Hi
Silly question (perhaps) time.
There has been a few people on differing forums discussing the amount of money taken from your card temporarily when using automatic pumps at filling stations - sometimes quite a lot of money for a few weeks.
Does anyone know if supermarket filling stations (in general) have a cashier on Sunday mornings? I ask as we travel to The Dordogne on Sunday 26th and would prefer to pay 'in person'.
Thanks for any feedback
Les
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On Sunday mornings Iwould think that all fuel pumps will be unstaffed, except at expensive autoroute service stations.But if you pay with a credit card or a debit card rather than a pre paid cash card you will not notice if the system is holding your money for a day or so - it won’t be weeks.
Thanks for the reply. I did think unmanned would be the norm. I had not thought about pre-paid cards being the issue but now you mention it I think you could be right. We do not use that - just a debit card.
Mind you - I see the difference is about 20 cents from Autoroute to supermarket so perhaps not such a big difference when towing - and finding a station with good access for a caravan.
Lived in France four years and never seen a cashier at a Supermarket filling station on a Sunday - and they're being phased out at many supermarkets - eg 3 Carrefours within 20 mins drive have petrol stations open 24/7 but haven't had cashiers since we moved out here.
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Like others, I think you're very unlikley to find a fuel station with a cashier, even on weekdays! They are very rare these days. Gone are the days when a man popped out of the building and filled your car for you, which was the norm when we first went to France.
The issues with cards 'holding' money has always been there, it's not a new thing. Most companies re-credit it within twenty-four hours, some almost immediately, so there are no problems if you have a decent balance in your accouns. What seems to have happened recently is that some people have reported that these debits are taking weeks to reappear. If this is the case it should be taken up with the card provider as it certainly isn't the norm.
Thank you for your replies.
I have asked my bank (HSBC) and they say the account would most likely be reimbursed within 24 hours, and as ValA says more often than not straight away. Our other bank (Nationwide) can't give me a rough time scale but reckon not longer than 48 hours.
We haven't been to France for over 5 years so I am probably over-thinking and creating non-existent issues.
Hi Les, I pay for fuel with a no fee credit card here in the UK from automated pumps at Tesco or Sainsbury’s, and their computer systems also hold more than I spend - but they are not holding my money - they are holding money from the bank which issued that credit card. Frankly I don’t check daily but only at the end of the month to see if the final bill is correct - and it always is. And when I buy fuel in France from automated pumps at Carrefour or Super U with a no fee credit card it’s just the same. They are holding the bank’s money not mine.
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However if you're near your credit limit it doesn't matter whose money it is that they're holding Netherton - your card could still be refused.
We always take more than one card -one is only used for trips abroad whereas the other has all of my normal spending on it (insurance, council tax, shopping and no1 son's uni fees for instance) so is only there for back up.
------------- pork
Remember a good wife always helps her husband with the dishes.
Bit late to this to help for your trip on the 26th Les, sorry!
Previously I’ve always been able to use a credit card when filling in France so any temporary hold put on it using self serve pumps hasn’t had any impact. Travelling back from the Alps at Easter, the pumps at a SuperU would only accept by Starling account debit card. On this account I get an immediate notification through the Starling App whenever a transaction is processed. €120 was debited as soon as I did the chip and pin before filling started. When I put the pump back on after filling within 5 seconds the €120 was credited and the actual cost of the fuel debited.
I filled up at a SuperU and they debited my Nationwide card with 120 euros and a separate debit for the fuel.It took 5 days before the 120 euros was credited back and I also had a pending transaction and a debit on my card for the same amount I spent on groceries.
I spoke to N/W and they said more pay at the pump stations are doing this.
I have been going to France for 50+ years and this is the first time it has happened!
saxo1
Post last edited on 02/07/2022 09:43:06
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