Drivers fume as Sainsbury's seize up to £100 from customers' bank accounts to 'authorise' pay-at-pump fill-ups
DRIVERS has slammed Sainsbury's new pay-at-pump rule which seizes up to £100 from their bank accounts.
Some have complained that it puts more strain on their finances in a cost of living crisis as the money is reserved from their accounts for 48 hours after they've put fuel costing much less in their tank.
The new checks, which are in place at several supermarkets, holds the cash while the transaction goes through.
They are there to make sure customers have sufficient funds in their accounts to cover the cost of the petrol.
One customer said the practice left him embarrassed as he was unable to pay for his shopping after his card was declined.
The van driver, who wishes to stay anonymous, said the pump took £60 from his card, the reserved another £100 on top when he was at a Sainsburys in Leicester on February 11.
He then went to another store to buy some shopping but he was forced to leave the items because his card was declined.
He told the Leicester Mercury: "I had to leave what I was going to buy. It was embarrassing.
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"When you pay at a pump it states £99 but Sainsburys held £100 which is more than stated on screen.
"I know its only a pound more, but the fact it held the £100 and charged me on top, instead of deducting the cost of fuel from the money reserved feels illegal. It's criminal."
The driver said the new rule put more strain on customers when cost of living is at a record high.
"Yes you get the £100 back but can take 48hours. It could be longer over weekend or bank holidays," he added.
"Their new policy would put them overdrawn so not only would the customer have no money they would also have overdrawn charges to deal with that wasn't their fault.
"All at a time everyone is having financial issues with the increase of everything – they're taking more money than they stated."
It's said that the money is only held temporarily until the exact amount you fill up on is charged.
Usually this is straight away, but some drivers have also found it takes longer and the cash shows as unavailable to spend.
A spokesperson for Visa said: "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.
"The funds-check will never be taken from your account. If your account balance is below £100, for example £20, this would be communicated back to the fuel pump by your bank enabling that amount of fuel to be dispensed.
"This means the pump will automatically cut out once you have reached the approved amount (or before if you choose to dispense less). This is called ‘partial authorisation’ and ensures you can get the fuel you need.
"This should happen almost instantly but occasionally it may take a little longer. Please contact your bank if this is not the case."
Visa and Mastercard last year increased the holding fee to up to £100 last year.
Previously, some Asda customers have been left confused by the charge, and Morrisons shoppers too.
Tesco and Sainsbury's shoppers faced a similar surprise last year when the amount went up.
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