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Pre-Paid Debit cards can no longer be used at automatic fuel pumps!


Moulin85
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Pre-Paid Debit Card can no longer be used at automatic pumps!

After a year of trouble free use I had a fuel transaction

refused again last night!

Once again I

contacted Card Services only to be told that Pre –Paid Debit cards can no

longer be used at Automated Fuel Pumps or Tolls Booths!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

It appears the

card company, in this case MasterCard, have received complaints regarding the

way these things work. Apparently as they ask for authorisation to their

maximum transaction value this amount is frozen on the card until the

transaction is complete which can now take several days (!), resulting in

complaints from customers and obviously loss of revenue for the card company.

 

As I got my

card through Brittany Ferries I contacted them as this renders it virtually

useless as far as I’m concerned. Brittany told me they were just becoming aware

of the situation and would be talking to MasterCard about it as fuel was the

predominant purchase for most of their customers, however, at least for now,

they were in MasterCard’s hands!

 

I don’t know

if this only effects MasterCard or others companies such as Visa and American

Express are following the same route but I shall be finding out asap.  

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Our BF pre-paid card has never worked on toll booths.

"It appears the

card company, in this case MasterCard, have received complaints regarding the

way these things work. Apparently as they ask for authorisation to their

maximum transaction value this amount is frozen on the card until the

transaction is complete which can now take several days (!), resulting in

complaints from customers and obviously loss of revenue for the card company.
"

I think there was discussion recently on here about about the above problem.

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[quote user="NormanH"]Does anybody know if there is a difference (which would seem logical) between Instant debit cards and delayed Debit where the amount is taken at the end of the month?
[/quote] 

Credit-Debit??          Interest payable on the monthly one.

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Thank you for your email,

Pre-paid MasterCard due generally get refused at Motorway toll booth due to the way the Toll booth takes the payment.

A

pre authorisation of approximately €80.00 is taken when using a fuel

pump, this is because the amount you would be able to fill up to is

limited.

What

fuel stations usually do is  pre-authorise the €80.00 and then also

take a payment for the amount of fuel you have dispensed.  The €80.00

will then take up to 15 working days to go back onto your account.

Kind regards

This is the reply i have received from my pre-loaded card issuer.

Note the potential 15 day wait.

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This seems to be a bit of lazy software writting on the part of the fuel pump dispenser people

Imagine M&S taking £300 off your card as you walk in their store because they think you might go on to spend that amount in the store and give it back to you a week later.

If thats what happened as Chancer & Claire think ( and me now ) on my thread on Debit Card Fraud, here, it was 399.99 euro and Santander treated it as fraud. There's no warning on the pumps that money will be held back "just in case"

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Just think yourself lucky that you didnt rent a van for the afternoon then, €1500 pre-authorised from your card and they tell you dont worry, the money wont be taken, only if you have an accident, which is a real distortion of the truth.

However them being French believe it 100% because their boss or whoever told them, when you explain what happened and why you were stranded unable to fuel up despite having (or supposed to have) a €1500 credit balance on your card they just think you are a liar, fantasist or scammer.

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In most cases what they said is 100% accurate. But can still cause the problems you described.

The 1500 Euros isn't actually debited to your account, a marker is placed on the account reserving that amount just in case. If it was debited, and appeared on the statement you could be charged interest if you were running a debit balance.

It only causes problems if it exhausts the remaining credit on the card, as it did in your case, and is very likely to do on preloaded cards which often are only loaded with a few hundred euros.

The morale is always use a card with plenty of "headroom"

So if they say it won't be charged they aren't lying, just being misleading.
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I agree, I didnt explain at length this time as I have already done so on other threads a few times, what I explained to the hire company or supermarket hire staff was that the €1500 was pre-autorisé followed by an explanation of what it meant and how the money would not be available to me for several days, waste of time really as I have described their reaction.

A shame because if they hadnt dismissed me in the typical local fashion then one of them might just have checked up, learnt how the system works and been able to better inform future customers but sadly that doesnt appear to be part of the (lack of a) work ethic in these parts.

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  • 4 weeks later...
It's the banks getting more of 'our' money any way they can.

What happens when, as explained above, 'they' take the maximum amount from your card - and you then have to wait 15 days before the money is returned to you.   Presumably the money is 'yours', in your debit card account - in this case it means 'they' have taken your money, and have had the use of your money until 'they'; are good enough to return it to you 15 days later.

Or is it only 'technical' money ?

I hate the banks;  I hate EDF which have almost doubled the amount of money we pay per month in direct debits for our electricity bill;  VISA card which now charges for EVERY single transaction on our UK Visa card for any purchase made using that card here in France;  our Bank for doubling the transaction charges for transferring money from our UK to our French bank accounts...

I HATE the whole s------g lot of them.    You have to watch 'em - and at the end of the day there is almost no escape from their clutches.

Sorry - but feel better now after my daily 'rant' against the world..- and 'them'.... !!!

