Haven't been charged for debit card purchases?!

scarlet74

Evening...

Here's a funny one. I'm just going through my receipts for the last fortnight, and there's a handful of debit card payments for the weekend on 22 November that I haven't been charged for yet. Not huge amounts - maybe about £50 in 4 or 5 transactions.

I know debit card payments don't go through straight away, but 2 weeks seems a long time - especially since I have bought things from one of the shops since and been charged.

The good angel on one shoulder says I should contact my bank, but the evil one on the other shoulder says not to worry - and they were all very large chains, too. I'm just wondering whether there was some sort of block on my account that weekend, and if the payments will all come out some time soon?

Anyone else ever had this happen to them? By the way, the card was with Lloyds TSB.

Mikeyorks

Didn't your 'available' balance reduce at the time .... and has since been 'corrected'? If it did .. it's not your Bank but the people acting for the retailers involved.

But a bit odd if it's several retailers .. which does appear to point at the Bank as being the common denominator. Which is unusual ... as there's nothing much to go wrong at their end.

I had a similar problem with 2 separate lots of diesel from Morrisons just before Christmas last year. But normal service was resumed 3 weeks later when both debits arrived. Nothing to do with the Bank ... just a problem with the merchant acquirer acting for Morrisons .... but the cashiers at the petrol station were delightfully oblivious of anything wrong

scarlet74

Mikeyorks wrote: »

Didn't your 'available' balance reduce at the time .... and has since been 'corrected'?

Hi Mike

Cheers for your reply! To be honest, I didn't have a very close eye on my balance at the time, and only really became aware of the issue a couple of days ago when ticking off my receipts against my statement (and I hope I'm not the only one who does this...!).

It's a bit odd, as it's a handful of different retailers across a 5 day period. I've found a few other similar threads since posting, actually, and it looks as if the payments could come out at any time over the next few months.

I'm just wondering what could have caused this - I'm stumped anyway!

Mikeyorks

No - I keep all receipts in the back of my wallet and then check them off every couple of days. Then 'flush' them .... if anyone at the sewage place then wishes to put the pieces together they're more than welcome!

Can't explain the missing debits as there's no way of identifying if all the retailers happen to use the same 'merchant acquirer' (the organisation that processes the card payments to your Bank). But might be worth a call to your Bank to double check your account if it's still the same position at the end of the week. As you say - the payments can be taken anytime - so make sure you keep the funds in your mind's eye .... and your account!

Mrs_Ryan

Just following on from this... I've had something really weird happen.

I have a reoccuring payment from my Visa Debit card on the 30th of each month. This month it appeared to have gone as usual, but the bank said it was 'pending' a day or so after. Fine, i thought. However, a week later and it still hasnt shown on my online statement. It's come off my 'available to spend' but not the balance.
I checked my account today and the money had appeared to come back onto my 'available to spend' so I rang the bank who were clueless (so whats new) and then they said the company obviously hadnt took the money. So I rang the company who confirmed they had taken the payment and that it had been credited to my account with them. So Im £50 up! What do I do now then??? Its my money definitely - and the payment isnt showing anywhere on the statement so it must be that.
Anyone any ideas???

hippey

If it was with one merchant I would suggest they were a semi-online merchant who had not been 'polled' for some time.

For the fact it is with a number over the a few day suggests that they have got stuck in the system, the retailer will have been paid, they normally are within 5 days. However it could be quite some time until they hit your bank. The available balance is only showing the authorisation which if not taken will drop off after around 7 days, but the transaction can be taken as it was correctly done at the time. For now you just have to wait, there is not a lot you or your bank can do. (Card aquiring problems are an art to resolve!)

scarlet74

Thanks to everyone who had replied!

No change yet, either...

Weird.