Call Kurtis: Hosed At The Pump

You put 20 bucks worth of gas in your car but you may also be hit with an extra 75 or 100 bucks on top of that. It's a holding fee and it's absolutely legal, often catching customers by surprise.

Slide in your card, punch in your zip code and fill up your tank.  Sure it's easy but it could cost you more than you think.

Many gas stations will charge you a holding fee, around 75 to 100 bucks, just for swiping your debit card.

"Holy cow, no, I had no idea," says one gas customer.

"I think that's crazy, I don't think that should happen at all," says another customer.

But it does and it happened to Robert Joya of Sacramento at this Chevron station. His first transaction at the pump didn't go through so he swiped his debit card a second time.

"I looked and I see I got charged $150 as a holding fee for getting $30 worth of gas," says Robert.

Two $75 charges taken directly out of Robert's bank account for four days.

"Merchants are just trying to ensure they're paid in full," says Joe Ridout with Consumer Action.

Joe says gas stations, hotels and rental agencies all charge these holding fees as an insurance you have enough money to cover the bill. But as long as these "phantom charges" are tied to your debit card, you won't have access to that money.

"What if you need the money or you don't have money in the bank?" asks one gas customer.

You could overdraw your bank account or your checks may bounce.

So, how long can they hold your money and why does it sometimes take days to get it back? We checked with the Federal Trade Commission, the Comptroller of the Currency and the California Bankers Association, nobody seems to know.

We went on online and found there's been cases up to 15 days. That's 15 days you don't have access to your own money. And some gas stations don't even warn you about it.

"I didn't okay it, I didn't authorize it, there was nothing on the screen," says Robert.

Perhaps what's most alarming, there's no law that says they have to get your permission or even tell you about it.

"That's ridiculous, that's ridiculous, that should stop right away," says Walter Marks, gas customer.

So what can you do to protect yourself? If you have a choice between using your credit or debit card, pay with credit.

If you must use a debit card, pay inside where you can use your PIN. PIN-based transactions are registered immediately.