Sainsburys pay at pump.

A question about : Sainsburys pay at pump.

I filled my car up at a Sainsburys filling station that has just installed new pumps. I inserted my Barclaycard Amex and entered the PIN. The display said I was authorised to have Ј99 of fuel. I purchased Ј56 worth. When. I checked my Barclaycard account online later I found that both Ј99 and Ј56 had been set against my credit limit. Barclaycard confirmed that the two amounts had been authorised. Since I have a large credit limit it is not a problem to me. However, someone close to their limit could find the selves penalised. I have raised a complaint with Sainsburys and await their answer. I wonder if this problem is peculiar to Sainsburys Hankridge Farm site or more general?

Best answers:

• This isn't a problem for Visa and MasterCard transactions as they support authorisation reversal (cancelling the hold instantly) and it is done on the original Ј99 as soon as the transaction is complete but Amex don't support this yet in the UK (They are getting the merchant banks to support it on their terminals).
• https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/...862&highlight=