Motorists are being caught on the hop as up to £100 of their cash is ring-fenced by petrol stations
Motorists are being caught on the hop as up to £100 of their cash is ring-fenced by petrol stations. Increasing numbers of stations are carrying out authorisation checks on drivers who use ‘pay at the pump’ services.
This means that as much as £100 is frozen in the customer’s account and released only once the fuel is paid for. The system is designed to stop drivers with insufficient funds buying more petrol than they can afford.
But some motorists say they have been left waiting for 24 hours or more to access their money. Martyn James, of complaints site Resolver, says: ‘We have had a significant number of people getting in contact after their cash has been frozen. Those who have less in their accounts are most likely to notice this and I have heard from single mums who cannot do their weekly shop as a result of the problem.’
The authorisation checks have been in place for years at BP and Esso petrol stations. But they are being rolled out more widely to some Sainsbury’s, Asda and Tesco sites as well. Anyone who experiences a problem with the service is encouraged to contact their bank.
A Visa spokesman says: ‘Pay at pump has been enabled to all cardholders, meaning more drivers can access a more convenient way to pay for fuel and benefit from the new system.’
A Mastercard spokesperson says: ‘We are working together with banks and petrol stations to improve the way payments are made at ‘pay at pump’ sites.’
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