Paying for fuel O/T

[jbc.shrimp]

Unless people already know, be warned. My wife fueled our car with £20 this morning. She has just checked our account and Sainsbury's have put pending every penny, basically emptying the account. She called Sainsbury's asking what was going on and was told 'this is common practice' if you pay at pump. The over payment can take up to 24 hrs to be re-embursed. This means if you have £1000 in the bank, pump pay for £50, you have loaned Sainsbury's £950 for 24hrs. Luckily we have some cash in the house. Just goes to prove 'cash is king'.

[KenH]

No, Sainsbury havn't taken the £50, it's a pre-approval, that ring fences part of your available credit for the fuel you're about to take. It's common for pay at the pump fuel stations, car hire, hotels, etc. They never actually take the money at that point, they're just "claiming" part of your available credit to ensure that they can take the money at a later point in time. If you don't want that to happen, then pay in the kiosk instead. It's all pretty common knowledge that this is how the system works.

[Keith]

No, Sainsbury havn't taken the £50, it's a pre-approval, that ring fences part of your available credit for the fuel you're about to take. It's common for pay at the pump fuel stations, car hire, hotels, etc. They never actually take the money at that point, they're just "claiming" part of your available credit to ensure that they can take the money at a later point in time. If you don't want that to happen, then pay in the kiosk instead. It's all pretty common knowledge that this is how the system works.

I've never really thought about it, but what happens if you have, say £500 credit limit on credit card. You've already spent £470 and want to put £20 of fuel in. Will the pre-payment take you over the card limit? How can they claim £50 if only £30 credit left and only £20 purchase made?

Likewise, £50 left in your account. Pre-payment takes £50, but you only buy £20 of fuel. Then go in store and buy £25 of food, will you go overdrawn? If not, then what's the point of the 'claim', if it would potentially be rejected?