When is a debit card payment assessed re. going overdrawn?

Kernel_Sanders

I need to make such a payment "before 15 Nov" (DVLA registration plate entitlement extension). I know that if I pay it this evening then my balance won't go overdrawn until at least tomorrow (more likely Monday), and I have the cash in a Nat West Savings card account, so can pay it in in the morning. The thing is, banks' computer systems 'know' you have made this payment, as evidenced by the fact that your 'available credit' goes down immediately. So, I was wondering if I would get charged; it's Santander (not 123).

Dobbibill

didn't see this post until now so not a very timely answer, given that it is the 15th today.

It would depend if the payment becomes earmarked on your available funds immediately. (some do, some don't)

Can you pay with a CC so that the payment is with them when it is due but then pay off in full when statement comes in?

DB

InsideInsurance

Card payments are made up of two steps, one is a request for authorisation and the second is the request for funds.

I dont have professional knowledge but I very much doubt if authorisation requests on their own can trigger overdraft fees as the bank has no way of knowing when or if the money will ever actually be taken and so cannot charge you for "possibly" going into an overdraft.

They could however charge you if they decided to bounce other payments as a consequence of the reduced available balance

Now your problem is that some merchants do the two steps at the same time and others may sit on the authorisation for a while before actually doing the second step. Theres no definite way of knowing which of the two the DVLA falls under and if it is the second, then what their gap is.

Why not just use online or telephone banking to move the money across instantly "now" rather than wait til "tomorrow"?