Drivers have been left baffled after spotting £99 appearing to disappear from their bank accounts after filling up their cars at a major supermarket petrol station.

Asda, which has a petrol station in Burton Road, Woodville, is telling shoppers not to panic, however, after many took to social media after spotting the missing money after filling up at the supermarket's pumps.

The sum is a pre-authorisation 'deposit' payment and is returned after customers have paid for their fuel.

It is not a scam, says the store chain. The money does not actually leave people's accounts, said the store, it is merely a means to ensure customers have enough money to pay for fuel.

However the move does mean that the money appears to leave people's accounts - even through its momentarily.

The £99 is a new temporary amount taken from people using MasterCard and Visa debit and credit cards at automated fuel pumps in garages, reports the Plymouth Herald.

A change bought in due to industry rules has meant that the pre-authorisation payment at petrol stations has gone from being £1 up to £99 - leaving customers fearing they could left with not enough funds for a short period of time.

It also means customers may not be able to purchase fuel if they do not have the funds to pay for a full tank.

The price cuts will come as good news for many families in the area
Drivers are concerned about £99 coming out of their bank account

Angry motorists filling up at Asda garages have complained about the change on social media after the supermarket began piloting the move.

But the process is not unique to Asda- it is an industry-wide policy update through MasterCard and Visa.

Customers could be turned away at 'pay at the pump' sites if they do not have enough funds to cover the £99 pre-authorisation payment - the equivalent to a full tank.

The change has been brought in to protect both customers and garages, to ensure that motorists don't fill up with more fuel than they can afford.

An Asda spokesman said: "Visa and MasterCard have increased the minimum pre-authorisation amount at pay at the pump petrol pumps for all retailers."

If customers do not have £99, MasterCard says that a further step will be made available to petrol stations which will allow them to check what funds the customer has available, enabling a lower value of fuel to be dispensed.

Visa says that the pay-at-pump payments will now mean that an initial amount [£99] is held against the account while the fuel is dispensed, which ensures the customer has the sufficient funds to pay for the fuel.

A Visa spokesman added that the company has been working closely with banks "to ensure that consumers do not experience delays in the adjustment of the initially-held amount".

Visa has advised customers who do experience delays with the pre-authorisation payments to contact their bank immediately.

A MasterCard spokesman said: "Last year a change in industry rules meant that petrol stations with automated fuel pumps were required to pre-authorise a value equivalent to a full tank of fuel, so that customers didn't fill up with more fuel than they could afford.

"This is designed to protect them, and the petrol station.

"If customers don't have the required funds in their bank account, a further step is available to petrol stations which allows them to check what available funds a customer has, enabling a lower value of fuel to be dispensed.

"While some customers may see a request for a higher amount than the fuel they bought - perhaps on their mobile banking app - these funds are not taken from their account. Only the value of the petrol dispensed is withdrawn."

And Visa issued a statement which reads: "The way that pay-at-pump fuel payments are treated has been standardised across the industry to ensure security for individual cardholders, retailers and card issuers.

"When an individual chooses to pay at a pay-at-pump fuel dispenser, an initial amount is held against their account while they dispense their fuel to ensure that they have sufficient funds to pay for the cost of their fuel.

"This initial amount should be adjusted immediately after fuel is dispensed to reflect the actual cost of the fuel.

"Visa has been working closely with card issuing banks to ensure that consumers do not experience delays in the adjustment of the initially-held amount.

"However if consumers notice that initial amounts held against their accounts are not adjusted immediately, they should raise this with their card issuing bank in the first instance."