She said there were signs by the pumps informing people of the hold amount, and that Allied didn't have too many issues with New Zealand cardholders being caught unaware, but the system did cause more of a problem for overseas visitors who may not realise it would be applied.
Facebook posters in a local Levin group recently discussed the issue, raising concerns over bank fees that may be charged if the hold put a card into overdraft or exceeded its limit.
One commenter said he had been caught out by the pre-authorisation after trying to put $12 in his car, and the refund took a week to come back.
Other posters said they had had the amount returned in an hour.
Ms Burton said Allied had the ability to send forms through to the bank with information requesting an earlier refund, if they could see the transaction had gone through successfully. An 0800 number was listed on the pumps.
She recommended people who had less than $150 available in their bank accounts, or who would be seriously inconvenienced by the hold potentially taking several days to remove, were better off using staffed petrol stations.