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Original poster

£99 taken out of bank for £20 petrol Asda

127 replies

hellsbells9 · 03/08/2022 15:06

I put £20 in my car on Friday at Asda pay at pump. I know it says something about authorizing £99, however ever since then the £99 has been taken out my bank (it's in pending transactions but the money has still been taken and I'm unable to use it) as well as the separate £20 transaction. This has never happened before and I'm getting concerned now. I don't use this very often so not sure how exactly it works but I really need that £99 now to pay bills and I can't have it just sat pending. Anyone know more about this or what I can do? Is it worth contacting bank?

OP posts:
WinterMusings · 15/08/2022 07:37

StrangeCondition · 03/08/2022 15:09

Tesco do this also but the money is usually credited back the same or next day

I use Tesco Pat at pump at least once a week & have never had that happen. It just takes the pump amount.

WinterMusings · 15/08/2022 07:38

Bloody phone pay at pump!

I wish you could just past the pump!!

JugglingJanuary · 15/08/2022 07:52

andrew16 · 03/08/2022 16:54

Pay at Pump transactions have two stages. A pre-authorisation, and then the settlement. The pre-authorisation puts a hold on a pre-determined amount of money. This signals to your bank that this money needs to be unusable until the second stage has completed, settlement. In the second stage the retailer confirms with your bank the final amount, your account is debited and the hold removed.

Sometimes, glitches can happen where the authorisation step happens twice. This second authorisation is not settled and is referred to as a hanging authorisation. This hold will eventually expire, and the length of time when that will happen is determined by your bank. It is usually between 8 and 30 days. Usually nearer the former, and sometimes shorter. Your bank should be able to tell you how long a pending authorisation is held.

The reason your bank is saying you need to get the retailer to confirm before they will remove it early is because all your bank can see is the authorisation. Even though you have another transaction completed with the same retailer on your account, there’s no way for your bank to know that the second authorisation isn’t for a legitimate second transaction that will be settled later.

Sometimes these glitches happen, but rest assured you’ll get your money back.

Exactly that, that's why the bank asked for an email from Asda to say it doesn't need to be held.

I honestly think if funds are very tight, you're better to just pay inside, not at the pump.

@hellsbells9 I'm sorry it's happened, it must be a right PITA. I think the emails could be a right pain too, I'd call the bank again & hopefully get a different person who may be able to contact Asda via the banking system.

WinterMusings · 15/08/2022 07:56

BarbaraofSeville · 14/08/2022 15:53

But the point is that it takes the £99 from your available balance making it unavailable for other spending or direct debits.

You say you check your balance every day @PupInAPram but does your actual balance and available balance always match?

But I still maintain that absolutely everyone who can should get a credit card and use it for things like this because there are so many advantages, that have nothing to do with spending money you don't have and very few disadvantages, especially if you only use it to buy fuel, because it completely takes away the problem of the held £99 being unavailable when needed.

Someone up above posted about how it's going to apply to credit cards too.

Whilst I think having a credit card is great & does provide more security in the way of refunds etc, I don't think it's a good idea to encourage people to get one if they don't have one, in this climate, as people may get in debt with them.

PinkButtercups · 15/08/2022 07:59

Thanks for the heads up! Definitely will not be using pay at the pump anymore!

AllThatFancyPaintsAsFair · 15/08/2022 08:05

PinkButtercups · 15/08/2022 07:59

Thanks for the heads up! Definitely will not be using pay at the pump anymore!

This has been a thing for ages, sounds like Asda has had some kind of problem rather than the whole system for all retailers not bein fit for purpose

I only ever use pay at pump and ave never had a problem althougit is very rare that I use Asda. I don't thin anyone needs to totally stop using this type of payment

BarbaraofSeville · 15/08/2022 08:14

WinterMusings · 15/08/2022 07:56

Someone up above posted about how it's going to apply to credit cards too.

Whilst I think having a credit card is great & does provide more security in the way of refunds etc, I don't think it's a good idea to encourage people to get one if they don't have one, in this climate, as people may get in debt with them.

Show quote history

But generally with a credit card, you have a credit limit that's much higher than you spend so you never get into a situation where it's holding money you need for other things.

I was very careful to caveat the suggestion of using a credit card solely as a payment tool to solve this problem of buying fuel not to spend money you don't have.

xxlostxx · 17/08/2022 11:04

£99 still pending since Friday for me after using asda pay at pump, won't be doing it again!

liveforsummer · 12/11/2022 10:20

Just had a search on this topic as similar has happened to me last night however in my case Asda has cleared my bank account and delivered me NO fuel. Customers services simply shrugged their shoulders and left me to it knowing I was alone with my d CV in the dark and cold with no fuel and no way to get home. I had 77.24 in my account- they authorised 77 but the transaction cut off on zero but completed the sale at £0.00 0.00 litres then took every penny from my account (including the le de over what they authorised) I'd been planning to put in £20 and the rest was money greatly needed. As I don't actually have a transaction from Asda showing like you did in my account the bank can't help. I don't have access to any money now and neither do I have any petrol to get to work Angry. I've tweeted twice tagging Asda and no response. Another one never again getting petrol there!!

