Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Tesco's petrol stations automatically charging £120 per transaction on 'Pay at Pump'

223 replies

Silverlog · 16/03/2023 03:46

Article here in the Daily Fail

Charging you and then refunding the difference. Did you know about this? I didn't. I'd be effing furious if this messed up my banking and the refund wasn't instant. The maximum I ever put in the the car is £40. I prefer pay-at-pump because it's usually faster than going in the kiosk. Aibu?

OP posts:
Zonder · 16/03/2023 08:17

So it just ringfences your money for up to an hour. It doesn't take it out of your account apparently.

Tesco's petrol stations automatically charging £120 per transaction on 'Pay at Pump'
Xrays · 16/03/2023 08:18

I am really not sure why this is suddenly in the news, Morrisons have done this for as long as I can remember! It’s not fair really, lots of people just don’t have that kind of money in their account.

cakeorwine · 16/03/2023 08:18

Polis · 16/03/2023 08:16

And why £120? My car doesn't have that big a tank.

But mine does. The pump doesn’t know how big your car’s fuel tank is.

I suppose they could use ANPR to check with DVLA and adjust the amount to the type of car you are driving.

Or ask you what you would like to spend?

Or have options - preauthorise £50, £100, £120....

Polis · 16/03/2023 08:20

Or have options - preauthorise £50, £100, £120....

I have seen that on a few pumps. It seems quite common abroad too.

Male101 · 16/03/2023 08:20

cakeorwine · 16/03/2023 07:30

I thought they ring fenced it.
And not just Tescos

So it was just not available to you but they didn't have it either.

I would have thought that it was better for pumps to ask you "what you would like to spend up to" and then ring fence that amount - it happens in European countries such as France.

And why £120? My car doesn't have that big a tank.

And why £120? My car doesn't have that big a tank.

other cars do. Mine came to just under 100 when diesel was at its highest 60 litre fuel tank cost a fair bit to fill

TimeForMeToF1y · 16/03/2023 08:21

Xrays · 16/03/2023 08:18

I am really not sure why this is suddenly in the news, Morrisons have done this for as long as I can remember! It’s not fair really, lots of people just don’t have that kind of money in their account.

The bar for something being in the news nowadays is ridiculously low. I assume that they need to keep adding content to online sites so they most mundane things are classed as news

WeepingSomnambulist · 16/03/2023 08:22

It isnt Tesco. It is the card provider; visa and Mastercard.

It started years and years ago, slowly rolled out. on the news loads, on social media loads. It was even on threads on here. You've had actually years of notice.

Tesco are not charging you. Visa are authorising your card for £120 to ensure you can afford any fuel you buy. They ring fence it. They dont charge it or remove it from your card. They just ring fence it, then remove the ring fence from any funds not used on the fuel. Any delay with that isnt Tesco or asda or anyone else; it is the card companies.

Card providers were fed up of people with a few pounds in their account using pay at pump, getting authorised for £1 and then filling up and going into an unarranged overdraft when the full charge was applied.

TheGreatATuin · 16/03/2023 08:22

I had this happen last year. Something went wonky at the pump and I had to start again. It was near the end of the month so I only put in £20, not realising that the first failed transaction reserved £120 on top of that.
It took almost a week to reverse and I ended up having a very anxious week because I had DD going off that meant I ended up overdrawn.
As for the posters who think it's just about managing finances, I'm happy to swap circumstances and my crappy salary for whatever you get. A lot of people are struggling in this financial climate and an unexpected £120 going off can mean the difference between being able to afford a food shop or not.

confusedlots · 16/03/2023 08:24

I thought that was standard. I use Asda pay at the pump and they take £99

Hadjab · 16/03/2023 08:25

ArdeteiMasazxu · 16/03/2023 05:24

this is perfectly normal for any service where something is paid for after it is provided - same thing as with hotels. Part of the responsibility you are supposed to develop as a grownup who uses credit cards is managing your finances so that you are never sailing so close to your credit limit that things like this are a problem.

if you haven't yet achieved that level of adulting, it's easy enough to opt to pay at the till and then you are only charged for what you actually take.

So why can’t the pump also just charge you for what you take?

WeepingSomnambulist · 16/03/2023 08:25

Silverlog · 16/03/2023 08:12

It's being rolled-out to all Tesco petrol stations.

Show quote history

It is not just tesco, OP. It is the card issues. Petrol stations across the country have been slowly rolling it out. All of them. Not just Tesco.

A lot of them have all their pumps like this and have for years. Tesco seemed to do it slower than other companies. My tesco only changed a few weeks ago but morrisons have been doing it for over a year.

TheGreatATuin · 16/03/2023 08:26

So just to confirm how it works, if the actual transaction goes through properly, you pay what you spent and the £120 doesn't show.
If you cancel the transaction at the pump or anything interrupts it, then that £120 can show as a negative reserved transaction on your account and it can take up to a week to reverse.

Toddlerteaplease · 16/03/2023 08:26

Never seen or have it happen.

