Here’s a sneaky little trick that gas stations around the country have been using to squeeze a few more cents from their customers. Make sure you catch it before it happens to you!

Basically, you arrive at a gas station expecting to pay the prices as posted. You swipe your credit card to pay for the gas and to your surprise, a few more cents (anywhere for 20-50 cents) have been tacked on!

The gas stations call this their “credit card usage fee”. Since when?! Gas stations defend this fee stating the prices quotes on their billboards are for cash transactions only.

It’s no secret that gas prices have risen around the country and everyone is feeling the pinch, and that includes gas station owners themselves. Apparently the profit margins on running a gas stations are pretty slim, and that includes credit card transaction fees. Hence, instead of raising prices on the front end (and driving away any new potential customers), stations will pass the fees on to the customers on the backend.

One way to avoid this problem is just pay cash if you can. But with gas prices this high, who carries around that much cash on them? I see a strategic ploy here as well from gas station owners. When you pay cash, you are forced to go inside to the cashier, and probably wait in line. As we all know, convenience store owners fill the “line waiting” area full of impulse buy items and snacks, hoping you will add a few more things to your checkout.

Driver beware!