Cash App is becoming a popular option to pay for your everyday purchases. This guide will walk you through the steps on how to use your Cash App Card to make payments at gas stations.
First things first, you need to have a Cash App Debit Card to make payments at a gas station or purchase groceries using Cash App funds. You cannot pay directly pay with Cash App funds yet. This is unless you have added your Cash App card to a wallet like Apple Pay (more on this later)
If you don’t have a Cash App Card, you can apply for the same in the app. You can check here for the steps to apply for Cash Card for this purpose.
Just like your Debit Card pulls funds from your bank balance, Cash App Card uses the funds in your Cash App Account Balance for making payments.
Using Cash App Card at Gas Station
You can use your Cash App Card at a gas station, like a normal debit card. Swipe the Cash Card over the card reader at the gas pump and enter your PIN to pay for the fuel. But do note that gas stations may charge your Cash Card, with a temporary authorization hold of up to $100, to check the balance, which gets reversed later.
Due to this hold charge, your card is debited for an amount greater than the cost of the gas your bought. This hold is also called a pre-authorization charge and used to check if you have sufficient funds and get auto-reversed later. The same charge is also applicable on any debit card that you may use at a gas pump.
But you can also AVOID this charge, by going inside and pre-paying for the fuel at the register for the actual amount of gas you want to get (instead of swiping your card at the pump)
In case, you choose to swipe at the gas station pump (without going inside), make sure you have enough balance in your Cash App account- to cover the additional hold charge and avoid a decline.
The gas pump places a hold (pre-authorization charges) because they don’t know what the final amount of gas will be. The amount of hold varies between different Gas stations. For some gas stations, it can even exceed $100.
Your actual cost of gas gets charged later as a separate transaction that releases the authorization hold.
Most people get confused about these charges. They also have complaints about the delay in refund of this pre-authorization charge. It’s actually a temporary block on your funds and can be a bit of a pain.
The best way again is just to go inside and prepay at the register before you pump the gas. By doing this, your account gets charged for the exact amount, without any temporary hold. This is against paying at the pump where you can’t tell what your total charge will be.
It can be a bit inconvenient as it requires walking in and estimating the amount of gas you need. But it saves you from the pain of having to wait for a refund of the hold charges.
You can experience delays in getting the refund of these pre-authorization charges i.e. 1-5 business days depending on the merchant and the bank involved.
Another alternative method you can explore is by using Cash App Card with Apple Pay.
Alternative- Add Cash App Card to Apple Pay for Gas
Another alternative you can explore is by adding your Cash App Card in Apple Pay as a payment method. Then pay using Apple Pay at the pump by holding your iPhone over the NFC reader (Wi-Fi symbol) at the gas pump to pay with Apple Pay, using your Cash App Card .
This also works using Google Pay.
You can also pay using the Gas Station App at certain gas stations (like Chevron, Shell etc.) which have their own mobile app, which you can download and install on your mobile. In such cases, you can add Cash App Card or the Apple Pay (with Cash App card attached) as a payment method in such Gas Station App and make the payment in-app using only your mobile. You can refer to our guide on how to pay at Gas Stations using Apple Pay app on more details around this process.
Boost your pump
Time and again, you get boost offers on your Cash App. You can be lucky at times to find a boost offer for your gas purchases (like at Krogers Fuel Centers). It works best to use this boost at the pump by prepaying a fixed amount at the register at Gas Station.
It’s much better than to pay as you go at the pump which will again put you in confusion with hold charges. But you would get the Boost saving either ways.
If you are interested in further details, you can check my guide on how to use Cash App Boost with Cash App App Card.
Steps to Apply For a Cash Card ( if you don’t have it yet)
To apply for a Cash App Debit Card, you should complete verification of your Cash App account. This requires you to provide Social Security number (last 4 digits) and other details like full name and date of birth. This is a way to verify your identity and also confirm that your age is at least 18.
Once you have a verified account, you can apply for the Cash App Card using the steps below:
- Tap the Cash Card tab on the App home screen
- Press Get Cash Card below the Card image
- Tap Continue
- It will ask you to digitally sign and your signature is added to the card as a personalization
- Next you need to enter your mailing address where you want the card to be delivered
- Next you need to confirm a PIN for the card
Card number is generated immediately and you can see the virtual card on the app. In fact, the card can be used for online payment even before it is delivered. But the physical card takes 7-10 days to reach.
Cash App is not the only app that can be used at gas stations. You can also use alternatives like Venmo to pay for gas.
Wrap up
So you can conveniently pay at the gas stations using your Cash App funds. But you need to have the Cash App Card for it. And if you choose to prepay inside, you can avoid authorization hold charges.
If you are paying directly at pump, make sure you have adequate balance in Cash App account to cover the hold charges and be patient to get back the refund.
Hey so if I prepay at the register but I only use 50% of what I prepaid, does the remaining amount go back onto Cashapp ?
Hi, the excess is usually refunded back to your Cash Card in a day or two. But it is best to confirm this at the gas station, as it may vary across locations.