Picture this: it’s a quiet morning at home. Pups are sleeping off breakfast on the living room floor, and Hutch and I are on the couch with laptops in our laps ready to tackle the day. I was knocking out a website redesign and he was checking email and tinkering with fantasy football stuff. Just a normal start to the day! Or so we thought.
It was, until he randomly opened the Open Roads diesel discount app on his phone and spotted a charge that made our hearts stop.
A Little Backstory
We’ve only had our Open Roads card for a short time and had only swiped it once. After a visit to General RV for a few repairs last week, we knew we’d be passing a truck stop and figured it would be a good idea to top off the tank.
That fill-up was an adventure in itself – we’ll save that story for another time (it might’ve stressed Hutch out just a little). But in the end, we only pumped about $60 worth of diesel.
The charge Hutch saw wasn’t from that fill-up adventure – it was a fraudulent swipe at a gas station one exit over from where we’d filled up. Cue the chaos!
He looked at me, confused at first, and said, “Did you…?” Like I’d somehow snuck out of the house as a rogue diesel elf, taken the rig for a joyride, and fueled up in the middle of the night. The look on his face when logic kicked in was pretty cute, not gonna lie.
An Unexpected Twist in Our RV Life Story
Am I the only one who thinks it’s pretty bold to use the stolen card info just 5 miles down the road from where you skimmed it a week earlier?
And get this: the charge was over $500. The fraudster pumped more than 150 gallons of fuel – which, for perspective, is more than our Super C even holds. That’s not a little oopsie, that’s a full-on diesel heist.
Guess this is where RV life meets real-life gas station fraud.
Because Open Roads debits from your checking account the day after the transaction (unless it’s a weekend), we had a window to catch it before the charge hit our bank account. Whew.
What to Do If Your Open Roads Diesel Discount Card Gets Skimmed
Whether you’re rolling down the road or parked at a scenic overlook, here’s what to do if you spot something sketchy:
- Contact Open Roads support immediately – Drop them a call or email as soon as you notice a suspicious charge. The faster they know, the faster they can freeze your card, block the transaction, and get you a new card in the mail.
- Provide the fraudulent charge details – Give Open Roads everything you have about the charge: the amount (visible in the app), and location (gas station name or exit). The more info, the better.
- Notify your bank and request a stop payment – Provide the exact charge amount and share a valid Open Roads deduction from your account so the bank can identify the vendor.
In our case, we caught the fraud early – but that might not always be possible.
Tip: Ask your bank how they’d handle this before something happens. Will they refund your money? How quickly? Policies can vary, and honestly, the answers might even influence who you choose to bank with.
Why This Happens – and How to Avoid It
RV life means fueling up in unfamiliar spots, and that can make you a target. The Open Roads card is a fleet-style mag-stripe card, and – just like a regular credit card – it can be skimmed.
Always check your transactions in the app (Account Cards > View Transactions). The earlier you catch something off, the better.
And yeah, the only surefire way to avoid skimming is to skip pay-at-the-pump and pay inside. We talked about the possibility of doing that from now on.
Our RV Life Lesson Learned
There’s nothing glamorous about fraud – but there is something empowering about catching it in time.
Because Open Roads delays the debit, Hutch’s random app check gave us a head start. We followed all the steps – contacted support, flagged the charge, called the bank, and got ahead of it.
Now we’re sharing this so you don’t wind up stressed and frustrated at 9 a.m. with fraud on your diesel card.
A Shoutout to the Open Roads Support Team
We can’t wrap this up without seriously praising the Open Roads support team.
We called them slightly panicked, definitely under-caffeinated – and they were calm, kind, and on it. They walked us through everything and locked things down immediately. It felt like talking to real humans (because it was), not some script-reading robot.
We’ve heard a lot of our favorite YouTubers rave about how much money the Open Roads diesel discount saves them, and are excited to experience those benefits. But now we’re equally impressed with the people behind the program. Having that kind of backup makes this whole RV life feel a lot more secure.
So Open Roads team, if you somehow read this… we appreciate you!
Final Thoughts
RV life is full of surprises. We’re hoping the best ones come with epic views, new friends, and unexpected roadside pie stands. The bad ones? They might include someone skimming your card and filling up a bottomless tank at 1 a.m.
But hey… We’re fine. Everything is fine!
Until next time, friends: Stay safe, stay fueled, and keep that RV life rolling (without card fraud, if at all possible).
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