Pilot Travel Centers to refuse credit cards

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Pilot Travel Centers is the latest fuel retailer and service station chain to stop accepting Visa and MasterCard at the pump.

According to Land Line magazine, the official publication for the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, drivers who want to use those credit cards without having to walk inside to the cashier’s desk can no longer do so.

In May, the magazine reported that Flying J Truckstops was refusing Visa for diesel purchases at the pump. The decision was made due to Visa charging 5 cents per gallon for processing fees per transaction.

The Pilot case is a little different. An official with the company said it stooped accepting the credit cards so it could stop hemorrhaging “significant” quarterly losses due to “chargebacks” — the charge credit card banks pass on to merchants after a cardholder claims fraud or incorrect charges.

Pilot — which has 300 retail locations in the U.S., and one in Tilbury, Ont. — says it’s planning on introducing an alternative solution for truckers to pay at the pump.


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