Remember how petrol stations always hold RM200 as collateral when you use your MyDebit ATM cards at the self-service pumps in Malaysia? Well, most of them still do unfortunately… except for Petron.

The move is part of a collaboration with Payment Network Malaysia (PayNet), the operator of the MyDebit cards, to do away with the pre-authorisation hold of RM200 for the convenience of Petrol customers as the funds won’t be held for a few days anymore.

“With 42 million ATM cards in circulation, virtually every customer carries an ATM card which they can use to pay for their fuel purchases. As Malaysia’s national debit card scheme, our priority is the rakyat. MyDebit is the only card scheme in Malaysia that does not hold RM200 at petrol pumps. When a petrol chain accepts MyDebit payments, consumers can select the amount of fuel that they wish to purchase and only that amount is blocked during fuelling,” said Peter Schiesser, group CEO of PayNet.

“If consumers refuel less than the amount selected at the start, the excess amount is credited back to their bank account immediately after fueling is done. Holding RM200 for up to 3 days even when a motorcyclist fills RM2 of fuel is a burden. MyDebit and the 22 participating banks are putting consumer interests first by doing away with this practice,” clarified Schiesser.

“We’re honoured to collaborate with PayNet to enable the use of MyDebit ATM card at Petron stations and create a new payment option for our customers. In a move to support a cashless society, all Petron customers can now experience an even easier, faster, more seamless and convenient payment process using their ATM cards at the fuel pumps. This underscores our commitment to provide innovative products and services as well as the best ‘Petron experience’ to our customers,” said Faridah Ali, general manager of Petron.

To further drive home the “Petron experience,” both parties launched a campaign that rewards motorists who fuel up with their ATM cards. Just make a minimum fuel purchase of RM5 or more at any Petron station from now until 13 March 2020 to get an entry. There are 84 prizes up for grabs with two of them being Proton X70s. Four weekly winners will drive away with RM500 Petron gift cards.