I’m 17, and my parents are on vacation. They left my dad’s credit card for me to use for gas and food. I accidentally left the card at the gas station during my last fill-up, and the gas station refuses to give it back to me. Their policy is that the owner of the card has to come in person with an ID to reclaim it. However, my parents won’t be back for a few days, and I need the card for food.
My question is: If I take the card from the gas station without permission, would I face legal consequences? Could they call the police on me for theft, or would they just contact my dad and not care?
How are you planning to get the card back? If the staff won’t hand it over, any attempt to take it could be considered theft or worse. Why not have your dad call them to authorize its release or find another way to resolve this?
Can you video call your parents while at the gas station and have them show their ID and authorize you to collect the card? It’s worth asking the staff if that would work.
If you take the card without permission, the gas station could report it as stolen, and the police might treat it as a theft case until they contact your dad. That could lead to unnecessary trouble. It’s best to have your dad call the station directly to sort things out.