America12 · 16/03/2023 08:27

ArdeteiMasazxu · 16/03/2023 05:24

this is perfectly normal for any service where something is paid for after it is provided - same thing as with hotels. Part of the responsibility you are supposed to develop as a grownup who uses credit cards is managing your finances so that you are never sailing so close to your credit limit that things like this are a problem.

if you haven't yet achieved that level of adulting, it's easy enough to opt to pay at the till and then you are only charged for what you actually take.

Patronising rubbish. Have you heard of the cost of living crisis?
People live payday to payday. They may need £20 of fuel to get to work or school. Doesn't make them a bad adult because they've only got £50 the day before payday.

Strictlyfanoftenyears · 16/03/2023 08:27

ArdeteiMasazxu · 16/03/2023 05:24

this is perfectly normal for any service where something is paid for after it is provided - same thing as with hotels. Part of the responsibility you are supposed to develop as a grownup who uses credit cards is managing your finances so that you are never sailing so close to your credit limit that things like this are a problem.

if you haven't yet achieved that level of adulting, it's easy enough to opt to pay at the till and then you are only charged for what you actually take.

Wow, its posters like this that puts off new people from joining Mumsnet. Whatever happened to the "Be Kind" movement?

DeepfriedPizza · 16/03/2023 08:30

A few months ago I went to fill up at Tesco pay at pump. My petrol cost £60, They took the £60 from my account but also "pre authorised" £100, the £100 was left as a pending transaction for 5 working days. It was a massive pain in the arse, if they had just taken the £100 then refunded the difference it would have been fine but I hadn't budgeted for £160 being out of my account for a week. I now only pay in the store.

ResignationUpYourArse · 16/03/2023 08:31

@ArdeteiMasazxu I bet you're like thrush in real life... an irritating c*nt.

Train007 · 16/03/2023 08:33

ArdeteiMasazxu · 16/03/2023 05:24

this is perfectly normal for any service where something is paid for after it is provided - same thing as with hotels. Part of the responsibility you are supposed to develop as a grownup who uses credit cards is managing your finances so that you are never sailing so close to your credit limit that things like this are a problem.

if you haven't yet achieved that level of adulting, it's easy enough to opt to pay at the till and then you are only charged for what you actually take.

Rude !!

Glittertwins · 16/03/2023 08:33

@TheGreatATuin : my credit card account showed 2 transactions pending. One for £120 and one for the actual amount I spent. The following day, the £120 showing as pending was deleted.

Anonhopingforbaby · 16/03/2023 08:38

Silverlog · 16/03/2023 04:02

There was no notice at the pump last time I went in. That's the end of me getting through the station fast in future. I'll have to go in the kiosk. I don't want to risk a delay getting this money which is MY money refunded. Hmm

It says 2-48 hours. Usually it'll be a lot faster than that. Blame everyone who took the piss out of the system.

BlueSpark · 16/03/2023 08:38

This thread is wild. Some have no idea how the other half live and that goes both ways!

MegaManic · 16/03/2023 08:38

i don't think this is true as I used one this morning. The pre-authorisation amount has increased from £99 to £120 which is helpful because sometimes I couldn't fill my car on the £99 limit but I was only charged the £85 I spent to my card.

RedToothBrush · 16/03/2023 08:41

Xrays · 16/03/2023 08:18

I am really not sure why this is suddenly in the news, Morrisons have done this for as long as I can remember! It’s not fair really, lots of people just don’t have that kind of money in their account.

Where the problem lies is with twats who drive huge cars with massive tanks. They should be banned.

People who have cars like this are selfish. I am very much of the mindset that small efficient petrol / diesel cars should be the way forward (alongside electric) with large ones being phased out very soon.

Meanwhile people who have lower incomes and are sensible with the size of their car/tank are penalised because of the big tank twats and have to have more money in their account for the privilege of filling up their little sensible cars.

I dislike pay at pump and avoid it where I can but it's increasingly common especially with the supermarkets which are all doing it.

As for Tesco, I can see a zillion reasons to avoid it wherever possible regarding of their pay at pump policy.

cakeorwine · 16/03/2023 08:42

BlueSpark · 16/03/2023 08:38

This thread is wild. Some have no idea how the other half live and that goes both ways!

Seems some people have big fuel tanks that they seem to run empty and then have to always fill to the max using their credit card and have plenty of choice of petrol stations

Whilst others have small fuel tanks, they just need a small amount in, need to use a debit card and don't have £120 available and don't have much choice of petrol stations.

And then there are those in between

TaRaDeBumDeAy · 16/03/2023 08:43

ArdeteiMasazxu · 16/03/2023 05:24

this is perfectly normal for any service where something is paid for after it is provided - same thing as with hotels. Part of the responsibility you are supposed to develop as a grownup who uses credit cards is managing your finances so that you are never sailing so close to your credit limit that things like this are a problem.

if you haven't yet achieved that level of adulting, it's easy enough to opt to pay at the till and then you are only charged for what you actually take.

Not everyone has credit cards, and not everyone is good enough health to walk about unnecessarily.

This is disgraceful imo.