Supermarkets across the UK are set to introduce a new "hold charge" when people fill up their vehicles at petrol stations and pay at the pump. To ensure people have the funds they need to make their purchase, retailers will temporarily charge a customer's debit or credit card up to £100, then, after taking payment for fuel purchased, release any unspent funds.
The new payment scheme, which has been trialled at dozens of petrol stations over the last few months, is set to be rolled out to every petrol station in the UK as payment companies Mastercard and Visa have updated their policies. Visa said it had decided to bring in the change to help people "keep an eye on [their] finances]" and Mastercard appears to have followed suit. For more stories about money and finances, go here.
