Buc-ee’s fans just discovered a frustrating catch with gift cards

Some Buc-ee’s customers are complaining of pain at the pump—and it’s not the surge in gas prices that’s to blame, but rather the chain’s pay-at-the-pump policy.

While it’s common practice for gas stations to require customers paying for gas with cash to prepay with a cashier, Buc-ee’s 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 by the Austin American-Statesman. The new policy is intended to speed up transactions and prevent people from shopping while their car sits at the gas pump.

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.

VIRAL VIDEO, BACKLASH

Griffin McCarty, a Florida-based content creator, posted a video on TikTok in mid-March that’s since amassed nearly 1 million views in which he takes out his frustration on Buc-ee’s merchandise after apparently going out of his way to drive to a location in St Augustine to fill up his tank—only to be told that gift cards can’t be used to pay for gas. 

As is true of any video that goes viral, many people were quick to take sides. Some people sided with McCarty, saying it’s “crazy” that customers can’t pay for gas with a Buc-ee’s gift card, while others pointed to some fine print on the cards themselves indicating they can’t be used to pay for gas.

Buc-ee’s didn’t immediately respond to a request by Fast Company to clarify its policy for allowing customers to pay for gasoline with gift cards.

The terms and conditions for its gift cards states simply that “Buc-ee’s gift cards are redeemable at any instore Buc-ee’s accepted locations.” Meanwhile, one customer also sought to crowdsource the answer on Reddit, where a couple commenters confirmed that gift cards can’t be used to pay for gas.

BUC-EE’S PUSHES GIFT CARDS

Adding perhaps more fuel to the fire is the fact that Buc-ee’s touts its gift cards on its website, greeting customers on its home page with an all-caps message: “GIFT CARDS AVAILABLE NOW.” Even while completing the required information to purchase a gift card—or “Beaver Bucks,” as they’re known—the private company doesn’t offer any disclaimers about whether the cards can be used for gas.

While some customers are upset over the company’s new policies, others used the opportunity to vent their frustrations with the chain more broadly. The company has been on an expansion tear in recent years, with more than 50 travel centers now located in 12 states, and some fans complain that the quality of everything from food to the overall experience has deteriorated.  

PAIN AT THE PUMP

Given the surge in gas prices in the weeks since the Iran war began, it’s understandable that some cash-strapped customers may be trying to pay for gas with gift cards. The national average for a gallon of regular gasoline has risen more than $1 per gallon to $4.16 this week, according to AAA.
And drivers may continue to feel the pain through the end of the year, even if the Strait of Hormuz opens. A recent analysis by four scholars at the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research estimated that the spike in gas prices related to the war could wipe out the tax refunds touted by the The President administration and see the average household pay $857 more for gasoline over the rest of the year.

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