It’s difficult to get away from Buc-ee’s. Whether you’re topping up the fuel tank or charging your car’s batteries, the red-capped beaver is often an essential stop for many road trips. If filling up at a Buc-ee’s is part of your routine, though, there’s something important that you may need to know. The rules around filling up there, and specifically paying for doing so, may have changed.

As USA Today reports, Buc-ee’s instituted a new rule at its gas stations, starting March 2026, marking a distinct change in how it handles cash and card payments. Those using cash can still pre-pay in store, but card users will have to pay at the pump. The first that some customers may have heard of the policy change was a sign at the pumps themselves, as shown in a photograph shared by MySA, reading “Starting March 1, 2026, Using a Card for Fuel? Please Pay at the Pump.”

As of the time of writing, the company hasn’t detailed why it made this change, or whether it will be strictly enforced at all locations. While this might not affect some drivers’ routine, this change may actually be a bigger deal than you first think. Let’s take a look at some of the possible outcomes of this new policy. Now, there were already some unwritten rules that you should know before pulling into a Buc-ee’s, but this is another one to be aware of.

The main issue with card payments at the pump is the card or authorization hold, where a pump authorizes a set amount — $100, for example — before a customer fills up. The customer will only be charged the exact amount they spent, but the $100 hold on top of that can last up to 72 hours. Of course, this happens at all gas stations, but this move toward card payments at the pump may mean that more drivers who would rather avoid holds will have to deal with them. For a company that prides itself on convenience, this could be something of a restrictive move, though perhaps one intended to keep turnaround high and spaces clear.

Before using a Buc-ee’s pump, then, it’s essential to establish whether this new rule is in place at the specific location in question, and, if you’d prefer to pay inside with cash, whether you have enough to cover the amount of gas you need. The same, of course, applies for your fuel plus the hold if you’re paying with a card at the pump.

Another potential pitfall to be wary of is that of gift cards. While there is, famously, a wide range of food and other products available at Buc-ee’s to spend a gift card’s balance on, this doesn’t extend to gas. As Knox News reports, these gift cards are intended for in-store purchases. As always, though, if you’re unsure about any policy differences from location to location, asking a staff member is the surest way to get the answer you need.