Jul 16, 2008 7:29 pm US/Eastern
Pay Cash And Save At Some Gas Stations
WORCESTER (WBZ) ―
Bursaw Gas & Oil of Acton is going green in more ways than one. While the company sells biofuel, it also gives discounts of a dime-per-gallon at its gas station if you pay cash instead of using a credit card.
"Oh I think it's great. More should do it," said Annette Grant of Acton.
Many more gas stations struggling to pay credit card fees of up to 2.5 percent are doing it, according to the state Office of Consumer Affairs. While state law forbids surcharges for using credit cards, it allows discounts for paying cash as long as signs showing the price difference are highly visible.
Speaking with station owner Jeff Buraw, WBZ's Ron Sanders noted, "it's really a semantic differnce."
"It really is," agreed Bursaw. "Call it a discount and not a credit card surcharge and stay out of trouble."
Bursaw says he was paying tens of thousands of dollars a year in credit card fees a couple years ago, so he experimented with cash discounts and sales dropped; but as prices have increased, so has Jeff's business by about 20 per cent over the past 3 or 4 months.
"The numbers here changed dramatically. We do a fraction of the credit card business and our cash sales are skyrocketing, really," expalined Bursaw.
Ron chatted with customer Bruce Tilley of Harvard. "It doesn't save you a lot of money. It saves you some. Why is it important for you to come here?"
"Well, things are tight right now and if you can save a couple bucks here and there, you go to the best place around." Customer Jessie Klapper of Burnt Hills, New York is working as a nanny in Wayland. "Coming from New York, where gas if $4.40 a gallon, being out here and paying this price is a lot better."
While the cash discount at Bursaw's station is a bargain in today's terms, the average tankfull is still going to cost about $60 but over the long haul that could make a difference.
The state Office of Consumer Affairs suggests that if you choose to pay for gas with credit cards, you should consider using gift rebates or rewards which, in effect, reduce the cost of fuel.
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