As the price of gasoline continues to rise, rules to prevent credit card fraud at the nation's pumps are confusing consumers who just want a full tank of gas.
Caps on transaction amounts _ or the total dollar amount of gas a customer can pump into their car _ are limiting some drivers of gas-guzzling vehicles.
"When I go to the gas station I now have to use two credit cards just for one tank of gas," said Paul Brisgone of Oxford, Pa. "Kind of defeats the convenience of pay-at-the-pump."
Brisgone, a field operations manager for a telecommunications company, said he alternates between three different credit cards _ two Visa and one MasterCard _ when filling up the 32-gallon tank in his Ford F-150 pickup.
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"When I can go 400 miles a day, it inconveniences me if I need a full tank of gas and can't get one," Brisgone said.
Credit card companies say the policies, which aren't new, are designed to ensure that merchants and consumers are protected from fraudulent transactions that could occur at a gas pump.
When a customer uses their credit card at a cardholder-activated terminal, such as a gas pump, the transaction is authorized without knowing the final bill of sale.
Typically, consumers who use their credit card are not liable for any fraudulent purchases, and gas merchants are not liable either.
But credit card companies have established a protective layer by setting caps on how much gas a consumer can pump at any one given time.