Petrol pump charge: The £99 pay at the pump fuel fee explained

Sophie Williams9 May 2018

Petrol pumps at supermarkets are set to start charging drivers up to £99 to pay at the pump.

The charge is part of new industry rules which means pumps have to pre-authorise cards to the value of a full tank of petrol.

ASDA became the first supermarket to try the charge last month.

Previously, most supermarkets would only charge customers £1 to check for funds before returning it back to the customer's account.

What is the £99 petrol pump charge?

Drivers are charged a £99 pre-authorisation charge. This ensures that drivers have enough money when paying at the pump.

You will have to enter your card details before filling up the vehicle.

The charge varies between supermarkets. ASDA is trialling the £99 charge in some stores before rolling it out across the country.

While Sainbsury's can charge between £1 and £99.

What happens to the money?

ASDA told The Mirror that the charge is to ensure customers have sufficient funds in their account before filling up their vehicles.

They added: "This amount is ‘ring-fenced’ by banks but immediately made available again to customers.

"The money is never taken or held by ASDA."

It's thought that once the payment for the petrol has cleared, the money will reappear on a customer's bank balance. It should take around 20 minutes however in a few cases it has taken a few days.

A Mastercard spokesman told the Standard: "Last year a change in industry rules meant that petrol stations with automated fuel pumps were required to pre-authorise a value equivalent to a full tank of fuel, so that customers didn’t fill up with more fuel than they could afford."

According to Mastercard, only the value of petrol dispensed is withdrawn.

"While some customers may see a request for a higher amount than the fuel they bought for a short period of time - perhaps on their mobile banking app – these funds are not taken from their account."

Are there any restrictions?

According to Money Saving Expert, more than five million people with basic bank accounts are unable to 'pay at the pump'.

It reported that many people with these basic bank accounts are blocked as the pump is unable to tell if the customer has enough money in their account.

Banks including Bank of Scotland, Halifax, HSBC and Lloyds confirmed that some customers would have blocks on their card at non-updated pumps.

However they would work at pumps that have had their systems updated.

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