UK News

You could soon be charged a £99 deposit for fuel at petrol stations across the UK

The changes will affect motorists with Mastercard, Visa and American Express cards, and is set to filter out to all supermarkets.

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant - 1st July 2021

Tesco has issued a statement on the future of fuel filling after it emerged that motorists will soon be charged a £99 deposit at petrol stations across the UK.

The retail giant has announced plans to replace its £1 pre-authorisation deposit charge at its Pay at Pump facilities to a £99 charge instead.

According to TeesideLive, the changes – which are currently being piloted at several stores across the UK – have been made because the rules have been changed by card companies including Mastercard, Visa, and American Express.

If the trial is successful, it is understood the changes will be rolled out across the UK later this year – not just at Tesco.

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The announcement of the plans has seen the supermarket chain inundated with angry messages from customers who had discovered the new deposit system when refuelling their vehicles, and social media has been full of users alerting others to the changes over the past couple of days.

Asda was forced to suspend a similar scheme three years ago after complaints from motorists.

The £1 pre-authorisation deposit charge at Pay at Pump facilities will increase to £99 / Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Now, Tesco has had its say.

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“Under these changes, the customer’s bank will pre-authorise £99, with the unused amount released back to their account within the hour,” a Tesco spokesperson confirmed.

“All supermarkets are making these changes following amendments to the rules by Visa and Mastercard [and] we’re definitely not taking a deposit.

“An amount up to £99 is ringfenced in the customers’ account, with the unused sum released immediately.”

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Here’s everything you need to know.

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What are the changes and why are they being made?

A Tesco spokesperson confirmed: “Under new rules implemented by Mastercard, Visa and American Express, we must now request authorisation from your card issuer for up to £99.

“Once you’ve finished filling up, the final transaction amount is sent to your card issuer, and the remainder of any unused funds up to the maximum filling amount will be released back to your available balance [so] we’ll only ever charge you for the value of the fuel you’ve actually purchased.”

Tesco also confirmed that the rules have been changed to help cardholders keep control of their budgets in real time.

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Will my statement show a £99 transaction? But what if I don’t have £99 in my account?

Tesco says it will only ever charge drivers for the value of the fuel they have purchased.

The supermarket added that if your account balance is under £99, your card issuer should respond with the lower amount they’ll allow and the fuel pump screen will show the value you can fill up to. However, some card issuers might not allow partial authorisations below £99 and the advice then is to try another card.

You are also advised to talk to your bank if they have concerns over the changes.

The changes will affect motorists with Mastercard, Visa and American Express cards / Credit: Tesco (Twitter – @neskatxa)

What about other supermarkets and Pay at the Pump facilities?

The changes will be brought in to cover all pay at the pump petrol stations as they are being driven by card companies.

According to the Mastercard website: “The way you pay for your fuel at an automated fuel pump in the UK is changing.

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“Your card issuer/bank will temporarily reserve up to £99 of your available balance while you fill up [and] then when you have completed fuelling, you’ll be charged for the correct amount of fuel you have used and the remainder of any reserved funds will be released back to your available balance.”

Featured Image – Freepik

UK News

Government ditches menu calorie counts after just five months

Georgina Pellant Georgina Pellant

In April calorie labelling on menus became a legal requirement for restaurant groups employing over 250 staff in the UK, but now the government could be looking to drop them altogether.

Under the orders of the Treasury, government ministers have ordered an official review of its anti-obesity strategy. As a result, menu calorie counts could now be scrapped as part of a ‘drive to cut red tape’, reports The Guardian.

First introduced on April 6, new rules currently require larger hospitality businesses to display calorie counts ‘clearly and prominently’ along with the statement ‘adults need around 2000kcal a day’.

But now a new review, described by Whitehall sources as “deregulatory  in focus”, could see the policy ditched entirely, meaning many cafes, takeaways and restaurants thart have invested in printing new menus will now likely find them redundant.

When calorie labelling came into force, it was widely criticised by eating disorder charities, restauranteurs, chefs and food critics alike.

Then Public Health Minister Jo Churchill, said at the time: “Our aim is to make it as easy as possible for people to make healthier food choices for themselves and their families, both in restaurants and at home. That is why we want to make sure everyone has access to accurate information about the food and drink we order.

