On our trip to Austin this week, every time we stopped for gas, I thought about gas pump skimmers.  You know what those are, right?  Skimmers are devices that crooks place on gas pumps (and ATMs, too.) that will record your card and other information when you use your debit/credit card to pay for gas.

There are ways to avoid being skimmed at the gas pump or at least minimizing any potential harm.  1)  First, you can check to make sure the plastic seal that goes across the gas pump door is not broken.  2)  You can use a separate credit card with a low credit line, thus limiting your exposure on that card.  3) You can use a gas company card instead of a credit card.  For instance, we have a Sunoco card, a Chevron/Texaco card and an Exxon/Mobil card.  By using a gas company card, you aren’t exposing your regular credit cards to theft.

One of the newest features available was one I used exclusively on our trip.  Exxon/Mobil now allows you to use your smart phone to purchase gas.  Once you sign up, you get rewards and you use your smart phone to do everything at the pump – authorize the pump, pay for the gas, and get a receipt.  When you buy gas this way, you never have to scan your card at the pump thus eliminating any chance of your card being skimmed.  I absolutely love this process and I’ll probably purchase more Exxon/Mobile gas because of it.  I’m sure that other companies will follow suit.  This is just another example of how the Internet and computer technology is helping us in our daily lives.