London Borough of Croydon

What is Pre-Auth for Start-Stop?

A pre-authorisation fee means we can check that you will have sufficient funds to pay for the parking sessions once stopped.

As you start a start-stop parking session, we will request your bank reserve the maximum parking cost at that location. This ensures payment can be taken quickly and easily when you stop your session.  If you choose not to proceed with the reserved amount, your parking session cannot be started.

If you have mobile banking, you may see this reserved amount pop up, or shown as pending in your banking app.

When you have stopped your session, we will tell your bank or card issuer the actual cost of your parking session and they will deduct only that amount. This process can take a few minutes to a few days depending on who you bank with.

We have no control over the speed at which your bank or card issuer releases the surplus pre-authorised amount.

Remember, we will only ever charge the amount you have used.