Are payments protected with your debit card?

cola5593

Hi,

In August. I paid a years gym membership with my debit card. The gym has now ceased trading and i have lost 6 months membership. Is there any way i can get this money back? (i was informed that there is protection with credit cards).

Thank you

Cola5593

pitkin2020

Debit cards offer no protection only credit cards.

Darksun

Yeah, the 'protection' you get from credit cards is under the Consumer Credit Act which makes the credit card company (or anyone offering credit) jointly liable for any contracts over £100.

You can put a claim in with the administrators, but don't expect to get much, if any money back

gordikin

I thought you may be covered if it was a Visa Debit card?

Leo2020

From the Moneysavingexpert site: http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/shopping/section75-protect-your-purchases

Q. Is there any help for debit card payments?

A. While Section 75 doesn’t apply to debit cards, there is something else to fall back on if you paid on a Visa debit card, or Visa credit card under £100 (otherwise go for Section 75).Known as Visa Chargeback, this is part of Visa’s internal rules and not a legal requirement.

This isn’t something you should do proactively, it’s a last resort option which gives you a chance of getting your cash back if the company has gone bust or not delivered. It was something I first pushed during the Farepak crisis and has had quite a number of successes.

It does mean though, that a Visa credit card, if you have a choice, may be a better option than a Mastercard credit card, as you'll be able to claim through Section 75 for amounts over £100 and Chargeback for amounts below.