“These measures form an important building block in our strategy to support and encourage people in achieving and maintaining a healthier weight.”

Masterchef winner Simon Wood, who has a restaurant on First Street, appeared on TV the morning the legislation was introduced to speak out against it.

Speaking on BBC Breakfast, the Oldham-based chef said that although the rules didn’t currently apply to him, he wouldn’t consider following suit unless forced.

He told viewers: “Sometimes given the current situation with hospitality and the supply chain things aren’t there, you have to adapt your menu on the fly, what are you going to do? Rewrite it every day? 

“What if things don’t turn up? What if you’re making a sauce and you need four bottles of wine but you’ve only got two?

“What if someone adds too much salt, sodium, things like that that aren’t considered in calories, I think there’s a bigger approach to what people should be looking at than just a number.”

A week later, Manchester restaurant Dishoom made headlines for scribbling calories off its menu at a customer’s request. Soon after, it added a calorie free option.

Many others have since followed suit, suggesting the move to ditch calorie labelling could prove popular with business owners.

Read more: ‘Until I’m forced to do it, I wouldn’t’ says Simon Wood as calorie counts added to UK menus

However, the review may also look to ditch the 2018 sugar tax, a measure hailed by experts for helping to make soft drinks less unhealthy.

It is also likely to reverse bans on displaying sugary products at checkouts and multi-buy deals, as well as scrap restrictions on advertising before the 9pm watershed.

Health officials are said to be ‘aghast’ at the idea that the new Prime Minister could potentially scrap the new anti-obesity strategies, which were agreed upon and approved by parliament just this year.

The Obesity Health Alliance, a grouping of 50 health charities and medical organisations, has described it as “a kick in the teeth”.

“We are deeply concerned. It would be reckless to waste government and business time and money rowing back on these obesity policies, which are evidence-based and already in law. These policies are popular with the public, who want it to be easier to make healthier choices,” Katharine Jenner, the alliance’s director, told The Guardian.

Read more: Manchester restaurant Dishoom scribbles calories off menu at customer’s request

There has also been criticism of the move from within the Conservative party, with one Tory peer telling the paper: “Improving the nation’s health is one of the best ways we can increase productivity and workforce capacity and thereby drive growth. So I would be very surprised by any decisions that actually strive to make the UK less healthy.”

Liz Truss said in a recent newspaper interview: “Those taxes are over.

“Talking about whether or not somebody should buy a two-for-one offer? No. There is definitely enough of that.”

She added Brits “don’t want the government telling them what to eat”.

Feature image – Dishoom

UK News

Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng wants to scrap the cap on bankers’ bonuses

Georgina Pellant Georgina Pellant

The new UK chancellor may have only been in post for ten days, but he’s already causing a stir in the Treasury – first by sacking the department’s top civil servant of thirty years, and now by ditching the cap on banker’s bonuses.

Kwasi Kwarteng, appointed to the position by Liz Truss on 6 September, is said to be considering scrapping the cap on banker’s bonuses in a bid to make the City of London ‘more globally competitive’, reports The Huffington Post.

The cap, introduced in 2014, limits the amount bankers can receive in bonuses to twice their annual salary. So under the current rules, a banker on £165,000 would be able to take home up to £330,000 in bonuses on top of their annual salary.

Prior to the EU’s introduction of the cap, bankers were more likely to take large risks like those which led to the financial crash of 2008 (and a subsequent £500 billion UK taxpayer bailout for those banks considered ‘too big to fail’).

Read more: King Charles III won’t pay 40% inheritance tax on £641 million estate

Considering the government has been advising pay restraint in the public and private sector as essential for tackling inflation, currently at 9.9% according to The Consumer Prices Index, the move is likely to prove unpopular with voters.

Still, the desire to ditch the cap is not new. The Conservative party has been opposed to the policy from the start, with George Osborne attempting to overturn it at the European court of justice when it was first introduced.

According to the Financial Times, Kwarteng has told City bosses: “We need to be decisive and do things differently.”

Read more: Drivers could soon be hit with £70 fines at these seven Manchester junctions

He is expected to reveal a mini-Budget in parliament next week following the national period of mourning for the Queen, in which he will confirm the government is also scrapping the rise in national insurance payments introduced to support the NHS, and ditching plans to increase corporation tax.

Feature image – Flickr / Wikimedia Commons

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