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Some Buc-ee\u2019s customers are complaining of pain at the pump\u2014and it\u2019s not the surge in gas prices that\u2019s to blame, but rather the chain\u2019s pay-at-the-pump policy.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
While it\u2019s common practice for gas stations to require customers paying for gas with cash to prepay with a cashier, Buc-ee\u2019s instituted a new policy in March that affects customers paying with credit or debit cards. Customers paying with credit or debit cards are now required to pay at the pump, and can no longer pay at the register, as reported<\/a> by the Austin American-Statesman<\/em>. The new policy is intended to speed up transactions and prevent people from shopping while their car sits at the gas pump.<\/p>\n But where does that leave customers who want to pay for gas with gift cards? Herein lies the recent hullabaloo for the Lake Jackson, Texas-based chain of travel centers.<\/p>\n Griffin McCarty, a Florida-based content creator, posted a video on TikTok<\/a> in mid-March that\u2019s since amassed nearly 1 million views in which he takes out his frustration on Buc-ee\u2019s merchandise after apparently going out of his way to drive to a location in St Augustine to fill up his tank\u2014only to be told that gift cards can\u2019t be used to pay for gas.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n As is true of any video that goes viral, many people were quick to take sides. Some people sided with McCarty, saying it\u2019s \u201ccrazy\u201d that customers can\u2019t pay for gas with a Buc-ee\u2019s gift card, while others pointed to some fine print on the cards themselves indicating they can\u2019t be used to pay for gas.<\/p>\n Buc-ee\u2019s didn\u2019t immediately respond to a request by Fast Company<\/em> to clarify its policy for allowing customers to pay for gasoline with gift cards.<\/p>\n The terms and conditions<\/a> for its gift cards states simply that \u201cBuc-ee\u2019s gift cards are redeemable at any instore Buc-ee\u2019s accepted locations.\u201d Meanwhile, one customer also sought to crowdsource the answer on Reddit<\/a>, where a couple commenters confirmed that gift cards can\u2019t be used to pay for gas.<\/p>\n<\/div>\nVIRAL VIDEO, BACKLASH<\/h2>\n