Now that Flying J is disappearing, where can one get both diesel and propane?

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AA4WP

AA4WP

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Joined
Jul 8, 2008
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Location
Louisville, KY
The Header says it all.  Any Ideas?

Today I stopped at a FJ for Diesel; my Visa card was allowed for $75 twice, after that I had to go inside (it is difficult for me to walk) and sign for more diesel.  Upon returning to the pump, I was allowed to pump another $75; after which I was told that more would create a 2% upcharge.  I am disappointed with Pilot taking over the FJ stations; FJ's are being phased out, along with propane. 

Any ideas?

Wendell
 
My RV Plus card still works and as far as I know, no limit.

First I've heard of FJ disappearing
 
I haven't seen them disappearing, in fact I see them being upgraded. We didn't have one in Grand Forks, ND, but they bought the Big Sioux Truck Stop and totally renovated it. They are doing away with the Flying J and Pilot loyalty cards and using only Good Sam cards for RV discounts.
 
I don't know if the J's are disappearing, but they have closed some of the them since the merger with Pilot.  My rewards card with the J gets me a discount, but because my gas card that I use is a Master Card, the bank limits each transaction to $100. The outside machine will accept 2 transactions with that card.  If I need another, I need to use a different credit card. (a huge PITA) 

However, if I go inside and have them hold the card while I fuel and then come back inside to pay, I can usually fill up on one cycle. 
 
We have a Pilot Flying J discount card and it saves us 3? a gallon. As Sarge says, just go in and have them scan your rewards card, give them your credit card, and have them hold it and you can fill up.

Just returned from a 3100 mile trip and found that most Loves were cheaper than Pilot/FJ without any kind of discount card. In addition, we could find local stations that we could get in and out of...off the highway...that were $3.69 a gallon while the truck stops on the highway were all $3.80 or more.
 
As to FJs are closing, the FJ at Walton, KY is now a Pilot without propane being sold.  Also over the past year Walton FJ had been repainting parking slots for rvs.  I asked the attendant, they pointed to a remote location on the lot where one could park rvs. It was a normal setup for autos, not rvs.  Now they discontinued the sale of propane recently so we went on another 100 miles up in Ohio.  I don't like change.  I suppose we'll survive; we just like our past habits.

Wendell
 
I don't like to leave my credit card and ask if I can leave my drivers license instead. If they say no I go on down the road.

Regarding limits - I don't think the bank sets them. I think it is the service used by the station. The limits vary from station to station. If the bank set them the limits should all be the same.
I see from $75 to $175 as limits depending on the station.
 
Last 2 time I stopped at Pilot, the diesel pump had a sticker saying "Bio-diesel up to 15%". The manual for my Winnebago with the Mercedes diesel engine states that no more than 5% bio-diesel. I now use Flying J, Shell or Conoco. Anyone else seen the bio-diesel 15% signs at Pilot? Also no problems with the Flying J card at the pumps, still get the discount and no dollar limit.
 
The limits on credit card purchases are actually pre-authorization holds.  Any time you swipe your card before you know the actual amount of the charge, the swipe is processed as a hold request, verifying that funds are available and the merchant will get approval for a future charge up to that amount.  A hold request is applied against the card's limit and remains in place until the hold is released.

Usually this happens within a few hours after the purchase is completed.  But there are times when the hold can take a day or more to clear.

The hold amount has to be set at a level that covers most transactions, but is not overly excessive.  Consider a family taking a car trip - they may fill up a couple of times a day, buying $30-50 worth of fuel each time.

If gas stations put a $500 hold on each purchase, they could inadvertently max out their credit card halfway through their vacation, even though their total purchases are well below their card's nominal credit limit.
 
I don't mess with them anymore. If they don't want to sell me a full tank of fuel, screw 'em. 
So what do I do, you ask? 
Since we stop every couple of hours for a pottie break and to stretch, every other stop I fuel up.  A couple exceptions to this is west Texas and parts of AZ.
 
When I drove truck over the road the Pilot truck stops were the last place I'd stop and only if I HAD to. Almost all the Pilots I'd stopped at had the fuel pumps AFTER the truck parking areas, they had only fast food places to get food. The impression I got was that they didn't want you to spend time there, just get your fuel and get out.
 
There is a sticker on each pump at FJ that claims that the max amount levels for each card are set by the bank, $100 for Master Card, and $450 for Visa.  Not that I necessarily believe that, I think that they put the stickers on to keep people from giving them grief about the low limits. 

As for me, I don't worry too much about leaving a credit card at the desk. I have had my card# stolen so many times in different places, (usually restaurants) that I think I am numb to it.  The card companies remove any charges and I get another card in a few days.  Inconvienient, but part of life these days.
 
Fueled up at a Petro last week, and the price in the fuel island for trucks was $3.83, the price at the RV islands was $4.15. I asked about the difference and they told me the fuel island for trucks contains bio-diesel, and the RV lanes contain only #2 low sulfur fuel.
 
Fly J is expanding and also putting in several hundred Compressed Natural Gas fueling stations for trucks along the East West corridors.
 
I drive OTR in the summer. FJ is not closing. They are now Pilot/FJ. The fuel is the same at both the RV pumps and the truck islands. BUT in some states the truck price may not include some taxes. Both outlets get their fuel from the same place! Very few truck stops have anything other than fast food. TA/Petro has their own restaurants and they are OK. Other than using an FJ or Good Sam card at Pilot /FJ if you buy your fuel elsewhere you may have to pay extra to use a CC . I use the FJ charge Card and get 6 cents off a gallon plus the cash price. Pump does not shut off at any preset price.
 
But, back to my original question:  Where may one obtain PROPANE along with Diesel.  I do believe I could get into a regular automotive filling station (one of the larger ones) for diesel fuel, but do feel the need for propane from time to time.  Propane at campgrounds can be more expensive than I want it to be.  We like to get both diesel and propane at the same stop, much like we did at FJs.

Thanks.

Wendell
 
Flying J has always been RV friendly with RV fuel stations, LP and some with dump stations. But to answer your original question I don't know of any other major company who has gone that far.  The few times I purchased LP from Flying J's I didn't think that their price was any cheaper than most other retailers of LP, campgrounds or otherwise.  What I look for is a campgrounds or LP dealer with a 1000 Gallon or larger Nurse tank.  Any less and they may not buying it cheap enough to begin with. 
 
Many RV dealers sell propane and many consider it a loss leader and provide it a very competitive prices.
 
SargeW said:
There is a sticker on each pump at FJ that claims that the max amount levels for each card are set by the bank, $100 for Master Card, and $450 for Visa.
Click to expand...

They lie.. I say that because if that were the case then the limits would be the same at all pumps and stations and they are not.

However to answer the O/P's subject line question

Diesel... Any truck stop has that and a good number of neighborhood gas stations now days as well.

Propane.. Google: Propane {zip code}  Here in the Upsate of SC ACE hardware has propane.. Most Camping worlds have propane plus a deal on it one day a week.. Many dealers have it.. I favor propane tank farms (The wholesaler places) though near me just now it is the most expensive Propane in the neighborhood (Why I go to ACE) many campgrounds (See expensive in many cases, not all cases however)  Selected gas stations have genuine GAS (Gasoline is a liquid at room temp. propane is a GAS).  I mean .. They are all over.

Couple years ago I was north bound through Coldwater MI, Called Carmichael's in Tekonsha.. Mrs. Carmichael was trying to give me directions to their tank farm.. Which is the dairy farm I grew up on.. Suffice to say I had no trouble at all finding it. :)
 
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