What is a pre-authorisation and how does it work?

When you start a charge, GeniePoint will temporarily reserve an amount on your card until your transaction is finalised. Read this blog post to find out more.

Pre-authorisation explained:

A pre-authorisation is a temporary hold of funds on your payment card account, to make sure the money is available to pay for a product or service.

When you start a charge, GeniePoint will temporarily reserve an amount on your card until your transaction is finalised - this will show as a pending amount on the account of the payment method used.

This is common practice for EV charging, to confirm that your payment method has sufficient funds.

 

What is the pre-authorisation amount?

  • For registered drivers, the pre-authorisation amount is £25
  • For guest users / contactless payments, the pre-authorisation amount is £35

 

What happens after a charge has completed?

Once your charge session is completed, the cost of the charge will be debited from your payment card.

- If your charging session totals less than £25 as a registered driver, or £35 for guest users / contactless payments, a single payment will be applied to your payment card and the remainder will be refunded to your account.

- If your charge costs more than £25 as a registered driver, or £35 for guest users / contactless payments, then two payments will be applied to your payment card, one for £25 / £35 and another for the remaining amount.

 

When will the pre-authorisation be released?

The release of the pre-authorisation amount is outside of our control and the time taken to do this is up to your own banking services provider. Some Banks, such as Monzo, can take up to 30 days to release the payment.

 

How do I see exactly what I have been charged?

If you are charging as a registered driver, either using the GeniePoint App or registered RFID access card, you will receive receipts via email when your session ends. You will receive a receipt for the charging session itself, plus separate VAT receipts for each of the payments applied to your payment card.

If you are charging via contactless payment, follow the steps below to obtain a charging receipt post charge session:

  • Go to https://geniepoint.co.uk/ds/cs
  • Enter the last 4 digits of you payment card, Charger ID and Date of session
  • Click find receipt
  • Click email receipt and enter an email address

Having trouble with the form? Email geniesupport@equans.com quoting charger ID, date and time of charge and last four digits of payment card number and we'll email your receipt to you.

 

What happens if I attempt to charge more than once?

By using the GeniePoint App to start a charge, you will benefit from a lower pre-authorisation amount and we will only ever attempt to take the pre-authorisation once during your session.

However, if you are charging as a guest or via contactless we are unable to identify that it is the same user attempting to charge again. Therefore, the pre-authorisation will be taken more than once, if you continue attempting a charge.

We would recommend charging via the GeniePoint App or registered RFID card to avoid this and benefit from the lower pre-authorisation amount. Plus, by using the GeniePoint App, you can also benefit from access to exclusive offers and discounts from time to time.

 

If you have any questions about any of the above, we’re here to help 24/7 via email or phone:

E: geniesupport@equans.com

T: 020 3598 4087

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