When you pay at the pump, some card issuers place a "hold" on their cardholders' funds in anticipation of the final transaction amount, to help ensure their cardholders' accounts do not become overdrawn. Petrol merchants do not place account holds. If you have questions about a hold on your account related to a fuel purchase transaction, please contact your card issuer.
Petrol merchants account Holds and account alerts:
Account deductions may not be applied immediately when the final amount isn't known. Visa has established these processes to protect Visa Debit card issuers, merchants and cardholders. This occurs most often when meeting consumer demand for payment conveniences, such as pay-at-the-pump fuelling.
For example, if you use your Visa Debit card at a restaurant, your card may be authorized before the gratuity is applied. For these types of purchases, Visa Debit card issuers may earmark cardholder funds to cover the estimated cost of the transaction. This process, known as a "hold," safeguards both cardholders and merchants. It ensures cardholders don't spend more money than they have and merchants are paid for the transaction. While most transactions have a hold of less than 24 hours, Visa protects cardholders by requiring issuers or financial institutions to remove all holds within 72 hours.
Q: When will an authorisation hold on my card be removed?
A: While most transactions have a hold of less than 24 hours, Visa protects cardholders by requiring issuers or financial institutions to remove all holds within 72 hours or less.
Q: Sometimes when I get an email or text notification account alert why is the amount different from the amount I pumped at the petrol station?
A: Some account alert amounts may not reflect the final amount – especially at merchants where the final amount isn't known like restaurants and pay-at-the-pump fuelling. The account alert amount may not be the final transaction amount that will post on your statement.
Q: When I view my bank account online, why is the amount showing different from the amount I pumped at the petrol station?
A: Online statements may not immediately reflect the final transaction amount – especially at merchants where the final amount isn't known at the time of authorisation like restaurants and pay-at-the-pump fuelling. Your online statement should reflect the final amount of the transaction by the next business day.