Chessie

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Although I have great sympathy for anybody who gets ripped off, most people just swan along and do nothing but moan about things. If you don't want to pay debit card charges don't use the card. If your "Visa" card is putting up their charges, change it, If the car hire company charges a deposit against your credit card and wipes out your credit for that period of time; don't use that company go to a company who accept a cheque as a deposit. No company or Bank is going to say to you oh don't do that with us we're too dear. Do your homework and research it's not difficult. We have just rearranged our personnel banking arrangements and by changing to a new account where we pay a small monthly fee, we no longer have to pay a fee to withdraw money from ATM's in France and we get free European car breakdown for a year, the saving on our breakdown fee alone is more than we pay in monthly account fees. So do some research and maybe change your bank, save your money and by doing so you will force the competition to re think their strategies. Do nothing and they will keep putting the prices up, especially when they think they have captive customers who are just too lazy to challenge them. As far as my finances are concerned it's my money and I've worked hard for it, so I want the best value I can get.
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[

. We have just rearranged our personnel banking arrangements and by changing to a new account where we pay a small monthly fee, we no longer have to pay a fee to withdraw money from ATM's in France (quote]

nickP, well that's fine for a second home owner. we may not like our bank very much, but once you have moved to France, if you choose to have a UK account you are pretty much stuck with the one you had when you left.

You can't shop around, you can't move, so just forgive the expats for their moans!
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- confused - (well I don't think you are) -

You took the words out of my mouth;  your comments exactly mirrored mine when I read NickP's comments.   If you have UK income then it is better to keep your UK bank account;  once you are out here it is impossible to change from one UK bank to another - can't be done.   You can only try to switch accounts within your bank - but you can't change.

Sometimes people don't seem to really appreciate the problems that the ex-Pats do have out here;  and sometimes our grievances are genuine and real, there isn't much we can do about them - except moan.

And let's get back to the EDF direct debits.  EDF have increased our direct debit payments by 30% - even though our electricity consumption has remained pretty much the same over the past 2 years.    EDF seem to be doing to us what they are doing to their UK customers - taking far too much in direct debit payments - and by the time we get credited with the amount overpaid EDF have had the use of OUR money.

I think I'll need to run this aspect of the joys of living in France on a more appropriate page - like how to get EDF to reduce their unfair increase in direct debits - should be fun.

Chessie

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The EdF direct debit problem in France is easily solved.

Simply change to having the actual bill collected, then there is no chance for them to collect more than you have used.

In the UK it's not so easy as most of the tariffs are only available if you agree to monthly debits. That might be about to change now that each supplier is only allowed three different tariffs.

Incidentally it did occur to me that if they are to be obliged by law to ensure that customers are always placed on the cheapest tariff, they surely only need one!
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[quote user="confused of chalus"][ . We have just rearranged our personnel banking arrangements and by changing to a new account where we pay a small monthly fee, we no longer have to pay a fee to withdraw money from ATM's in France (quote] nickP, well that's fine for a second home owner. we may not like our bank very much, but once you have moved to France, if you choose to have a UK account you are pretty much stuck with the one you had when you left. You can't shop around, you can't move, so just forgive the expats for their moans![/quote]

 

Well maybe that's one of the reasons that I remain a second home owner. It's still no good moaning about something you knew if you did your homework before you burnt your boats. Also you know as well as I do that there are always ways around most problems, and I don't think you'd get slung in jail for using an "accommodation address". Of course; I could always ask the question, if you move to France and are a resident, why would you want to use a UK bank? [Www]

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One reason for keeping an English bank account is so English pensions can be paid in there.

And as pensioner of said bank, OH would find it difficult to persuade them to pay it into another bank, especially with a dodgy accommodation address. (today's banking rules are so strict that I would think it would be nearly impossible to open an account on accommodation address.)

Also very useful for paying for UK things, like gifts for family over there and my Amazon kindle account.

Anyway, I wasn't moaning, just sticking up for those who are! And many people did a lot of homework, for example over cash withdrawal charges with Nationwide, only to have the rules change years later.

How lovely to be able to afford not "burn your boats" and keep a place either side of the channel. It would save us having to sleep on the blow up bed in grandchildren's bedroom again this Christmas!
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[quote user="confused of chalus"]One reason for keeping an English bank account is so English pensions can be paid in there. ......[/quote]

Absolutely right.

Although the DWP will happily pay my state OAP in euros to a French bank account, my two occupational pensions - both from schemes run by large companies which had/have substantial European operations (and one of which is now actually owned by a major French group) - can only be paid in sterling. I have asked them from time to time to reconsider but the answer is always no. Both of these companies to my certain knowledge have substantial numbers of pensioners living in the eurozone.

So in my case at least I have absolutely no option but to keep a UK bank account, however much I might be committed to living here in France.

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[quote user="confused of chalus"]   And many people did a lot of homework, for example over cash withdrawal charges with Nationwide, only to have the rules change years later. [/quote]

Well I suggest they they update their homework, they might just find they have missed something? Also if you think your grandchildren's address counts as a dodgy accommodation address, you think that not me.[:)]         As for Mrs Confused finding it difficult to persuade her pension provider to pay into another bank, I believe that's a load of tosh, it's her money she can have it paid in to where ever she desires.

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[quote user="confused of chalus"]Ok nickP I surrender to you outstanding knowledge aired with such empathy I know what I think, I think I know what at least some other posters think. I will now retreat.[/quote]

Nice to know that you appreciate s bit of help, hope you profit from it. If you need any more advice don't hesitate to ask?

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