pay at the pump
 

I've never used PATP in the UK, the petrol station I normally use doesn't offer it. I thought I'd switch to a station that does but I was reading that they now pre-authorise your card for £99, is that correct?

Re: pay at the pump
 

I can only speak for a Tesco & Morrisons, and they're not £99. it shows a pending transaction of £1 (essentially, are there funds in the account) and then clears with the amount owed a few days later.
IIRC it was Asda fuel stations which did that.

Re: pay at the pump
 

They pre-auth then refund, only taking the fuel cost. How many people know the exact amount they need unless you're taking jerry cans

Re: pay at the pump
 

I'm not exactly sure how the UK works, but in France it works this way.
It is a criminal offence to not pay for something or to bounce a cheque for example, so when you do a pay-at-pump transaction the payment HAS to be ensured. This works two ways.

If you use a DEBIT card it is effectively the same as writing a personal cheque, so they "ring-fence" the maximum amount you could possibly spend (often Eu120 or something). When you complete the transaction those funds in your bank account are ear-marked to pay the potential bill, but your actual spend gets processed and the amounts get amended, but this can take some time to complete, maybe a couple of days. In the meantime your account available balance is reduced by the maximum amount. If you use a DEBIT card repeatedly you can easily end up with no available balance.

If you use a CREDIT card, the transaction is between the retailer and the card provider, and they work on the basis that the card provider will always pay the amount due so it only adds the actual amount to your account. It's then your business to settle up with the credit card provider as usual, the retailer has already been assured of payment from the card provider.

Always use a CREDIT card whenever possible, and NOT a DEBIT card.

Re: pay at the pump
 

From my experience, they take £1 and it gets changed to the real amount later. Whether they pre-authorise the full amount or not, I don't know, but I assume they do.

There used to be a problem where people would go round with pre-paid cards with £100 on them and would steal gallons of petrol, so it's understandable.

https://www.theguardian.com/money/20...t-away-with-it

I really like pay-at-the-pump, no need to take the helmet off and quicker than queueing. Out of interest, do people get off their bikes to refuel? I don't, but some do ...

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The Shell app system I used asks you to put a cap on the amount you want each fill up on the app, say £20 and it takes that amount and leaves the unused bit as credit in your app account. It never let me actually fill up to £20 either, always stopping a pound or so below, which was annoying. Not sure if they changed the system, but I only used it a couple of times because of that. You're not meant to use the app / phone unless you're inside a vehicle too and some stations it does require the person in the station to activate the pump, which they will refuse to do if they realise you're not inside a vehicle.

Re: pay at the pump
 

I've only used the Sainsbury's ones, which are pretty straight-forward. Card in, PIN, card out, fill up & go.

Re: pay at the pump
 

I used a Gulf pay at pump in Warwickshire recently and it asked for a max amount, which none of the supermarket systems have done to me so far.

Ironically I went to use a Morrisons PAP mid afternoon today as I needed to fill my car and a jerry can for the lawn mower (really quiet roads and a remarkably empty forecourt) so I could keep my distance from the unwashed. Of course the pump I pulled up at said pay in kiosk only...

Re: pay at the pump
 

Re: pay at the pump
 

If you're using PAP to avoid Covid-19 I'm not convinced it's any safer than going to the desk.

When I fill up I keep my gloves on, fill the tank then walk inside and once inside the store I'll remove one glove and retrieve my card from my pocket/wallet, and pay contactless. Return card to pocket/wallet, glove back on, back to bike and ride away. I don't kiss the girl behind the desk, or have any contact with anyone or anything. I regard the outside of my gloves as "dirty" so I try and avoid touching them with my hands and as soon as I return home they are left in the garage with the bike where I wash my hands before entering the house.

To do PAP you invariably have to remove a glove to both put your card into the slot and to punch in your PIN. When you retrieve your card you are again gloveless. Both the contact your card has had with the reader, and you touching the keypad, have the potential to transfer Covid-19. You then put your glove back on which transfers any infection to the inside of your glove, so you now have to wash your hands every time you remove your glove before eating anything or even touching your face.......

Re: pay at the pump
 

+1. However, if I'm forced to take my helmet off before being able to fill (like I was yesterday), I make sure to sneeze violently over the pump I was using ;)

Re: pay at the pump
 

just wash your hands over with some petrol/diesel - that'll kill the virus off!

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I have been using cash at an Esso station, they don't make you remove your helmet but don't have contactless payment. My local Tesco requests you remove your helmet (from what I've read) but I only have ever used them for filling up my car. I was thinking of using PaP at Tesco - I have silk inner gloves - so remove outer glove and continue wearing inner glove before handling pump/keypad.


