In the early days of this blog, I wrote a post about gas pumps and how they think humans are stupid. Now that I think about it, I may have started this blog specifically to write that post. For a long time, that one post brought people to this site, and it still leads as the most read thing that I have written. To understand this post, I encourage you to read “The Problem With Gas Pumps.”
I was hoping that the years would bring gas pumps that thought more highly of us, but, alas, that has not happened. My regular gas station just installed new pumps that are slick. You can even watch television while standing under the bright neon lights. Unfortunately, they have not learned anything about the intelligence of people.
When you get to the pump, this is the first screen that you see.
That is easy enough. I am using a credit card, so I hit the button that says “Pay Here with Credit.” Now, the pump knows my intentions. That is when the next screen pops up. It says “Insert Credit Card.”
That makes sense. I told the gas pump that I was using a credit card. Now, it wants my credit card. I put the credit card in the slot.
Now, this screen pops up.
Wait a minute. It is asking “Debit Y/N.” Why is it asking this question? I already told the gas pump that I am using a credit card. I inserted the credit card. Now, it is asking if it is a credit card. Do people go through the credit card process only to insert a debit card? Does it happen enough that the gas pump has to ask this question of everyone?
That is my problem with gas pumps. They think humans are too dumb to know the difference between a credit card and a debit card. They think that we would go through that entire process to only use the wrong one. I have a real problem with gas pumps thinking we are that dumb.
I have written about this before, and I will probably write about it again.
SBI: A Thinning Crowd 
I hate to ruin this, but my debit card can be used as a credit card. It really all comes out of the same account, but for some reason, some places won’t take debit cards, so you can make it a credit card. And — I doubt my husband knows this. He just follows the prompts. And he’s not dumb, just … well … just that way.
I understand. I just think that when I declare credit, then it should know that I mean credit. If I meant debit, then I would have pushed the debit button. I am just not sure it should have to ask twice.
We have ‘pay at pump’ lanes. What really irritates me is that people use them and then go to the kiosk to pay. The whole point of ‘pay at pump’ is to speed things up!
That would be really upsetting.
This is why in New Jersey we can’t pump our own gas.
Really? In Oregon, they had people who pumped gas for you. I thought we had gone back in time.
Do you have similar “debit or credit” experiences when at a grocery store or when you use a specific card? I’ve got a credit card that, to my knowledge, has only ever been in the credit card business (though, now there may be some student loan business), and when I use it at certain grocery stores, it’ll ask me if I want cashback. I think to myself, “it’s not a debit card!” Or, am I equating debit card with bank card and they can in fact be different things?
I don’t know. My credit card is only a credit card. However, I know some can be used as both. My whole issue is that when the gas pump or the person operating the cash register knows that it’s credit, then they shouldn’t ask again.
Ah, indeed. Maybe the people who choose the debit card option have to re-confirm that “Y” it’s a debit card.
The more “simple” tech we have the more complicated things seem and even just downright silly. When I got my first Florida teaching certificate in 1971 info was stored on 5 x 8 cards. Processing was quicker then than in today’s “modern” computer world.Thanks for your recent visit to my blog.
Thanks. In my classroom, the whiteboard never breaks down. I can’t say the same for a PowerPoint presentation.