After one customer told of his frustration at having £100 removed from his bank account for a fuel bill of just £70, drivers around the country have reacted with anger, promising to only use cash in future. It comes as Visa and Mastercard make changes to allow self-service pumps to ‘reserve’ a certain amount of money, albeit temporarily.
Previously credit card companies would take a £1 pre-authorisation fee to ensure customers had sufficient funds to pay for a transaction.
But one angry driver, Mark Fuller from Plymouth found that after filling his car with £70 at Sainsbury’s he checked his online banking to discover £100 had been taken instead.
Mr Fuller said: “I rang up Sainsbury’s and they said it had nothing to do with them and it was down to the banks and now they take £100 out of your account and reimburse you the remainder.”
And Express.co.uk readers were united in their anger at the changes.
READ MORE: Driving test changes: Six new rules new drivers should watch for
But in response to some readers questioning whether the companies would accrue interest from the higher amounts ‘Hatty’ wrote: “Nope – because VISA and Mastercard never see that money.
“All that has happened is that a hold has been put on the funds in your account – the money never goes anywhere, but you can’t see it or spend it (your actual balance remains the same, but your ‘available balance’ is reduced.
“The card networks make their money out of the transaction fees -they don’t actually hold the funds at any point.”
However that was cold comfort for the likes of ‘Pewter’ who said: “Let’s talk about this in general. You intend to purchase goods, you walk into a shop and they ‘reserve’ funds.
“Although the funds are not actually taken you no longer have access to your money.
“Practically speaking you have spent it. What have you got for this money you no longer have?”
The system is being rolled out to major supermarkets, with around 60 Sainsbury’s pay-at-pump sites having already been adopted.
Tesco has rolled it out as part of a pilot at a small number of its sites, with Asda planning to introduce it soon.
On its website Morrisons said the changes came in from November 2021 and advises customers to pay inside the petrol station to avoid the £100 pre-authorisation charge.
The Sainsbury’s website says: “Under new industry requirements mandated by VISA and MasterCard, self-service pumps at Sainsbury’s Petrol Forecourts will request a £100 pre-authorisation amount before starting the fuelling process; this is to ensure that customers have sufficient funds to cover the cost of fuel dispensed.
“Previously, customers had a £1 pre-authorisation taken from their account to confirm that their card was valid before they began to fill up.
“The exact cost of the fuel would then appear on the customer’s account typically one or two days after the transaction, which could make it difficult for customers to track available spend.”
A spokesperson for Mastercard told Express.co.uk: “We are working together with banks and petrol stations to improve the way payments are made at ‘Pay At Pump’ sites. The new process is designed to ensure more people’s cards can be used at the pump.
“When you pay at pump using your card, a temporary hold of up to £100 is applied to your account prior to pumping the fuel. You may see this initially on your banking App, but immediately after the fuel is dispensed the precise sum is withdrawn from your account, and any remainder of the held funds are released for use. Should cardholders experience any issues or have any questions regarding this new process they should contact their bank.”
A spokesperson for Visa said: “The new Pay at pump process is already live at many petrol stations across the UK and has been for some time – already used by many independent petrol stations.
“There is no charge to use Pay at Pump. There is a funds check, the money will not leave your account. You will only be charged the amount displayed on the pump when you finish filling up.”