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Fuel purchases on Ramp

What are fuel charges?

Fuel charges are made at a gas pump; a customer typically swipes or taps their card, and then gets as much gas as they need. Ramp uses the VISA network, which processes fuel charges in a very specific way.

 

Why are these charges different?

The final purchase amount is uncertain at the time the card is swiped because the card swipe occurs before the gas fill-up. This means that an authorization hold (a pending charge) is temporarily put on your card, which is later changed to the amount actually spent on the gas purchase (note that if the temporary authorization exceeds your card limit, your card will be declined).

 

Here's an example of how a fuel transaction works:

  1. I swipe my card at the gas pump
  2. A pending charge between $75-$300 is immediately put onto my card
  3. I fill up my tank with $35 worth of gas, and leave the gas station
  4. The pending charge is later changed to $35, and clears

 

What are the limitations of using a Ramp card for fuel purchases?

The authorization amount will vary based on the gas station; however your Ramp card in general will only be able to guarantee a gas station authorization of up to $75. This means that, when filling up at the pump with a Ramp card, you may only be able to purchase up to $75 worth of gas at a time.

 

How can I get more than $75 worth of gas?

We understand that this limitation is frustrating, and we're working on a solution for our customers. In the meantime, there are two things you can do to get more than $75 worth of gas at a time:

  1. Pay inside. When you pay at the cash register, you are not limited to the $75 authorization amount.
  2. Pay multiple times. Although you can only get $75 worth of gas in a single charge, you can immediately run the card again, and fill up with more gas.

What are some best practices for using Ramp as a fuel card?

  1. Set up a category restriction to only allow fuel purchases
  2. Give fuel cards a high limit, to account for the temporary authorization holds that will be added by the gas station
  3. Create a specific submission policy for fuel cards