Morrisons Pay-At-The-Pump Warning

pambles2000

Saturday 13 April

I am a pensioner.  I needed petrol so I went to my local Morrisons petrol station.  I knew I had a balance of £102.58 in my HSBC current account  (I don’t have an overdraft).  I decided to go to the ‘pay-at-the-pump’ pump. I only needed about £25 worth of petrol and didn’t want to use my credit card, I’m trying not to use it.

I swiped my Morrison’s saver card then put my debit card in the slot and typed in my pin. The machine displayed ‘£120 authorised’ so I took the pump out of the holder and tried to fill up.  Nothing!! The pump wasn’t working. So I put the pump back in the holder and the machine issued a paper receipt which said ‘Payment Declined’.  I tried again, same issue. 

It then dawned on me that £120 was needed to work the pump and therefore the balance on my account was not enough. So I tried again with my credit card and this time I got petrol for my car.

When I got home I decided to check my current account and I was alarmed to see that that I had a pending transaction of £102.58 to W M Morrison Petrol and that my available balance was £0.00.  I was so angry and upset.

Luckily I have other means of payment but what if I didn’t? What if I didn’t have any other cards or family members who could help me out? The issue highlights the following problems:

 

-          I wouldn’t have been able to get any petrol. I could have broken down.

-          What if I had tried to use my card elsewhere for shopping. It would have been declined and I would have been embarrassed.

-          I wouldn’t have any money for the weekend or 2/3 days after until the balance was returned/dropped off

 

I understand now that Morrisons have a limit but surely the balance could have been returned when I replaced the pump. It didn’t dispense any fuel so I shouldn’t have been ‘charged’ for something that I didn’t receive. I think there should be a notice on all the ‘pay-at-the -pump’ pumps warning motorists not to use them unless they have a £120 balance on whatever card they are using.

I don’t know if this is just a Morrisons ‘thing’ or whether it’s a bank issue but I don’t think that it’s right. My £102.58 is now in limbo and it’s WRONG!

born_again

No money was taken from your account. It is just a pre auth.
It will clear in a few days (14 max)

I don’t know if this is just a Morrisons ‘thing’ or whether it’s a bank issue but I don’t think that it’s right. My £102.58 is now in limbo and it’s WRONG!

No, it is a Visa Mastercard regulation.
In the Uk we have been lucky. In Europe it has been like this for years.

All our local one had a sign up to this effect on the pumps, last year.

You can avoid it by paying in store 👍

eskbanker

pambles2000 said:
I decided to go to the ‘pay-at-the-pump’ pump. I only needed about £25 worth of petrol and didn’t want to use my credit card, I’m trying not to use it.

Next time you want to go for 'pay at the pump', use your credit card, so that the (temporarily) ring-fenced funds are those of your credit card provider rather than yours.

cymruchris

pambles2000 said:

Saturday 13 April

I am a pensioner.  I needed petrol so I went to my local Morrisons petrol station.  I knew I had a balance of £102.58 in my HSBC current account  (I don’t have an overdraft).  I decided to go to the ‘pay-at-the-pump’ pump. I only needed about £25 worth of petrol and didn’t want to use my credit card, I’m trying not to use it.

I swiped my Morrison’s saver card then put my debit card in the slot and typed in my pin. The machine displayed ‘£120 authorised’ so I took the pump out of the holder and tried to fill up.  Nothing!! The pump wasn’t working. So I put the pump back in the holder and the machine issued a paper receipt which said ‘Payment Declined’.  I tried again, same issue. 

It then dawned on me that £120 was needed to work the pump and therefore the balance on my account was not enough. So I tried again with my credit card and this time I got petrol for my car.

When I got home I decided to check my current account and I was alarmed to see that that I had a pending transaction of £102.58 to W M Morrison Petrol and that my available balance was £0.00.  I was so angry and upset.

Luckily I have other means of payment but what if I didn’t? What if I didn’t have any other cards or family members who could help me out? The issue highlights the following problems:

 

-          I wouldn’t have been able to get any petrol. I could have broken down.

-          What if I had tried to use my card elsewhere for shopping. It would have been declined and I would have been embarrassed.

-          I wouldn’t have any money for the weekend or 2/3 days after until the balance was returned/dropped off

 

I understand now that Morrisons have a limit but surely the balance could have been returned when I replaced the pump. It didn’t dispense any fuel so I shouldn’t have been ‘charged’ for something that I didn’t receive. I think there should be a notice on all the ‘pay-at-the -pump’ pumps warning motorists not to use them unless they have a £120 balance on whatever card they are using.

I don’t know if this is just a Morrisons ‘thing’ or whether it’s a bank issue but I don’t think that it’s right. My £102.58 is now in limbo and it’s WRONG!

That's how pay at pump has worked for quite some time now - they pre-authorise an amount before letting you have fuel - even if you yourself only want a tenner.

If you don't want it to do that - pay at the cashier - paying in kiosk doesn't ring fence funds.

You have mentioned lots of what-ifs and howabouts - but realistically once you know how the pumps work (and most have signs that none of us read, but we're aware of how it works) it's going to be a non-issue for the majority.

Your pre-auth will be released in due course once they know you haven't taken any petrol - and you can get on with using your funds as you wish.

Tony5896

So far I’ve only had the 120 pre auth with debit cards if I use a my credit card then it ring fences a pound 

elsien

If you are concerned about running out of petrol, then it may be simpler to top up when you get to the half a tank mark rather than wait till the tank is nearly empty. 

Ayr_Rage

It's not wrong, it's the way it works and has done so for some time.

I am sure you'll find the details on a notice somewhere at the filling station.

Ectophile

elsien said:

If you are concerned about running out of petrol, then it may be simpler to top up when you get to the half a tank mark rather than wait till the tank is nearly empty. 

I don't see how that helps.  They will still pre-authorise £120 even if you only want half a tank of fuel.

user1977

pambles2000 said:

Luckily I have other means of payment but what if I didn’t?

But you did. You can't start making a complaint about calamitous things which never actually came to pass.

Mildly_Miffed

Your card is pre-authorised up to the maximum amount the pump will dispense. That's £120. Once you fill and complete the transaction, the card is then debited with the amount you've actually taken.

Think about why that might be - it stops people with £5 in their account filling their tank for free... Theft, basically.

If you don't like the way pay-at-pump works, don't use it. Pay in the kiosk. Fill at a different filling station, if that one's pump only.

I don't use Morrisons, but Sainsbury certainly have signage on their pay-at-pump pumps telling you this, and a quick google finds articles about it from over two years ago.

February 2022...
https://forecourttrader.co.uk/latest-news/morrisons-pay-at-pump-forecourt-customers-vent-frustration-at-100-check/664242.article
"The £100 check for pay-at-pump customers has been in place for some time on other forecourts, and was rolled out on Sainsbury’s and Tesco forecourts last summer. "

EnPointe

1. this is not  new  it has been in place for several years , there was significant news coverage and pumps which  do this form of pre authorisation  clearly tell you 
2. as others have suggested if you  know you  have insufficient funds to cover the pre-authorisation  don;t use pay at the pump , 
3. credit card is an option