We're aware that some users are experiencing technical issues which the team are working to resolve. Thank you for your patience.
📨 Have you signed up to the Forum's new Email Digest yet? Get a selection of trending threads sent straight to your inbox daily, weekly or monthly!

Missing transactions on credit cards

Options
Hi,

Over a week ago I spent some money on an Amex card at Tesco.

The transaction appeared as 'pending' when I checked online and so I paid money onto the card to cover it. However, yesterday, when I looked, the transaction is no longer pending BUT is not on the transaction list either! So I've now got some Credit on my credit card...

I phoned up to ask what was going on but the customer service guy said there was nothing outstanding on the account (actual words: " I will eat my hat if there is anything missing on the account.").

Now, I definitely used this card since I've got the receipt! Now, the mercenary inside me says keep quiet but I know these things have a habit of coming back.

Has anyone had this happen before?

Comments

  • McKneff
    McKneff Posts: 38,857 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper
    yes, they will take it eventually, so dont spend it. Someone on another thread was jumping up and down cos the trnsaction suddenly turned up 9 months later.
    make the most of it, we are only here for the weekend.
    and we will never, ever return.
  • Ring Amex up and ask about "late presentment".

    All merchants have a maximum time with which to submit a charge (I've a feeling it's 180 days). This goes back to the days where credit cards were put into those manual machines underneath a blank voucher (for the receipt) attached to some carbon-paper (for the merchant to keep). These are now probably just kept out the back in case of power-cuts.

    These manual slips had to be sent into places like Amex so that someone would enter the transactions onto the accounts by hand. Some merchants would probably only send them at the end of every week/month depending on how many they had to send.

    Even though everything is automated, merchants still have quite a big window of time in which to submit a charge. If it goes over this time, it is "late presentment" and the card issuer has charge-back rights.

    Sorry for the history lesson, hope it helps.
  • McKneff
    McKneff Posts: 38,857 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper
    no need to be sorry, icantstandit. i love learning new things, thanks
    make the most of it, we are only here for the weekend.
    and we will never, ever return.
  • doelani
    doelani Posts: 2,576 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture Combo Breaker
    Well funny you should have this happen but I paid for my online shop with Tesco on 23rd with my prepaid card which is visa, it went to pending and is still there :confused: I have used this card for tesco before and it is paid in 2 days but this times they have not collected the payment, the money is there. Prepaid cards keep transactions as pending for about 14 days before they drop off so not sure what is happening.
    TOTAL 44 weeks lose. 6st 9.5lb :T
  • dolally_2
    dolally_2 Posts: 268 Forumite
    I had the opposite happen at Tesco. I did a largish shop and when I paid the first time the system froze so i had to do it again.
    The second one has gone through properly on my card (cap one) but the 1st is still showing under the pending section. How long will it take to go away? I presume that they won't take the money twice once they get appropriate paperwork from Tesco or do you think I should 'phone them and check? (it has been one week so far).
    It was an expensive shop to begin with but if I have to pay twice then all my bogof deals and bargain hunting were a bit pointless :rotfl:
  • Nigella_2
    Nigella_2 Posts: 355 Forumite
    Ring your card issuer to get their time frames.

    When I was with Halifax I had to wait a week THEN ring up if not lifted from my account.

    Hope you get it sorted
  • dolally_2
    dolally_2 Posts: 268 Forumite
    Thanks Nigella, I will ring them on monday to see what is happening, if it is not gone before then.
  • This will surely reflect after a couple of weeks, once your bill is generated. They may miss something in the online charts and find it later to debit your account. Be careful in spending now on.
    No Unapproved or Personal links in signatures please - FT3
  • Thanks for the replies. Who'd of thought that they still need 180 days in 2008?!

    I am a little bit concerned since the reason I wanted to clear the balance on the card was so I could take advantage of a 0% balance transfer offer to my overdraft.

    Now, I am almost certain that if this transaction appears after I have done the transfer I will get stung by fairly high interest payments on this transaction and which won't get paid off til I've cleared the balance transfer first.

    What do you think my chances would be of the CC company letting me pay this transaction first (given the delay and the confidence of the customer service guy) if it does appear much later?
  • Thanks for the replies. Who'd of thought that they still need 180 days in 2008?!

    I am a little bit concerned since the reason I wanted to clear the balance on the card was so I could take advantage of a 0% balance transfer offer to my overdraft.

    Now, I am almost certain that if this transaction appears after I have done the transfer I will get stung by fairly high interest payments on this transaction and which won't get paid off til I've cleared the balance transfer first.

    What do you think my chances would be of the CC company letting me pay this transaction first (given the delay and the confidence of the customer service guy) if it does appear much later?

    I'm not sure of the exact timeframe, but it is somewhere between 120 and 180 days, so it might be worth a call to check with them. Back in my Amex days, "late presentment" happened more often than you would think, but it tended to be a restaurant or something on the other side of the world that had dated technology, rather than the local Tesco :D

    With regards to you paying it off first, it should appear on their system with the transaction date (the date you were in Tesco) and the posting date (the date it was applied to your account). If there is a significant gap between the two, Amex might be able to do something, but it's something that a manager would probably need to do. If the rep you speak to says "yes we can do that", get their name and extension so you have proof it has been promised.
This discussion has been closed.
Meet your Ambassadors

🚀 Getting Started

Hi new member!

Our Getting Started Guide will help you get the most out of the Forum

Categories

  • All Categories
  • 350.7K Banking & Borrowing
  • 253K Reduce Debt & Boost Income
  • 453.4K Spending & Discounts
  • 243.7K Work, Benefits & Business
  • 598.4K Mortgages, Homes & Bills
  • 176.8K Life & Family
  • 256.9K Travel & Transport
  • 1.5M Hobbies & Leisure
  • 16.1K Discuss & Feedback
  • 37.6K Read-Only Boards

Is this how you want to be seen?

We see you are using a default avatar. It takes only a few seconds to pick a picture.