Why no ‘pay at the pump’ in UK?

[Enrichetta]

Why don’t we have pay at the pump technology like they have in other countries, for instance the US…

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/jul/21/petrol-theft-crisis-uk

it seems an obvious solution to what has clearly become a real,problem.

I thought this must be a zombie thread from decades back but it seems not.

In France you have pay at the pump but if you'd rather pay cash there's a place where you can do it, I think you then get a barcode thing you scan instead of putting in your card. So if funds are tight you can do that.

That said, although the authorised amount is quite high (and plenty to fill most cars from empty) I've never seen the amount be blocked beyond the time it takes me to get to the next shop. It clears as soon as the actual payment comes through.

I thought you meant pay at the pump where your card must be pre-authorised before you start filling up, so you can't leave without paying?

Most people here seem to be talking about the option to pay at the pump which obviously won't help prevent theft.

most of the gas stations in Aberdeen are pay at pump ?????!!!!

Pay at Pump has even reached as far north as Cumbria. Not every filling station, but most of them. Are you in a very isolated area, OP?

What? Pretty much every station has pay at pump doesn’t it!?

Did you last fill up in the 1950s OP?

I don't travel much, but here in the Outer Hebrides we have it, including one or two that take cash. So I'm assuming that if it has reached here, it's fairly universal.

Only New Jersey has that now. I must say, I do enjoy getting petrol there when driving through.

Same here - my eldest is 25 and I've always used pay at the pump since having him. Obviously not every single petrol station has it, but I'd say the majority do. Certainly all the supermarkets, which is where I normally buy petrol.

Pardon? Why are you asking about something we've had for years? 😆😳

Have you never needed to use one with pay at pump? Or do you live under a rock these days?😅

Not only pay at the pumps, in my town a lot of shops are starting to use QR code things to pay ( i think thats what its called).

I have to upgrade my phone soon and get with the times.
It seems cash and card are going out.

My local Shell does too

That's how it used to be in the UK. I remember my mum always used to ask the attendant for a gallon of 4-Star in her Mini. Probably cost around £1 back in the mid 70.

Oops, that was meant to quote @Vodkamartini3olives post about attendants.

Weird post. Non-driver complaining about a thing which all drivers know already exists. There are some garages where it’s not a thing, but all the main chains have it. The ASDA near me has an entirely unmanned petrol station.

No, I live in the US and this is only if you want to pay in cash, which most people don't. For credit/debit, you pay at the pump. I haven't seen a station that didn't accept cards for 20 years, though I'd imagine there are probably still some sketchy independent ones in rundown rural backwaters that haven't upgraded. In New Jersey, they only have full service stations and you're not allowed to pump it yourself, so you have to hand your payment method out the window to the attendant and let them handle it. I hate filling up in NJ. It's the only state like that.

I have to go into the kiosk to pay because the bastards don’t keep chocolate bars by the pumps 😡.

Whilst I agree it's there, I don't agree it's rare not to - I live just outside the M25 and very few places round me have it... all big chains too. I think Tesco might, but the shell and BP garages I use the most don't. It's very annoying.

It depends on a combination of the garages banks payment processing system and the customers bank

Different garages website FAQs state that reserved amounts are released between “Instantly, 20 minutes, 12 hours and 3 days” then card providers release on similar time frames

People post up on social media complaining when it impacts on them, for most it either clears promptly or they don’t get impacted because it clears before they attempt to spend within the reserved balance

Its when someone is in need that the situation impacts them and they are caught short by it

Why would you assume something that's simply nonsense especially since you're not a driver?

The article talks about pumps that you have to pay before you fill, and also says the proprietor they interviewed said it would be a solution to drivers who fill up and don't pay, but you'd have to have all garages in an area doing it together, else yours would be the garage everyone avoids for being annoying, and you'd lose more trade than people not paying.

Some of the supermarket garages round here now pre-authorise up to £120,which is about double what my car takes for a full tank at current prices. Some are still under £100 though.

What happens if you prepay e.g. £50 and then your car only takes £43.72 of petrol before the microswitch cuts in to say you're full? Does it automatically refund £6.28? Some people must have experienced this to know. I have never filled up any vehicle with fuel overseas.

Been around for ages!

I'm in south West London and none of the local petrol stations have it. So you are way more advanced than us!

We have pay at the pump

Error. We do.