Tesco customers furious as fuel station payments taken months late

I've been affected – what should I do?

Here are the key need-to-knows if you're affected:

• Tesco says all affected customers have now had payments taken. Some affected customers were contacted by Tesco to tell them of the problem and when to expect delayed payments to be taken, although it admits it's not been able to reach out to everyone. So check your card statements.
  
  
• If you were charged fees as a result, Tesco will refund them. These could have been incurred where unexpected payments pushed you into your overdraft or above your agreed overdraft or credit card limit, for example. If this happened, contact Tesco's customer services team on 0800 505 555. You will need to provide evidence of the charge, such as a letter from your bank or a bank statement.
  
  
• If you were charged fees, your credit file may also have been hit – but you can correct it. You can view your credit file for free via the free MSE Credit Club. Marks can take two to eight weeks to appear though, so you may need to keep checking over the coming weeks. If you do end up with a mark, you may be able to get it removed – see our Boost Your Credit Score guide for full help.

'It's unacceptable to hit people with charges months later'

Generally, most card payments are taken from your account within seven days, but it can take longer. For example, Nationwide says most payments made using its cards will show up within seven days, but sometimes they can take up to 120 days.

Helen Knapman, assistant editor – news and investigations at MoneySavingExpert.com, said: "It's unacceptable of Tesco to hit people with payments months down the line.

"If you're operating on a tight budget and you're suddenly hit with an unexpected bill it can be a disaster financially, and there's a real risk some shoppers will have racked up bank charges as a result. If you've been charged by your bank, make sure you claim the money back from Tesco."