What do you do when your card was charged 2 different amounts at.the same gas pump

[Kellyflowers]

I used my card and got gas the first transaction was canceled by the gas station and we had to do it over because the pump messed up.  But I was still charged on the first one. Gas station said it was a hold since I used my card at the pump that was on Thursday and that amount has not been credited back to my card it still says pending. What do I do.

[TheRealChipA]

Hi @Kellyflowers.  Your card was not actually “charged” the first time.  There was a pre-authorization hold placed on it.  That hold will drop off in 3-5 business days, which is standard with most all issuers of debit cards, especially business debit cards.  Since you said this happened on Thursday, then I would not expect the hold to drop off of your account until Tuesday - Thursday.

[Kellyflowers]

I used the same card the day before at the same gas station and didn't have this happen.  And even a second time the same day and it didn't do this.   The original 30.00 has cleared already. As well.

[TheRealChipA]

I believe you.  But I’m sure that when you used it the day before, the pump didn’t mess up and you didn’t have to run the card a second time.  As long as the transaction completes normally, then the pre-authorization hold is usually just updated with the actual amount and all is good.  That’s why you don’t usually notice it.  The problem comes in when the transaction is cancelled/aborted after the hold amount is approved.  Since there is no follow-up to complete the hold transaction, when you re-run your card at the gas pump, a second pre-authorization hold is generated.  

What the gas station should have done is let you pump your gas then close out the first transaction manually without having you run the card again.  Since they did not follow what I would call correct procedure when the pump messed up, the first hold is going to stick around for 3-5 days.  The problem here is the fault of the gas station employees who probably didn’t follow procedure.  I’m not sure there is much you can do about it except be sure that you don’t overdraft your account until the hold falls off.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news.  Gas stations are notorious for this.  They put up misleading signs that say the banks initiate the holds, which is nothing short of a lie.  Banks don’t initiate holds — gas stations do.  This will clear up.  It just takes time.

[perkits]

So pumps will authorize $1.00. This is just to check the card. This is basically a hold of $1.00 for a few days then released. It's an account nightmare for me but it washes out.

[TheRealChipA]

@perkits Wow. Our pumps start at $25 here. They can max out at $50. Isn’t the USA a fun country? Lol