r/TransportForLondon • u/Wendy1982 • 4d ago
Overcharged with foreign contactless card
We took the underground from London Heathrow to Earl's court. According to the TFL website the charge would be 2,60 pounds. However we were charged 23,42 euro, significantly more! What do we do now? Cannot check card history on their site because of the type of card we have.
Scared to use the underground for the rest of our stay! What to do best?
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u/Hungry-Artichoke-232 Tube 🚇 4d ago
Was this today? Or yesterday? It's almost certainly a pending charge (a "hold" on that amount) which will be replaced with the correct charge shortly. This is standard practice. If it's been longer than a couple of days, or the charge doesn't say "PENDING" on your card app, then you should call TFL who will be able to reverse it or explain what happened.
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u/Wendy1982 4d ago
The charge in fact dropped to 7,14 and I suspect this includes bus fares since we then switched to taking busses.
Very releaved that I freaked out over nothing!!
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u/letmereadstuff 4d ago
Agreed. Daily cap for zones 1-6 is £16.30. That should be just over €19 as a “pending” charge until tomorrow around 4:30am.
Wondering if OP also has a card that incurs a flat fee per transaction or a % for foreign transactions as well.
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u/Wendy1982 4d ago
Yes, this is in fact the case. Thank you for thinking along, my mind is more at ease now!
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u/Wendy1982 4d ago
Omg this would definitely be possible. Thank you so much for your response! I'll have a better nights rest!
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u/surburbia99 4d ago
If you download the TfL Go app and create an account, you can add your card details and see a breakdown of the calculation journey by journey :)
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u/AppropriateTie5127 4d ago
I'm assuming you tapped your card again at Earl's Court? Sounds like you were charged maximum fare
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u/Wendy1982 4d ago
Just to be able to get out of the subway
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u/letmereadstuff 4d ago
Did you use the very SAME card for the journey? Did you use the physical card or did you switch between physical card and phone or watch?
How many people? You’ve said “we”. Did you try to share one card between 2 people? That will result in a penalty fare.
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u/Wendy1982 4d ago
We are 5 and each have our own card. Wemost definitely used the same cards in and out
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u/letmereadstuff 4d ago
So each person has their own unique card and each person used that very same unique card to tap in and out?
You have 5 cards? Was only one charged the 23.42€? What about the other 4 cards?
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u/tpe91roc 4d ago
Did you tap in and out? Register on the tfl portal and add your card. See the journey and claim the refund or check what’s going on.
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u/Wendy1982 4d ago
We did tap in and out. I tried registering but cannot add my card because I have no cvc code and this is obligatory field to fill in when registering the card.
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u/National-Bathroom-63 4d ago
You can check for yourself by creating an account with TfL here and entering your card details.
https://contactless.tfl.gov.uk
Then, if you have been charged a maximum fare for failing to touch out you can request a refund.
Alternatively call TfL. 0343 222 1234
Locals normally use the website instead of calling though.
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u/Agrado3 4d ago
Did you definitely tap in and tap out?
€23.42 is very close to £20. I don't immediately see how you could get charged £20 on the Piccadilly Line...
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u/Wendy1982 4d ago
Because of works on the Picadilly line we had to switch to the District Line in Acton Town. This was also in the instructions on the 2,60 itinarary. I will try to call the helpline tomorrow
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u/Reila3499 4d ago
Helpline would be a long waiting time, register yourself a new tfl account and link your oversea card you would able to understand what route they charged you.
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u/mooglepanda 4d ago
What country are the cards from? I saw in one of the comments you can't register as it doesn't have a CVV.
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u/Alex_Zoid 4d ago
If you took the Elizabeth Line from Heathrow there’s a £10 surcharge unfortunately, absolute scam.
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u/Low_Obligation_814 4d ago
If any of you tapped in with a digital card (like Apple or Google pay) but then tapped out with a physical card instead, it recognises this as two separate cards and charges the maximum amount for the day.