Believe it or not, this “CAT SALES FINDLAY OHIO” charge has something to do with the incident when you use your credit card to fill up your car or vehicle with gas, usually, it is the case with Marathon gas station. So, if you don’t know much about it all, just keep on reading to satisfy your nerves and be sure that it is not a scam.
Why Is This Charge Showing Up?
This charge is a type of charge that comes up when fuel stations such as Marathon need to verify your card for petrol before they allow you to fill up the tank. This is done by the stations because they charge and then release a certain amount of it, which is usually more than the customer is going to take. For instance, the petrol money is only $20, but there is a statement of $100 hold on your card, where you see “CAT SALES FINDLAY OHIO.” This is okay. The money you indeed spent will replace it in a few days. It looks as if it’s triggered even more if you are an AMEX cardholder, but this occurs with less frequency, also with other card types.
What Are Other People Saying About This Charge?
Most people are reported to have been very surprised when they noticed the said fee for the first time on their bank statements. Many claim that initially, they didn’t realize this was the name and they thought it was rather a fraudulent attempt. Individuals often report seeing a very large hold (up to $100) despite the fact that they bought only a little amount of fuel, which is really scary to them. Someone talks about how he/she has both the hold and the real amount as the card authorizations on his/her account, but it certainly misrepresents their balance for a couple of days. Notably, the general consensus among folks is that it would take them quite some time, usually 3 to 5 days or even more, before the aforementioned additional hold goes away.
How Much Is This Charge Usually?
The number that is displayed is often quite different from the actual gas station expenditure. In many cases, the initial pre-authorization amount will be $100, regardless of the volume of the fuel you decided to purchase. So, if you only paid $25 for gas, your statement can reflect a $100 hold at first. However, after a few days, it should change to the correct amount, example, $25. It is possible that at times the hold could be $75 or maybe even higher than that, but $100 is the most commonly observed figure. After everything is cleared, only the real cost of the gas you bought gets debited from your account.
Is This Charge a Scam?
Typically, in most of the cases, this charge can be absolutely genuine and not a scam. It is the regular way of confirmation that such gas stations like Marathon use for the card while the customer is buying their gas. If, however, you are not the one to have bought any gas at a Marathon station lately, or the charge never goes away even after several days, it will be best for you to make a call to your bank or your card company to get the matter verified.