I stopped at a different station today and was a bit surprised today when I saw a $126 charge pending.
I did a bit of reading and apparently this is becoming the norm with many companies. Instead of merely testing your card with a $1 charge, they are locking down $50/$100/$250 chunks to make sure they get paid.
The amount seems to vary based on the gas station and the type of card, but it is perfectly legal (look for the new warning labels on the pump). American Express seems to be the worst with pre-authorization charges of up to $250.
This can be a big deal for people who use debit cards for gas.
Let's say you have $110 in the bank and you buy $20 in gas but the station pre-authorizes $100. That extra $80 us unusable until the hold clears, which can be several days (especially on weekends). People have been left with no money to buy food due to this practice, and almost no customers realize it is happening until they get a declined charge.
The only way to bypass this is to go inside the station and pre-pay a specific amount.
