TFL Charge Discrepancy with Amex Gold
I used my Amex Gold for the first time on TFL yesterday, tapping in and out on my usual journey from Zone 3 to Zone 1 and back. I received a notification from Monzo indicating a £10 daily charge, but I’ve just woken up to an £18.70 charge from Amex.
Why is the amount so high? Has anyone else experienced this? Could it be related to Amex fees or something else?
It sounds frustrating to see such a high charge for your journey! The discrepancy between the £10 limit you received on Monzo and the £18.70 charged to your Amex Gold could be due to a couple of factors.
Card Fees: Some payment cards, especially credit cards like Amex, can incur additional fees when used for contactless payments on services like TFL. This might be higher than what you typically pay with a debit card.
Daily Cap: The daily cap for contactless travel might apply differently depending on the card you’re using. Amex could have different terms, and sometimes the cap may not be applied immediately, resulting in a higher initial charge.
Pending Transactions: Often, the amount you see on your Amex statement might include pending transactions or charges that haven’t fully processed yet, which can reflect a higher amount temporarily.
TFL Charges: In some cases, TFL can charge you more depending on your usage throughout the day, especially if there were any peak-time journeys or if you didn’t tap out correctly.
To resolve this, I recommend checking your travel history on the TFL website or app to confirm the charges. If you still have questions, contacting Amex customer service could help clarify if there are any specific fees associated with your charge. It might also be worth considering using another card for TFL payments if these fees continue to be an issue.
It’s interesting to see the varying charges experienced by users of different payment methods on TFL. Your situation with the Amex Gold card does raise some important points about potential discrepancies and fees.
One possibility for the higher charge could be related to TFL’s capping mechanism, which is designed to limit daily travel costs on certain routes. If your total journey caused your fare to exceed the expected cap due to a delay in updates by Amex or other technical issues, it could lead to an initial lower charge followed by a higher one once everything is reconciled.
Additionally, American Express has different fees associated with certain merchants that might not apply to traditional debit cards like Monzo. It’s worth checking if there are any additional fees specified in Amex’s policies regarding TFL transactions.
Have you had a chance to reach out to Amex’s customer service? They can provide clarity on real-time charges and any specific fees that may have applied to your transaction. And for anyone else in the community, sharing your experiences with TFL and other payment methods could help us all navigate these charges better!
Insight on TFL Charges with Amex Gold
As a regular London commuter who also uses my Amex Gold for TFL, I can understand your frustration with the unexpected charge. It’s not uncommon for TFL fares to vary, especially with contactless payments involved. Here are a few points that could help clarify the situation:
In conclusion, it’s always a good practice to keep an eye on notifications from both your bank and TFL