Automatic payments at fuel stations in France

Monzo Chat
27

It has started to happen in the UK, and there have been reports of it on Monzo, Starling and Fidor UK forums.

Fuel stations should now be blocking enough to cover their maximum vend, e.g. £99-100, each time they sell fuel at an Automated Fuel Dispenser as a result of new rules introduced by Visa and Mastercard in late 2017, but many are slow in implementing them.

2 Likes
28

Im afraid it does apparently - you might not notice it though

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.php?t=5154862

1 Like
29

I agree 260€ should be sufficient if it weren’t for the pesky pre authorisation rules sometimes enforced - twice (?) by the petrol / card distributor - and its not rubbish, if those are the rules and your funds don’t actually cover the costs - its the rules Im afraid - it might be the rules are rubbish - I agree - but my statement wasn’t rubbish :slight_smile:

31

just to add - going abroad with only one method of payment is asking for trouble whoever the card issuer is :slight_smile:

3 Likes
32

The changes to those rules weren’t widely advertised. If I hadn’t come across them on this forum, I wouldn’t have known about them. And they seem to be catching quite a few people out.

2 Likes
33

That’s really poor that the pump doesn’t retry with smaller amounts. Wonder how much business fuel stations with only those pumps lose out on if they force people who only want €20 to go elsewhere?

1 Like
34

To be fair to Monzo and all other card issuers, the issue is with the pump not amending/releasing the authorisation once fuel has been dispensed and the final amount is known. It’s possible to immediately amend the authorisation amount to the final amount (which will reflect immediately on Monzo and appear in the form of a partial refund), the only reason it’s not done is legacy companies who make the payment software on the pumps.

4 Likes
35

I had no idea that was possible. I’ve never seen it done and it would seem a great way to reduce a common customer complaint…

36

At the risk of adding more fuel to the “censorship” fire that has been discussed recently, I think a thread like this is a great reason to introduce a “solved” type of closure (similar to Apple, where you see the initial post, and then a quick link to the “answer” to whatever question has been asked).

In this case, to summarise what has been said multiple times.

  1. New Visa/Mastercard rules state that all unmanned fuel pumps “should” pre authorise the maximum “minimum spend” (£100/€120 for example) - Although many are slow at implementing this.
  2. In this specific case, the company actually took 2 pre authorisations (€240) - Monzo sorted out the second one when asked.
  3. This is not unique to Monzo, it would have happened with any debit card, and the outcome would have been the same (assuming the balance on the account was the same).
  4. The only way around this type of example (where the pre authorisation causes problems later in the day/week due to insufficient funds) is to use a credit card, or hold more money in said account.

What I have said isn’t new information - Others have said that in this thread before me. But I often see a thread which starts as someone complaining about a company (or it develops into that complaint), when in actual fact, it is simply a case of not fully understanding the rules and regulations.

4 Likes
37

That is done in the Starling community. It has it’s pros and cons.

1 Like
38

Yeah, I can see both sides to it - Perhaps the conversation doesn’t need to get completely shut down, but a quick link to the actual answer, would help others who stumble across this forum, and don’t have the time to read a lot of back and forth over a misunderstanding of the rules.

39

I think that sounds like a good idea

40

What about people that don’t have additional funds and/or cannot get a credit card (with a high limit)?

2 Likes
41

Exactly.

The only time I’ve used pay at pump abroad, the machine had buttons for €5, €10, etc so there would be no need for it to pre authorise.

1 Like
42

Well, that is an issue with the way the pumps ore authorise surely? Not an issue with the card company.

Don’t get me wrong, the system could be better - But I don’t see how it’s an issue with (in this case) Monzo.

The current rules are what they are, and if you don’t have additional funds or a credit card, I’m afraid it looks like a dire situation to be in.

2 Likes
43

I didn’t go abroad with one form of payment but my Santander account charges me an arm and leg AND the exchange rate is crap so I don’t use it here. I have never been let down using my Monzo card before.

2 Likes
44

You’re right not to use Santander cards in general (although if you can find a Santander ATM, cash withdrawals may be free (the exchange rate is another matter)).

I don’t believe that you have been let down by Monzo, though. You appear to have fallen foul of Visa and MasterCard rules.

Monzo staff are usually really good at resolving issues like this, so if it happens again (and I suppose it’s bound to) I’d give in app chat another go.

Good luck, anyway. :+1:

Edit: I’ve just looked again at the Santander website - Cash withdrawals are only free at Santander ATMs in Spain. Sorry.

1 Like
45

It defeats the object of travelling with two forms of payment if you’re unwilling to actually use the backup abroad though.

1 Like
46

This will actually push me going back into the shop to pay …

1 Like
47

Unfortunately the system as designed fails those people. There are many things Monzo can help but I just don’t see how this could be one of them, unfortunately.

1 Like