I know its a pain in the ass but you can go in and pre pay how ever much you want. In MI, most staions are all pre pay anyway. Go in, pay for $100 of fuel and your card gets charged for whatever you pump. It really sucks.
The other difference is one is a petroleum product. The other is corn. I believe methanol burns cooler and cleaner than ethonal. Methanol won't eat gaskets up either. At least I'm pretty sure.