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The zip code is needed for credit card validation. Stolen credit cards are often used to pump as much gas as possible before the cardholder notices, which could
by tn1 5y ago
The zip code is needed for credit card validation. Stolen credit cards are often used to pump as much gas as possible before the cardholder notices, which could then be resold or used by the criminals.
Requiring the zip code is just a barrier to that
- mbg721 5y agoWhat's the fail-condition for non-US cards? Do they accept any Zip code you enter, reject everything, or expect you to enter something like the postal code digits plus zeroes?
- jcrawfordor 5y agoThe card issuer ultimately decides and I suspect it varies. These things can be pretty annoying internationally though, I've had the opposite problem that Canadian gas pumps won't take my US credit card and I have to pay inside - I think because for whatever reason Canadian credit card terminals want a signature slip every time I use my card, which based on cashier confusion I take it is unusual for Canadian issuers. Mexican credit card terminals don't do this, so there's something more inconsistent than just international transactions, I assume it's an irritating interaction of the network trying to line up the schemes in the various countries. Amusingly debit cards tend to be less of a pain this way since the North American countries are mostly on the same interbank network and the rules have changed less over time.
- mbg721 5y agoI wondered about that the last time I drove to Canada (about ten years ago), and I just kind of held my breath and the gas pumps all worked.