Flying J Drops Visa

OGDEN, Utah -- As of the end of this month, customers pumping diesel fuel at Flying J locations will not be able to pay for their fuel with Visa-branded cards, Land Line Magazine reported.

Last week, truckers told the magazine they saw signs at Flying J pumps stating that the company would no longer accept Visa cards. Daniel Cordner, a sales representative who oversees operations in Missouri and Illinois for THC fleet card services -- a sales transaction subsidiary of the Flying J -- told the magazine all Flying J locations in the nation will stop accepting Visa debit and credit cards at diesel pumps today at 5 p.m. Unleaded fuel and in-store purchases may still be made with Visa cards, Cordner added.

The decision was made due to Visa charging 0.05 cents per gallon for processing fees per transaction, Cordner told the magazine.

"Our company is a little bit more forward -- we're trying to save our customers more," Cordner told Land Line. "Visa didn't like that. They threatened to raise the price throughout the country."

However, Visa is not aware of the chain's decision to not accept its cards, Visa spokeswoman Randa Ghnaim told the magazine.

Any move to prevent Visa users from paying at the pump could have a negative impact on all parties because sales are driven by convenience, she said.

"Any form of electronic payment in our eyes is definitely a good thing because it's helping consumers and businesses make more efficient payments and faster payments," Ghnaim told Land Line. "When was the last time you filled up at the pump and actually had to walk in to pay your bill?"

Flying J spokeswoman Virginia Parker said the company was creating a response to the magazine's questions, but declined to confirm whether Visa would be accepted at fuel pumps. Parker told the magazine the issue is "complicated."

"Any merchant has the choice of accepting Visa or not accepting," Ghnaim told Land Line. "Customers like using our cards at truck stops...We're really out to help people use more convenient forms of payment vs. cash and checks."

The issue is causing loyal customers of Flying J locations to rethink their dedication.

"I think they need to give a little more thought as to who that's going to affect," Lisa Dyer, co-owner of T&L Transport, a lumber trucking company located in Caldwell, Ind., told Land Line. "Visa is big."

Dyer and her husband, Toby, told the magazine they spend about $50,000 each year on diesel for their company, and regularly fill up their flatbed at Flying J locations because of the chain's dominance in the area, the report stated.

This decision will cause the company to limit its purchases, carry cash to fill up on each trip, or turn to one of Flying J's fuel payment cards, according to the report.
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