Who provides services pertaining to my use of the Square debit csrd?

[AutoAid]

Why is it that when I use my Square debit card to purchase fuel for my service vehicle, Square places a hold on funds in my account over and above the amount of my fuel purchase? Why is this hold on my funds exclusive to fuel purchases and no other products of services?

[crystalimages]

This isn't Square doing this. It's the pump. They typically authorize around $75 last time I checked.

Some pumps are now asking if it's a debit card, if yes, you enter your pin, but it still checks for a certain amount, just doesn't authorize. Gas stations started doing this quite a few years ago because they got a lot of chargebacks on debit cards. 

[AutoAid]

According to the information I've received from several oil companies, it isn't the pump.  It's the financial institutions that fund the respective debit cards, and I've discovered the only time they withhold funds is when the debit cards are used for fuel purchases.  None for vehicle maintenance or repairs, none for other goods or services.  Exclusively on fuel purchases.

People, I don't know about you, but if Square needs that average of $90.00 every time I fuel up, maybe they ought to just keep it.  I've left merchant fee processors for less.  But I have to wonder how it would be perceived were I to charge my customers an additional fee like this and have Square simply refund it to them afterward?