Perceived duplication of Debit Card transactions

This article is an excerpt from a letter released by the Payments Association of South Africa

View original letter

As more customers elect to use payment cards as the preferred method of transacting, occasional operational matters may arise from time to time. One such matter is when card transactions fail to be completed, due to various reasons, resulting in incomplete transactions.

Cardholders often receive an SMS from their bank to advise the authorisation of a particular purchase without the merchant/retailer receiving confirmation of the authorisation. The merchant/retailer is then required to do another transaction, resulting in the perceived duplication or ‘double debiting’ of cardholders.

If you experience a situation like this, you are encouraged to contact your bank on the relevant Call Centre number, as provided in the table below. Your bank will be able to confirm that you will be placed in your original standing prior to the error. A second transaction will have to be performed to enable a successful payment to the merchant/retailer.

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We understand the inconvenience of the situation and although these incidents are the exception, please be assured that every effort is being made at payments industry level to resolve this matter.