Glittertwins · 12/11/2022 10:49

I'm sorry it's happened to you but it isn't just Asda, it's the debit card companies with the pay at the pump. Asda do actually have a warning on their pumps about the £99 as I filled my car up on Thursday and the message was displayed.
The only choice for people on tight budgets is to pay at the kiosk and that's not always the cheapest fuel either.

liveforsummer · 12/11/2022 10:55

They do inform you but they also state clearly that it will be retired as soon as the transaction is complete which is clearly not always the case!

liveforsummer · 12/11/2022 10:56

*returned

Glittertwins · 12/11/2022 10:58

I hope it is returned to you quickly

liveforsummer · 12/11/2022 10:59

In my case they authorised £77 as that's the whole number I had in my account. They have however taken MORE than just the £77 (they took the pence too) and given me no fuel. If I had no money and a tank of fuel I'd be in a much better position then the one I'm currently in with neither any fuel or any money and my car abandoned a mile down the road ...

amusedbush · 12/11/2022 18:23

liveforsummer · 12/11/2022 10:55

They do inform you but they also state clearly that it will be retired as soon as the transaction is complete which is clearly not always the case!

Funnily enough, I was thinking about this thread yesterday because this pre-authorisation nonsense has just recently reached my local petrol stations. I now go in and pay the cashier but I saw a sign on the door last night that said up to £120 would be authorised and anything above the transaction amount "will be returned". No timeline given and I absolutely don't trust it after reading this thread back in the summer.

ivykaty44 · 13/11/2022 17:55

This happened to me recently but in Portugal using a visa debit card at a Galp petrol station using self serve

I rang the bank and said its in pending - they said normally it would take 5-7 days to disappear but they could take it straight of for me.

ring your bank op if it hasn't gone by the morning

Ive also seen this has happened to someone else on another board in a different petrol station using self serve, this was yesterday

Delboy9844 · 13/11/2022 23:37

Update on Asda petrol when they took £99 from my account for £5 petrol. Phoned bank, couldn't help, phoned Asda, couldn't help. Was told it was a glitch with MasterCard. Took a full 30 days then automatically refunded the £99

liveforsummer · 14/11/2022 06:56

Mine is just my standard debit card and nothing else has glitched. The in store transaction I made just 5 minutes earlier is cleared but the fuel still sitting there in pending so I'm going to assume it's not the card in this case

Mapletreelane · 14/11/2022 19:56

@liveforsummer contact your bank tomorrow and raise it as a complaint.

Can you use the chat function on your app, that may get you through to someone quicker. Just make sure you mention you want to make a complaint as you have done absolutely nothing wrong but you cannot access money in your account.

That should hopefully get some resolution sooner and access to your money. By making a complaint they have to log, investigate and respond with a fair customer outcome.

You've been left out if pocket currently through absolutely mo fault if your own, which is not a fair outcome for you.

Let us know how you get on

liveforsummer · 14/11/2022 20:03

Mapletreelane · 14/11/2022 19:56

@liveforsummer contact your bank tomorrow and raise it as a complaint.

Can you use the chat function on your app, that may get you through to someone quicker. Just make sure you mention you want to make a complaint as you have done absolutely nothing wrong but you cannot access money in your account.

That should hopefully get some resolution sooner and access to your money. By making a complaint they have to log, investigate and respond with a fair customer outcome.

You've been left out if pocket currently through absolutely mo fault if your own, which is not a fair outcome for you.

Let us know how you get on

Thank you, I did try but my chat function is only available Monday - Friday 8-4 which is really inconvenient due to work as I only get very short breaks and signal is very poor in the building also. Tuesdays are very busy but I will try

mydogisthebest · 15/11/2022 08:32

Morrisons and Asda have been doing this for quite a while now. In fact one of them, can't remember which, is putting the initial authorisation amount up to £120

amusedbush · 15/11/2022 11:55

mydogisthebest · 15/11/2022 08:32

Morrisons and Asda have been doing this for quite a while now. In fact one of them, can't remember which, is putting the initial authorisation amount up to £120

It is being rolled out in stages so some places will have had it for a while but, as I said upthread, it has only just reached my local petrol stations within in the last few weeks. The one I usually use (Tesco) immediately introduced it with a £120 authorisation Sad

liveforsummer · 15/11/2022 21:06

mydogisthebest · 15/11/2022 08:32

Morrisons and Asda have been doing this for quite a while now. In fact one of them, can't remember which, is putting the initial authorisation amount up to £120

I fill up at Asda weekly though. Never had this issue before. They are only supposed to hold it for the duration of the fuel dispensing then it releases and you are charged for what you've taken. My store shopping transaction has now cleared yet this amount is still hanging there in pending 🤨

Blondeshavemorefun · 16/11/2022 04:52

Same thing happened to my dh

took a few days

very wrong

thefirstmrsrochester · 16/11/2022 05:44

I had the same thing happen, 4 working days now and the holding charge still hasn’t been released.

I have tried contacting my bank (Nationwide) via the banking app to no avail, and get fed up waiting to get through on the phone.

Absolutely infuriating to be out of pocket for something I haven’t spent.