Tesco customers urged to check bank accounts after unexpected charge ‘glitch’

The problem has hit customers at stores up and down the country.

If you shopped at Tesco in the last few months then you might want to check your bank account right now. A glitch with the retailer's payment system led to it taking up to three months to process hundreds of credit and debit card transactions. Since November approximately 300 of its 1,700 Express convenience stores have been affected by the issue. A Tesco spokeswoman said: "As soon as we identified this issue, we contacted as many affected customers as possible and have now processed all incomplete transactions. "The issue has now been resolved and we are sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused." [caption id="attachment_162998" align="alignnone" width="1024"] (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)[/caption] And a letter sent to those affected read: "We are writing to let you know that a number of credit and debit card payments did not process correctly for some customers, in a small number of our Express stores. "You may have noticed this as an unexpected transaction at Tesco in your bank statement." The problem was first highlighted by MoneySavingExpert.com and Tesco has agreed to refund any bank charges incurred as a result of unexpected overdraft usage. Steve Nowottny, news and features editor at MoneySavingExpert.com, said: "It’s good to see Tesco has apologised to shoppers, but this is a real blunder. For a major supermarket to take payments up to three months late simply isn’t acceptable. "If you’re operating on a tight budget it’s crucial you know that payments will be processed more or less as you make them."