Double charge on a Sberbank card — what to do?

Reasons for double charges on a bank card

The most common cause of this glitch is a technical malfunction of the equipment at the store. Errors can occur for several reasons, specifically:

• loss of connection with the processing center;
• equipment malfunction caused by a virus;
• software errors disrupting normal operation.

Other causes of double charges include:

• acquiring bank failures—the bank may send data for processing twice;
• payment system glitches—issues may arise due to incorrect actions by staff or system-level bugs;
• store payment terminal malfunctions—this is the most common cause, resulting from cashier errors or technical glitches in the card reader itself.

When paying for goods and services with a bank card, the terminal sends an authorization request to the bank. The bank grants permission for the transaction and holds the purchase amount on the account. If a glitch occurs, the authorization may be duplicated, and consequently, the amount will be held twice. The bank may hold a specific payment that seems suspicious or ultimately process the debit. The credit organization may automatically recognize the duplicate payment and refund it or debit the held amount twice.

An SMS notification service will help the user recognize if extra funds have been charged. For this reason, this option should not be disabled, even though it is paid. If the online banking app is installed on your phone, you can do without SMS notifications. Details of the debit will be displayed in the app. 

Double payment issues occur not only when paying for purchases in retail chains, but also during bank transfers. Fraud cases are quite common in remote shopping, so when making purchases on the internet, users are advised not to use credit or debit cards. It is better to use a virtual one. 

How to get a refund

You can request a refund either at the point of purchase or through your bank. If the store redirects you to the financial institution to resolve the issue, ask for a receipt confirming that the transaction failed. This will significantly speed up the dispute resolution process. You can contact the bank in person or via the hotline.

Contacting the bank by phone

The first thing a cardholder should do after a double charge is to contact the bank's customer service. The phone number can be found on the financial institution's website or on the back of the bank card. Calls to the hotline are free for all clients. 

When speaking with the operator, the cardholder will need to describe the situation, provide the exact address and name of the store, specify the date and time of the duplicate transaction, and state the exact purchase amount and transaction ID. This information can be found in the bank's mobile app or in an SMS message.

For identification purposes, the caller may be asked to provide passport details, so keep your passport handy. Remember that bank employees never ask for your card's PIN code.

 Most of the time, double payment issues are resolved quickly. This is a fairly common situation, and banks follow an established procedure.

Visiting the bank in person

Visiting the bank in person is rarely required. Sberbank usually handles requests over the phone, so clients do not need to visit a branch. You will only need to visit a branch and submit an application if specialists doubt that a technical glitch occurred and suspect potential fraud based on the nature of the transaction. You will also need to submit a written application if the bank does not have a standard procedure for handling such requests. 

If the financial institution detects a technical glitch, the refund will be processed within a few days. If the transaction looks like two separate payments for identical amounts rather than a double charge, the investigation may take longer. Sberbank's review period is up to 120 days. Requests regarding large-sum double charges usually take longer to review. 

The refund procedure described applies not only to Sberbank but also to other financial institutions. 

Refunds via the retail outlet

This method of refunding overpayments is considered the simplest. After any card purchase, funds are not withdrawn immediately; instead, they are temporarily blocked in the account. Funds are only actually debited after a few days, so if you contact the bank immediately after the transaction, the double charge will still be on hold. Following your request to the bank, the funds will be unblocked.

 Sometimes funds are unblocked automatically. If the acquiring bank servicing the merchant notices a double charge, it refunds the money on its own. This is why double payment situations are easier to resolve if both purchases were paid for with the same bank card rather than different methods, such as one purchase by card and the second in cash.

If the blocked amount is not returned within 4-5 days of the transaction, the only way to get your money back is to contact the bank and dispute the transaction.

What to do if a double charge occurs abroad

A double card charge can happen not only in Russia but also abroad. To resolve the issue, you should first contact the support service of the online services you used to pay for goods and services. Large companies try to accommodate clients and resolve refund issues fairly quickly. 

The only issue in this case is currency fluctuations. If the client has a ruble card, but money is debited in another currency, the exact amount may not be refunded. 

The refund procedure for a client located outside of Russia is similar; the only difference is that only remote channels for contacting Sberbank will be available to them. 

It is entirely possible to get back money that was charged to your card twice due to a system glitch or error. As a rule, Sberbank accommodates its clients and promptly returns the overpaid amount. Issues may arise if the transaction resembles fraudulent activity, in which case the investigation may be delayed.