Wawa, Inc. launched a No-Surcharge advertising campaign earlier this month, in an effort to educate customers about fees that many retailers charge when customers purchase fuel with credit cards.
The practice is to post a fuel price that seems low, but when the transaction is paid for with credit, several cents per gallon are added with minimal disclosure. Wawa offers one low price for both cash and credit-and never imposes a credit surcharge in any of their 270 stores with gasoline. And, now, they’re making sure their consumers know just that.
Through billboards, banners, and full-page newspaper ads in select New Jersey markets, Wawa is alerting customers to be on the lookout for credit surcharges and draw attention to a price structure that can be confusing. The advertising campaign has been underway since June 1 in Sicklerville, Blackwood, Williamstown and Turnersville, New Jersey.
“At Wawa we are committed to simplifying the lives of our customers, and in some cases, this means making concepts as easy to understand as possible,” said Howard Stoeckel, Wawa’s president and CEO. “We realize people might not be aware that they are paying more for gasoline when using credit and that retailers may be advertising their cash price, not the price customers will actually pay if they use a credit card. We are encouraging people to pay attention to the fine print, and let all customers know that there is never a surcharge for paying for fuel with credit at Wawa.”
Wawa has a long history of avoiding surcharges dating back to 1995, when the first ATM’s were installed in stores, and Wawa refused to charge consumers an upfront surcharge. Since then, Wawa has remained committed to offering one low price for both cash and credit, and never imposing a credit surcharge.
“We believe in pricing that is fair and simple to understand, which is consistent with our core purpose and our core values,” said Stoeckel. “We will continue to be driven by our desire to delight our customers by providing the best pricing possible for fuel and other products that we carry.”