PENDING AUHTORISATION ( RESERVED) DEBIT CARD PURCHASES DEBITED TWICE!!!!!

Over the weekend of 28 – 29 June 2025 I used my Standard Bank debit card for several point-of-sale purchases. Immediately after each swipe:

A line item labelled “Outstanding Authorisation” appeared in my transaction history.

I received an SMS reflecting my available balance after the hold was app****, confirming that the funds had already been ring-fenced for the merchant.

Just as one reserves a seat at the theatre—the chair is blocked off for me, so nobody else may sit there—your authorisation hold blocks off the purchase amount so I cannot “spend the seat” twice. That is perfectly acceptable.

However, on Monday 30 June and Tuesday 1 July the identical amounts were debited again under “Debit Card Purchase”, reducing my available balance a second time. In effect, money that was already set aside (“the reserved seat”) was taken again, leaving me:

Out-of-pocket for the duplicate amounts; and

Unable to reconcile my statement, because the original authorisation entries have not fallen away.

This experience appears to breach Treating Customers Fairly (TCF) Outcome 3 (clear and appropriate information) and Outcome 4 (product performance matching customer expectations). It also undermines confidence in the integrity of the payment system.

What I request Immediate reversal of the duplicate debits and release of any still-pending authorisation holds.

Written confirmation that my account has been corrected, including value-dating so I do not incur unintended overdraft fees or interest.

Clarification of the root cause and steps Standard Bank will take to prevent similar occurrences—particularly why the “hold” did not automatically convert or fall away when the merchant processed settlement.

Assurance that no adverse fees will be levied against my account arising from this incident.

Failing to remedy this unexplained process will leave me no choice but to refer this matter to the relevant ombud for arbitration. This is insane. How on earth do you explain reserving funds for purchases over the weekend and then later on proceed to debit the remaining balance for the very same purchase a "reserved amount" should exist for. Im so interested in your response.

Your pending authorisation process for debit card purchases is very confusing and I think the point is to confuse the customer hoping they would not complain about it. How about just taking the money as and when the purchase and payment for the purchase is initiated between the consumer and service providers. I hope this makes sense, stop confusing clients, all other banks process the payment as and when the purchase from service providers, and when they reserve funds for over the weekend purchases, they actually do just that, they "reserve"the funds and they DONT confuse you with double sms's of the same purchase. One sms over the weekend showing money went out and then during the week you see the same payment being processed again on your banking app. This is insane