Not upheld: Card / payment disputes complaint against TSB Bank plc

Decision detail

Summary

Miss S complained that TSB failed to refund two disputed petrol station transactions totalling over £47 made in July 2025, blocked her mobile payment access, and provided poor service. TSB argued the transactions were authorised using a secure token on Miss S's device. Miss S subsequently obtained a refund directly from the merchants. The ombudsman found TSB's decision not to refund was fair because the transactions required access to Miss S's secured device, there was no evidence of blocking new card registration, and communications were appropriate. The complaint was not upheld.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

The ombudsman concluded that TSB's decision not to refund was fair because the payments were made using a token linked to Miss S's device which had security protections in place. A fraudster would have needed to gain access to the device, unlock it, make payments, and return it without Miss S noticing. There was no evidence TSB blocked the new card from being registered, and TSB's communications were appropriate in explaining why the claim would not be successful.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website