Debit Card not yet charged (or money held!)

SpacemanSpiff

Yesterday morning I used a self-service checkout and my contactless card for a small set of purchases (£7). It all seemed to work as normal, the card reader said accepted, the till went back to its start screen, told me to take the receipt and bag etc. However the receipt feeder seemed broken or jammed, I got a few receipts come out of it after pulling a bit but all for prior customers and so I left without it.

However now I am worried that maybe something went wrong and so I checked my bank account and the money has been neither taken nor held. So now I am very worried. I can understand sometimes the payments are not taken next day but surely the money should be held now?

Is this normal? Or if the transaction hasn't been held yet will it never go through and in which case what do I do?

alanq

Do you have more than one contactless card? Is it possible that payment was taken from a card other than the one you intended to present to the reader?

SpacemanSpiff

alanq wrote: »

Do you have more than one contactless card? Is it possible that payment was taken from a card other than the one you intended to present to the reader?

No just the one.

dzug1

If shops are having problems with payments it can sometimes be a while before they sort things out - I wouldn't be worrying for at least a week

reclusive46

Don't worry.

Contactless doesn't contact the bank at all. Its an offline technology so it won't come out of your available balance until its posted to your account after a few days. This is perfectly normal for contactless.

SpacemanSpiff

reclusive46 wrote: »

Don't worry.

Contactless doesn't contact the bank at all. Its an offline technology so it won't come out of your available balance until its posted to your account after a few days. This is perfectly normal for contactless.

Really? What is offline technology? Surely it's more connected, or at least as connected, as the traditional systems...

dr_adidas01

Contactless payments take a few days days to show up on your account, they are not instantly taken.

I did one for £6 last Thursday and it has only just shown up on my online banking today, which is the norm for my account.

You will have to start remembering when you pay via contactless it takes a few days to show as taken from your account..

dr_adidas01

reclusive46 wrote: »

Don't worry.

Contactless doesn't contact the bank at all. Its an offline technology so it won't come out of your available balance until its posted to your account after a few days. This is perfectly normal for contactless.

Thats not always true some contactless cards are online to, for example the O2 money card is an online card only and checks your balance to see if you have the money available if you don't it will decline the contactless payment.

Most normal debit with contactless technology are offline cards meaning they don't dial home to check if funds are available and with authorise it even if you don't have the money in your account.

SpacemanSpiff

Thanks! That's calmed me down a bit

reclusive46

dr_adidas01 wrote: »

Thats not always true some contactless cards are online to, for example the O2 money card is an online card only and checks your balance to see if you have the money available if you don't it will decline the contactless payment.

Most normal debit with contactless technology are offline cards meaning they don't dial home to check if funds are available and with authorise it even if you don't have the money in your account.

THE OP said it was a debit card so assumed that it would be an offline card but yeah prepaid are online and Metro Bank contactless also goes online (On the basic account).

dalesrider

reclusive46 wrote: »

Don't worry.

Contactless doesn't contact the bank at all. Its an offline technology .

Not always the case. As dr_adidas01points out.

Odds on that the supermarket will only process them every couple of days.

OP. Just remember to keep £7 in your account. This could take upto 6 months to come through and if it takes you over limit it will cost you.