Amex Pre-Auth

[BudC2]

Do all Amex cards pre-auth for large amounts or just Navy Fed?  The last threads on this were from around 2011-2012.  My NFCU More Rewards Amex pre-auths at Sam's gas for about $150 and at Walmart's Murphy for $175. Funny thing is I only got 1 gallon at Murphy for the snowblower.  Just curious if Amex BCE does the same thing.

[citymunky]

Based off my experience, it is not so much of the card issuer that puts that amount as a pre-auth, it's the gas station.

(Ex. I got gas at leaster know gas station last week, and the pre-auth was $200 on my Discover card, where normally it's just a $1 with Shell, ExxonMobil, BP, etc.  There was also I time I stopped at a truck stop for gas, and pre-auth was $500 on my corporate card).

[Jenmarick]

I've only had one gas station not pre-auth on my Amex HH but all the other gas stations held like $175. 

[BudC2]

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@citymunky wrote:

Based off my experience, it is not so much of the card issuer that puts that amount as a pre-auth, it's the gas station.

(Ex. I got gas at leaster know gas station last week, and the pre-auth was $200 on my Discover card, where normally it's just a $1 with Shell, ExxonMobil, BP, etc.  There was also I time I stopped at a truck stop for gas, and pre-auth was $500 on my corporate card).

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I've never had pre-auths like that with Visa or MasterCard.  That's the reason for the question specifically on Amex. Good to know Discovery is that way also although I didn't see myself getting a Discover card. I won't do rotating categories. I like a sure thing and don't want more credit cards than can fit in my wallet when I'm done setting myself up for retirement. Having 20 or 30 or more credit cards is a sign of an addiction (or irresponsibility) to me, not solid financial planning.

[KatzNDawgs]

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@BudC2 wrote:

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@citymunky wrote:

Based off my experience, it is not so much of the card issuer that puts that amount as a pre-auth, it's the gas station.

(Ex. I got gas at leaster know gas station last week, and the pre-auth was $200 on my Discover card, where normally it's just a $1 with Shell, ExxonMobil, BP, etc.  There was also I time I stopped at a truck stop for gas, and pre-auth was $500 on my corporate card).

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I've never had pre-auths like that with Visa or MasterCard.  That's the reason for the question specifically on Amex. Good to know Discovery is that way also although I didn't see myself getting a Discover card. I won't do rotating categories. I like a sure thing and don't want more credit cards than can fit in my wallet when I'm done setting myself up for retirement. Having 20 or 30 or more credit cards is a sign of an addiction (or responsibility) to me, not solid financial planning.

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I know I have had gas station pre-auths with MC and probably Visa (though that one I can't recall exactly), so I think it is more gas station specific rather than card issuer.

[JoeRockhead]

Retailers are 100% behind pre-authorizations through their payment processor for a predetermined amount, and applies to any/all processing networks they choose. It's most common in situations where the final amount is unknown, such as hotel stays, car rentals, or fuel purchases.