Tesco sparks fury with new £99 deposit charge for petrol pumps

Drivers have been left furious with Tesco after it emerged that their usual £1 pre-authorisation charge for Pay at Pump customers has gone up considerably to £99.

Drivers filling up at the supermarket’s self-serve pumps for either petrol and diesel could now see up to £99 placed onto their card as a ‘deposit.’

Following the announcement earlier this month, the supermarket chain has been inundated with angry messages from customers who had discovered the new deposit system when refuelling their vehicles.

One social media user wrote: “Charging your customers £99 deposit to fuel up is the wrong move by @Tesco and will hurt working class people particular the most. Tesco needs to reverse this policy and follow the example that their competitors have set.”

@Rodhullandemu / Wikimedia Commons

In a statement on its website, Tesco said the charge is being brought in following what it has described are rule changes from Mastercard, Visa and American Express.

The statement detailed that the deposit would be removed from the card within three days, before the actual transaction amount is taken.

It said: “Under new rules implemented by Mastercard, Visa and American Express, we must now request authorisation from your card issuer for up to £99.

“Once you’ve finished filling up, the final transaction amount is sent to your card issuer, and the remainder of any unused funds up to the maximum filling amount will be released back to your available balance.

Nigel Chadwick / Wikimedia Commons

“We’ll only ever charge you for the value of the fuel you’ve actually purchased.”

The online statement goes on to say that for those whose bank balance is fewer than £99, the card issuer should respond with the lower amount they will allow.

However, it does say some card issuers may not be able to do this and advises drivers that another payment card would be needed.

This comes after rival supermarket chain Asda was forced to suspend a similar charge after it trialled the same amount at certain petrol stations using pay-at-the-pump – at the time, Asda claimed the deposit was needed to ensure customers had enough money in order to pay for their fuel.