When I was a kid I thought the idea of having an adventure would be exciting, turns out that it isn't.

Re: pay at the pump
 

there is only one petrol station I know that makes you remove your helmet before filling up even! Solstice Services on the A303. I avoid filing up there due to that policy; they don't make people remove their hats, scarfs, sunglasses etc before filling up.....

Re: pay at the pump
 

I was told to close my boot lid yesterday before the assistant would turn the pump on. I had retrieved the jerry can if you were wondering. As I had to go in to pay I asked asked why was I told to do so and the very polite lady said it obstructed her view of what was going on at the pump behind. As it is the only town centre filling station, and the cheapest unless you go two miles to Asda, they get some right scrotes in there. Fair enough.

Have never been asked to remove my lid though, there or anywhere else, so I think I've been lucky.

Re: pay at the pump
 

It's not about touching something with the skin on your hand, you don't catch a virus that way. It's all about transferring the virus from something you have touched to your mucous membrane (these are in your mouth, eyes and nose). This is typically done by someone rubbing their eye, picking their nose, touching their lips or eating something after they have touched an infected surface. This is why getting people to continually wash their hands is the most effective measure to stop infection. Wearing a paper mask should be effective because it prevents you inadvertently touching your face, however in practice people adjust them so often that it means they are more likely to contaminate it and lodge the virus right where they don't want it......

The virus can live for a period of time on your hand, but also on surfaces, hard longer than soft. Touching the pump with your inner glove may transfer the virus to it, which isn't a problem providing you take the inner glove off before touching your face. As it's almost impossible to take the second inner glove off without touching the outside of it with your other uncovered hand you need to remember to wash your hands immediately you take them off. Remember your card is still dirty, think about that next time you get it out of your wallet.

The safest way to do PAP is to remove your motorcycle glove and put on a disposable glove such as the ones they provide for diesel filling. Have an alcohol based sanitiser wipe ready to wipe you card when you remove it (and you could do the keypad as well if your feeling public spirited). Put your card away before picking up the pump handle. When you have finished peel the glove off turning it inside out and dropping it into the bin.

Re: pay at the pump
 

Was this way, with one supermarket. Now no longer done, by anyone.

End of conversation.

Re: pay at the pump
 

I'd argue simply leaving your gloves on is the best bet, leave everything on - not likely to touch your face if you've got a helmet on with your visor down, eh? Take gloves off by placing them under your arm and pulling your hand out.

I've been wiping every door handle, lift button and key fob we use. I realise people have been utter bams and bought all the wipes, leaving most with none (my wife got us a single pack from her dentist office where she works) but I think everyone's got a social responsibility to do this. It'll help massively.

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I used my usual Esso station on Monday and they had introduced disposable gloves at each pump for fuel delivery, which is good but it leaves the problem of using the touchpad since they don't have contactless. What we need is a spray so we can see the virus :rolleyes:

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If you have disposable gloves, why would a touchpad be an issue?

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We keep one of those spray bottles filled with a mild bleach solution which we use rather than wipes. Particularly good if you have a parcel, or even letters delivered, simply spray them and leave for 20 minutes before opening. You should also be doing all the shopping as you take it out of the bag and before putting it away. We've also had one in the car for the past three weeks. If you keep it in a plastic bag along with a cloth you can spray your hands and then use the cloth to work it around your hands, which will also dry away any excess. Far more effective than wipes and costs nothing.

Re: pay at the pump
 

...because they ask you to remove them after filling up and before paying. The touchpad would be the point of contact and, potentially, the source of virus contamination.

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Just take a third glove and slap it on for the touchoad bit 👍

But ultimately, it doesn't matter, just wash hands thoroughly and don't touch your face or anyone else's... All good.

Re: pay at the pump
 

I had no idea about this (never thought of it, but then swimming pools and so on, right?!). Gonna make up a bottle today, top stuff mate. Thanks 👍😊

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What sort of solution strength are you using RH? I need to be fairly careful with stuff like this as it doesn't take much to make my skin fall apart with psoriasis!

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Around about 10ml per litre is the recommended strength for wiping down surfaces so that's what we are using, but check the bottle as it comes in different strengths. Some people are more sensitive to bleach than others. The suggestion is that as long as it's strong enough to leave your hands smelling slightly of bleach afterwards that should be enough. The secret is not to dry them straight away with a towel as the bleach needs time to react, which is why we use a small kitchen cloth that is already saturated with the solution just to wipe off the excess, and they then air dry in a few seconds.