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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

to assume I have got away with paying for this?

17 replies

BasinHaircut · 25/03/2015 10:05

Had to get some medical treatment on holiday a couple of weeks ago, paid with my debit card (chip and pin), planning to claim back from my travel insurance on return.

The money has not come out of my account. I have checked online banking and I have no pending payments or international payments. I called the bank and they have confirmed that there is no pending payment and that no attempt has been made to take this money. The lady on the phone said that it should have come out immediately if chip and pin was used.

I obviously gave them my contact details at the medical centre (phone no and address) and have heard nothing in regards to chasing the payment.

Have I got away with paying?

If I have, then I obviously wont bother making an insurance claim, but if I will have to pay, then I need to make the claim. I have 28 days from return travel date to make a claim so a couple of weeks yet, but if this date passes then I get a payment demand then im going to be £350 out of pocket.

Anyone got experience of using cards abroad and something similar happening?

OP posts:

Hissy · 25/03/2015 10:07

Depends where you were - US for example is notoriously slow - keep the money to one side for the next few months and then if nothing happens, you are in the clear.

RubbishRobotFromTheDawnOfTime · 25/03/2015 10:07

Do you have a card receipt? You would need this to make an insurance claim.

Hissy · 25/03/2015 10:08

the other thing is, if you have a receipt, make the claim anyway?

Original poster

BasinHaircut · 25/03/2015 10:12

No not US, I was in Andorra.

Yes I have a receipt, and a medical report, and a CD with x-rays on it so ive enough to make the claim, its just the 28 day window I don't want to miss.

I don't want to make the claim if I don't need to for a few reasons:
a) I am lazy and I bet its a long drawn out process
b) its not the right thing to do and id feel guilty about it
c) wouldn't it affect my future travel-related premiums? So if I don't need to, id rather not.

OP posts:

slithytove · 25/03/2015 10:16

Make the claim. You can always pay it back if they never take the money. Iirc, they can take the money something like 3 months later. (Burger king did this to me once )

MaxPepsi · 25/03/2015 10:18

I used to work in a bank many moons ago and it could take up to 6 months for a card payment to debit your account.

Obviously, things have moved on considerably technology wise since then over here but have they moved on so much elsewhere?

I would imagine it could take another couple of weeks so I'd submit your claim.

TheFairyCaravan · 25/03/2015 10:19

IIRC they can take the money upto six months later, so I wouldn't assume anything just yet.

DiDiddlyIDi · 25/03/2015 10:19

I'd make the claim, you can always cancel the claim if the money doesn't get taken. Similar to how people would claim say if they lost their engagement ring and then it turns up.

Schoolaroundthecorner · 25/03/2015 10:21

Submit your claim, put the money somewhere you won't spend it and return it if its not claimed within a specific timeframe (I'm not sure how long they have to claim it so you'd have to look into this).

Original poster

BasinHaircut · 25/03/2015 10:21

But wouldn't the payment at least show as pending?

can you tell I really can't be arsed to make the claim? (but need to if they take the money)

OP posts:

SoonToBeSix · 25/03/2015 10:24

No it wouldn't show as pending if they have tried to take the money yet.

MaxPepsi · 25/03/2015 10:25

No it wouldn't show as pending. All depends on how their banking works.
How often they total off their card machines.
Works like a cheque really - if you paid me by cheque - you'd have no idea when I was going to bank it or when i'd paid it in. Only when it was due to debit your account.

SueChef · 25/03/2015 10:28

Make the claim

Original poster

BasinHaircut · 25/03/2015 10:29

oh right. The lady from the bank seemed to think that it would have happened straight away if I did it through a chip and pin machine.

I'm just going to have to claim aren't I?

TBH, I probably could have done the form in the time ive spent on this thread!

OP posts:

sliceofsoup · 25/03/2015 10:32

When I paid for a large sum (over £1k) to a small business for a function, on my debit card, the money showed as taken for three days. It then went back onto my balance, and the initial transaction disappeared.

I called the bank and they told me that when chip and pin is used the money is set aside, the place I paid then has to request the money from the bank, but if they don't do this within the three days the money will go back onto my balance. But they can still request it at any time. It was taken a week later.

I was panicking that the bank had stopped the transaction because it was a large amount, but that wasn't the case.

I would make the insurance claim and in the meantime leave the money there, because they will take it at some point.

InfinitySeven · 25/03/2015 10:36

I had the same in Andorra - payment came out 5.5 months later. It was for heat therapy for my spine.

The claim process actually wasn't bad, I filled in some forms and got some from my doctor, and it was sorted within two weeks. I told my insurance that the money hadn't yet been claimed and they told me it was very normal.

Original poster

BasinHaircut · 25/03/2015 10:50

Oh that's good to know Infinity, ill definitely put the claim in then and make sure I keep that money in my account until they take it.

Ive just had a look at the form and it doesn't seem so bad. And I wont feel guilty about claiming if I know its probably going to get taken at some point.

OP posts:

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