I was overcharged at the gas station

N26 operates in real-time. That means you’ll receive push notifications as soon as a transaction appears on your account. However, this also means that when you make a payment at a gas station, the amount that appears to be taken from your account—i.e. the amount shown in the push notification—may not match the amount displayed at the gas pump. 

This happens because sometimes a gas station will place an authorization hold on your N26 debit card. This authorization hold blocks the maximum amount the pump can deliver—usually between €100 and €150— as a deposit to ensure that you’ve got enough funds in your account to cover the final transaction amount. But fear not! Although it appears that the full sum is being deducted from your account, this isn't actually the case. 

This is what’s known as a “Pending” charge, and you’ll only pay for the gas you’ve actually purchased in the end. The real transaction amount will normally appear on your transaction list within a few hours of the purchase—and within 48 hours at maximum. If you discover that you’ve been charged more than what you paid, don’t hesitate to contact our Customer Support.

If the transaction failed, despite appearing on your transaction list in the N26 app, the charge will expire within 12 days and the amount on the hold will be automatically refunded.