Flying J/Pilot RV Real Awards Card - new rules

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Flying J has definitely lost its competitive edge.  Loves was at least .01 cheaper per gallon in Amarillo.  Way too much hassle for me to use the RV pumps.  It would take 30 to 40 minutes to fill.  Usually take on around 250 gallons and those pumps are too small.  In one of the small towns southeast of Amarillo, a Allsups station had truck pumps and they were .05 per gallon cheaper than Flying J.

 
We stopped at the FJ in Knoxville, TN today. It's 8/29, so the old FJ program is still in effect, right?  HUH! What a SNAFU.  The pump (truck lanes) has a new menu, so I started off confused. Then it rejected my Flying J Mastercard!  Say what? It's their own card, drawn on their own bank!  However, it invites me to enter by Pilot Driver Payback card. I also have the standard "Real value' rewards card, so ran that through and figured to use another CC. Nope, no good either . "Invalid for this transaction", it says. "See Cashier".

So I go see the cashier. He says none of the FJcards are in the computer yet. Should be there in a couple days. HELLO? Doesn't it say Flying J on the sign out front?  Then he says I will have to pre-pay.  I only need a half tank, so I guestimate $235, about 80-85 gallons. He rings it in, I have to sign the chit and that's what the pump is preset for. The receipt just says $235 - no price per gallon or anything. I go out and pump, and soon it becomes apparent that I am not getting the cash price, nor am I getting the $0.01 RV discount.  I AM NOT A HAPPY CAMPER!

Why should I patronize FJ if I get the same deal as anywhere else? I don't care about discounts, but hate to pay extra to use the truck lanes. If this doesn't get better quickly, I'll be stopping wherever the price looks good.
 
Speaking from the gas side of the pump island & having a shorter rig than most of you, I "discovered" FJs on my trip home from FL last winter when I stopped at one near Daytona.  Really liked the RV islands especially after stopping at a Pilot on the way down & found that they sold only Diesel at the truck islands (I had stopped at an off-brand truck stop in VA & they sold gas & Diesel at the truck pumps) & I had to unhitch the toad to get to the gas pumps at the C-store.  I made it a point to stop at FJs on the way home.  Gas prices were very competitive too.  I decided that I would stop at FJs whenever I could on future trips.  I hope Pilot doesn't mess with the FJs too much.
 
Gary

"Invalid for this transaction", it says. "See Cashier".
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I had a similar situation in Salt Lake City. Pulled into the N. Salt Lake City Flying J and got the same response. Went into the station and asked the cashier what was up. Was told that that station and one other in the valley had already "merged" with Pilot and nothing was available. Couldn't even buy diesel at the RV pumps with my AMEX card without paying the 6? premium. Wound up fueling at the other Salt Lake City station which hadn't merged yet and still worked under the old rules. Go figure. It will be a long time before I use FJ again, at least until they have their act back together again.
 
Filled up Sunday in Beaverdam Ohio and had to go inside to prepay and sign. After filling went in and got "corrected" receipt (which listed gallons & price). No discounts. Said the Real Value cards would not be accepted until September 1st.
I also thought that each sizeable fillup would add another $5 to the dump credit so if you fill up once a day and dumped the third, it would be free. Nope! Just a flat $5 discount.
 
There is no more price advantage at Flying J anymore. I have fueled at several lately and the prices are all Pilot or higher. In most cases the little stand alone gas stations are priced better. And I used to get the cash price when using my J card at the pumps.  Not anymore, credit prices all around.
 
The biggest advantage to buying at FJ previously was getting the cash price at the truck pumps with the RV card.  The $.01/gal. discount was a marginal feature, but with the cash back rewards on many credit cards, that often made FJ cheaper.  Until they reinstate the cash price with credit card feature, FJ is just another fuel stop.  We will probably continue to use them when possible because we do find the RV islands easy to use, even with our 38' motorhome and truck in tow.  Those are usually easier than trying to find an auto pump island without blocking too much of the facility.

And they're still the only major truck stop brand that does anything for the RVer.
 
Lorna must be a better driver than I am if she gets through the RV island ok. Every J we see, the RV island is tight against the far end of the row and you have to thread though a string of cars getting in or out (or both, sometimes).
 
She does very well :)  Maybe the stores out west just have more room.  Easy enough to check an individual store with Google Earth.  Our only problems with the RV islands have been when some jerk RVer leaves his rig at the pump while going in to pay.  We rarely use the RV islands when they're not open as a result.  But we find that fueling mid-morning to mid-afternoon is the least busy time of day and usually don't have a problem finding an open pump.
 
