UNTIL I'm Emperor ... buying gas in the USA

As previously posted [Canadians Getting Gassed...] as Emperor I will be giving the gas companies some tough love for their inability to handle Canadian credit cards at US gas stations.

There is a fix.  Kludge is more accurate. Why this code would be written into the pumps' wee brains rather than doing the job properly to accept alphanumeric codes is a mystery.  Also puzzling is why the oil companies aren't telling anyone.

I don't know the original source of this, but it came to me through my banker.  At great expense, I arranged a field trip to Florida to test this out -- wouldn't want to disappoint you.

Ready?

When the pump god asks for your postal code, punch in the numbers from your postal code plus two zeroes.  For example, your pc is "M4E 1G7".  You punch in "41700".  And pump away..

Canadians getting gassed in the USA

When I am emperor, postal-coded Canadians with a credit card will be able to buy gas at the pump just like zipcoded Americans.

For any Canuck who has never experienced this little pecadillo of current US travel, here's how it goes.

You pull into the gas station and shove your credit card into the reader in the pump.  You may get welcomed and offered carwashes or 6-packs of Coke for $1.99.  But you will also be asked to enter your postal code. Security thing: the zip is encoded on the card stripe and you might not know the code if you stole the card. OK.

Nice phone-like keypad ... that will in no way accept letters.  Numbers only.