All updates

Improvement

Retried charges reuse the existing card hold instead of adding a new one

Drivers who retry after a charge fails to start no longer get multiple stacked holds on their card.

Stage
Early access
Available to all customers
To be confirmed
Product
Monta Charge
Posted

What's new

When a charge can't be billed, for example because it fails to start, comes back free, or ends below the country minimum price, and the driver retries in Monta Charge, the app now reuses the pre-authorised card hold that is already in place instead of placing a new one. Repeated retries no longer stack up several holds on the driver's card.

A hold is eligible for reuse when all of these apply:

  • Same location: the retry is on the same charge point, or another charge point at the same site.

  • Within 1 hour: the hold stays reusable for up to one hour.

  • Up to 3 times: the same hold can be reused up to three times before a fresh one is required.

  • Stripe card holds only: payment cards, Apple Pay and Google Pay. No reuses on Wallet, MobilePay, and other payment methods.

What drivers see

Charge couldn't start screen explaining the hold will be reused, and the retry picker listing charge points at the same location

Why it matters

Stacked holds are one of the most common reasons drivers contact support or leave negative reviews ("why is Monta reserving so much money?", "why do I have multiple holds?"). Reusing the hold removes that source of confusion for your sites and reduces the refund and support load that comes with it.

Who it's relevant for

Operators with public or roaming charge points where drivers pay by card through the Monta Charge app.

Availability

Hold reuse is rolling out gradually. It starts with Beta users on Monta Charge app version 2.95.0+ while we monitor, then opens up to all Monta Charge drivers and white-label operators later.
In 2.95.0 the retry prompt itself only appears when the failure reason is "cable not detected." From app version 2.97.0, the retry prompt covers all failure reasons and navigations paths, and the app shows more clearly that the existing hold is being reused.