Ned said:
Our only problems with the RV islands have been when some jerk RVer leaves his rig at the pump while going in to pay. 
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But I've also seen signs occasionally which state "Pay before moving your vehicle."
 
I have never seen such a sign especially not at a Flying J, but I have seen RVers that leave the RV in front of the pump while the man goes in to pay and the wife just sits in the RV doing nothing.  She could be paying at the fuel desk while the man moves the RV, or vice versa.  To me, it's just plain rude and inconsiderate.

And it's standard procedure to move the rig out of the way at the truck islands.  Try leaving your motorhome at the pump with an 18 wheeler waiting behind you and see what happens.
 
Dick Zeiter said:
Does FJ own Pilot or does Pilot own FJ? If it's a true merger, which management will run things?
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Pilot is the surviving company.
 
FJ went bankrupt and had to sell out to Pilot, so it really isn't a merger. While Pilot said they will operate FJ truck stops separately from Pilot, indications are they are substantially integrated. For example, when I contacted FJ to complain about  the changes to the Real Value program rules, I got an acknowledgment from Pilot, not JF. [And no reply yet either!] And FJ now issues the Pilot Driver rewards card and uses Pilot's computer systems to manage payment, rewards programs, etc.

I'd say they are Pilot stations with an Flying J sign out front.
 
Ned said:
She does very well :)    But we find that fueling mid-morning to mid-afternoon is the least busy time of day and usually don't have a problem finding an open pump.
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And as they chase RVers off it is getting easier. ::)
 
They are acting like they want to keep us around.  I'm getting enough spam from them..............latest:

Greetings Pilot Flying J Customer!

If you would like to receive a text message coupon/deal each week to use in Pilot Flying J restaurants, use your cellular phone to text the word PILOT to 68398.  It's easy to use; simply show the text message to the restaurant cashier to redeem the coupon!

You may also sign up by clicking the following link:

http://tatango.com/join/22603-I2MDMwL
 

Standard text messaging rates apply.

Pilot Flying J is committed to the privacy of our customers.  We do not share your e-mail, phone number, or contact information with anyone.

You may choose to stop receiving text messages at any time by replying STOP to any message.

Safe Travels from your friends at Pilot Flying J!

Real key for me tho is their fuel prices which don't appear to be competitive right now  :(  May improve as they find out our $$ are a good % of their revenue(s).




 
 
The courteous thing to do is have the driver fill while the passenger goes in to the fuel desk. Then they are ready to pay as soon as filling is complete. Of course, single drivers don't have that advantage. I always use the truck side since most drivers move their rig forward so another vehicle can pull in to fill. Pat is always at the desk ready to pay.

I'm like Gary. I have found the RV islands to be too close to the parking next to the building. It makes it difficult, though not impossible, to maneuver out of the island. It's so much easier at the truck side. :)
 
My biggest reservation about using the truck lanes is that they tend to be slopped up with more diesel on the ground. It seems that the RV islands tend to be kept a little cleaner.  Gary is right, FJ was in BK when they were taken over by Pilot. They are trying to maintain the FJ name by changing all the signs to "Pilot Flying J".  I was just at a Flying J in Ohio that had a Pilot across the street. The Pilot although was operating was up for sale.  Another interesting twist was that the Flying J restaurant had been turned into a Denny's.  The girl at the counter said that most the sit down food services were probably going to be Denny's.   
 
Marsha,
It's hard to say. Today is Sept 1st. So we'll see how things go. They still have creditors they have to answer to. And sometimes policy is dictated. Some things we have no control over.

Everyone has different needs. We like the rv islands cause of the slow pumps, as we have a passenger side fill. And usually never take more than 60 or 70 gals. We like the convenience of paying at the pump. As we make money using our credit card.

I appreciate those who take on large quantities of fuel using the truck  lanes. I understand how long that would take at the auto or rv island. 

I use this web site for planning fuel stops. http://www.truckstopinfoplus.com Taking everything into consideration. One's budget, fuel prices, and convenience, everyone gotta do what's best for them. The cheapest isn't always the best value.

Pilot Flying J seems to making some kind of effort to be rv friendly. Maybe it's not what we had in the past. But it's better than anywhere else. We will continue to fuel at pilot flying j's when possible.



 
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