HOUSTON — You might want to think twice about using a debit card to buy gas these days.
We're all paying close attention to how much we're spending at the pump, which explains why more people are now noticing the 'hold fees' tacked on to their gas purchases.
Some stations are even raising the hold they put on cards to as high as $150 or $175.
Linda Begley stopped to fill up her gas tank, but this time the gas pump hit her debit card for $125, almost draining her checking account.
"I used my debit card as I always do," Begley said. "And they've always taken out just the amount of gas. They put a $125 hold on a $32 gas purchase, which was four times the amount!"
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It's called a pre-authorization hold, and they're getting bigger as gas prices continue to rise.
Luckily for Begley, the charge was removed 24 hours later. But she wonders what would have happened had she needed her money that night.
"It really leaves people in a precarious situation if you need food, medicine, stuff for the baby or something," she said.
So why do pump holds exist in the first place?
Experts say it's a security measure to make sure you can afford that expensive fill up and aren't driving away with free gas.
"When you pull up to the pump, they don't know if you're gonna be putting in $10," Nathan Grant with MoneyTips says. "You could be getting a little bit or you could be filling up the entire tank."
The holds can happen with a credit or debit card. There's no industry standard, so holds can range from as little as $20 or more.
While stations decide the amount, your bank makes the hold.
So how can you avoid it?
Grant says to pay with cash, or pay with your card inside.
"If you park and go inside and pay at the register, that will alleviate the hold too," Grant said. "It's literally just paying at the pump, using the terminal itself with your card and everything."
So as stations raise the hold they put on cards, the easiest way to avoid it all is by not using your card at the pump, so you don't waste your money.