‘It’s not right;’ Gas station put $150 hold on local woman’s card after filling up at the pump

DAYTON — Some drivers in the Miami Valley are noticing gas stations in our area putting a large hold charged on their account when they pay at the pump.

Michelle Hunter, of Dayton, went to fill up her tank at the Sheetz on N. Dixie Drive last week and she was shocked when her $25 gas purchase showed up as a $150 charge in her bank account.

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As reported on News Center 7 at 6:00, Hunter first thought it was a scam.

“I canceled my card that night,” she said. “I went to the bank the next day, got a new card, {and} I went back to Sheetz to tell them that there was a scammer on pump 4. She said, ‘Oh no, that’s $150 hold.’”

The deposit operations manager at Monroe Federal, Kate Freiberger, said these gas stations are ensuring they get their money.

“Typically, when you purchase gas, you don’t know in advance how much you’re going to purchase,” Freiberger said.

According to AARP, it’s up to the gas station to set that hold amount.

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“Some gas stations will place the hold and then it will drop off as soon as that authorization completes and then they’ll just push through the authorization for the actual purchase,” Freiberger said. “But some gas stations, that hold doesn’t always drop off immediately.”

AARP said gas stations want to set the hold amount high enough to ensure people don’t have to fill up several times in one sitting.

Hunter told News Center 7′s Taylor Robertson that the $150 hold seems to be a bit too much.

“[You] pay your rent, you go get gas, and you’re on your way to get food and pampers for your kids and you have a three-day hold for up to $175. Who does that? And it’s not right,” Hunter said.

To avoid that hold charge, you can pay in cash, use a credit card instead of debit, or pay in the store.

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