I'm not sure it's a trend yet, but I've noticed a number of gas stations going back to the old days charging a higher price to pay with a credit card. Except nowadays, with pay at the pump, it's much more of a PITA to pay with cash. (except if you live in NJ with mandatory full serve).

Rat b@$t@rd oil companies.

Technically it's not 'higher' for credit card, it's lower for cash.

Right but that's the point, they want to give you an incentive to go IN the shop part and maybe buy something, cuz that's where their profit comes from.

Has ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with oil companies.

I do like not going inside, I just slide and pay...

And bit said, they want you to go inside b/c their profit is from sales from inside the store, not from gas.

maybe--but i'm also seeing it at little service stations without mini marts.

and--anyone who thinks that it is a coincidence that, now, after years of pay at the pump, once gas prices cross $3.50 a gallon, that gas stations are suddenly bringing back "discounts" for cash to get you inside to buy more stuff, is just fooling themselves.

haven't noticed.

I still use my discover gas card with 5% cashback.

How much of a difference is it?

hmm....I have never realize it before, I might need to look into it....

Just some ideas....
1. Increased fraud. Like I have noticed a lot of big gas stations ask for your zip code now when u use your card.
2. The gas station has to pay a company everytime the card is swiped.
3. They want cash only to do some fraudulent accounting.

Well sure, here's the math...

Gas station pays probably 2% on Visa/Mastercard. At $4/gallon that's 8c. So if they give you 4c for cash they make 4c more on a gallon of gas.

When gas was $2/gallon they'd make nothing with a 4c discount so it wasn't worth bothering with.

Nothing devious, underhanded, sinister, or a conspiracy here...

Over here the difference between cash and credit is $.02... 13 gallons x $.02 = $.26... would you really go in and pay cash?

I'm one of those that if the pump reads, "pay inside" due to a malfunction I drive off to the next station. Cannot stand going inside those places and dealing with someone, leave the card, go back in after it is filled up,etc... Waste of my time. And cash? Who carries that stuff around these days?

Ballers...

I went to a gas station that makes you pay inside. The clerk came on the speaker to tell me that so I put the cap back on and went to the gas station across the street. AT&T is charging people 5 dollars more on your bill if you pay it in their stores.