And Debbi - they used to preauth $1. Thats it. This changed without notice - no fine print! Im slightly irked. And yes, I like my little car with gas prices this high, but preauthing 5x the amount of the sale is ridiculous. I think you'd choke if you found out they preauthed $500!

[Debbi]

No doubt about that. They need to at least have it posted so you can make the choice yourself.

[MarcoFromHouston]

And this is the reason I have started to ride the bus to work!

Were you able to use your card as a Debit/PIN transaction @ Sam's? When a PIN # is used, the transaction does not require an Authorization/HOLD.

Another advantage to using your card as Debit/PIN is that the transaction is processed thru your account in "real time"....so it is debited right away.

When you "charge" a transaction, the amount is authorized, and it effects your "available balance", but it does not post until 2 or 3 (or more...... up to 30!) business days later.

Have you spoken to your Financial Institution? They do have the ability to manually remove that Authorization/HOLD that is effecting the available balance in your checking account.

BTW...... I work with credit cards for a living.... can you tell?!?!

[HotHolly]

Thanks Marco. The bank said it was Sams Club and Sams Club said it was the bank. When I use my PIN it still does a $1 preauth and the actual amount disappears from the account about 10 days later. This time it did a $100 pre auth. No real time nothing with gas pumps. They all seem to do that. Sams Club said they would try to fix it, but no promises. B/T this and the USPS.com messing up a HUGE label order, I have over $200 tied up. And I just get to wait... It seems there is nothing I can do about it. Are they fibbing to me, Marco?

[Hogleg 44]

Wow!!! $100.00 is crazy! I buy gas at Kroger on my BOA Visa and they pre authorize $1.00.I said something at my bank one day and the cashier said they do that to make sure it is an actual account, then charge the balance after the sale is concluded.
Sams probably accepts WalMart gift cards, that being so, buy a $20 gift card next time you're in WalMart and use it to buy gas at Sams.

[HotHolly]

Sam's has NEVER done this before. I was totally shocked, as you can tell. The shock is wearing off. Anyway, gift card, debit card, credit card - it looks like it was trying to preauth the same amount on all of them. I hope a bunch of other people yell at them later. And I was hoping its a glitch, not a permanent change.

[MarcoFromHouston]

I guess that's why I work (and keep my account) at credit union....... We are a lot friendlier & understanding than banks (or so I've been brainwashed to say! ).

There is no way this is the bank's fault though. The merchant submits the authorization amounts...... the Financial Institution either approves or declines the request depending on the available balance and card status (Lost/Stolen/Closed).

Its really strange (and hard for me to believe) that the merchant authorizes an amount when you use the card as Debit/PIN. In my work & personal experience...... you pull up to the gas station (or ANY merchant for that matter), hit the Debit button (you should do that first!), then swipe your card and enter your PIN when prompted.

Another thing............. According to Visa/MasterCard.......... an authorization can only be "HELD" for three (3) CALENDAR days. After that time, it should no longer effect your available balance. Exceptions are provided to Car Rental Merchants, Hotels, Restaurants, etc.....

If you were a member of my credit union, and you called me with this problem...... I would have manually removed the $100 Authorization that is effecting your balance. I could also edit the amount to $1 if I wanted to.

[Hogleg 44]

Holly, a Gift Card is different than the other 2. You Buy a gift card paying for it up front at the checkout. It is pre-paid so there is no Pre Auth on it. you can only buy the actual amount of dollars that is on the card. That is how I buy all of my gas at WalMart. You get a 3 cent discount at the pump using that.

[AndrewCCM]

Good ol' Wally World. Wonder if the gas came from China too?

LOL