Store to drive out cash payments at petrol station
THE Asda superstore in Rochdale is among the latest that are set to lose manned tills and go cashless.
The supermarket giant is on a drive to make its forecourts “pay at the pump” and has released the list of more locations which are going to go fully cashless this summer.
It has already stopped people paying this way at 14 of them - and now a further 68 have been added to the list. Out of 300 fuel forecourts attached to Asda superstores, more than 150 are already unmanned.
Asda said all staff working at the fuel stations will be redeployed to stores, while the shift to “pay at pump” is only affecting forecourts that are found next to superstores.
An Asda spokesperson said it had made the move as more than 90% of all payments at superstore fuel station forecourts are already made via card or a contactless device.
They added: “The colleagues who worked on these sites are moving into the store so they can better serve our customers.”
Some shoppers will not be pleased and many still want the option to pay in cash. The Keep it Cash street campaign and initiative was set up in 2022 as a response to what it described as the alarming rate at which the
UK is moving towards a cashless society.
Pay at pump lets customers pay for fuel with their debit or credit cards at the pumps - but this is done before filling up.
A set amount of money is deducted via what’s known as a preauthorisation check to stop people driving off without paying.
This ringfences as much as £120 at some petrol stations before the actual charge is applied based on how much you fill the tank with.
Asda charges up to £99 for its pre-authorisation check, though this can be lower if you have less in your account and you’ll never go in your overdraft.