On social media, many viewers were stunned after a viral video showed a couple being charged $777 for two hot dogs at a Christmas market.
Christmas markets are known for their festive charm, but for one couple, a visit to Nottingham’s holiday market turned into a costly mistake.
Laura Brumpton and her husband, Alan, were left shocked when their two hotdogs ended up costing them $777.
Here’s what happened and what you need to know about the contactless payment issue that caused it.
A couple charged $777 for two hotdogs at Christmas market
On the TikTok platform, a user who goes by @isleclean shared a video showing they were involved in the expensive hot dog incident at Nottingham’s Christmas Market.
The video has the caption: “Imagine this though. Thats not all thats cost us today for no reason, ee have taking $377 off us and could take 2-5 days to get it back.
While attending the Christmas markets with their two children, Alan and Laura Brumpton made a simple purchase: two hotdogs, priced at $11 each. However, the total charge that appeared on Alan’s bank account was an astounding $777.
Alan had used his debit card via Apple Pay to pay for the hotdogs, and upon checking his account, he noticed the discrepancy immediately.
Laura, who was with him, said, “They were the most expensive hotdogs ever. I couldn’t believe it. $22 for two hotdogs is already a lot, but $777 was unbelievable.”
The contactless payment confusion: why did this happen?
Many are now questioning how such an error could happen with contactless payments, especially with the usual $125 spending limit on debit and credit cards.
Laura was also under the impression that the payment would not go through for more than $125, which led to confusion.
Laura explained, “I thought there was a $125 limit on contactless payments. We never expected it to be processed for that much.”
However, the real issue stemmed from using Apple Pay.
While there is a $125 limit for physical contactless cards, mobile payment apps like Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Samsung Pay do not have this same restriction.
Alan’s card was linked to Apple Pay on his iPhone, which allowed the payment to go through without the usual limit.
The vendor responded to the incident.
Upon realizing the mistake, the market vendor was apologetic and refunded £600 to Alan.
However, despite receiving a receipt and being told the refund would process quickly. The couple is still waiting for the full amount to clear from their bank account.
Laura shared her frustration on social media, explaining, “The vendor said the refund would take an hour to process, but we’re still $755 down, just before Christmas.”
@isleclean Imagine this though 😱🤦🏽♀️😳 Thats not all thats cost us today for no reason, ee have taking £300 off us and could take 2-5 days to get it back 😨🥴 #grandday #imaginethis #content #fyp #winterwonderland #nottinghamwinterwonderland
Social media reaction
Laura’s video quickly went viral and sparked debate among viewers. While many were shocked by the huge price for two hot dogs at the Christmas market.
One person said: mine would get declined so i’m safe
A second wrote: can’t believe they didn’t refund the hot dogs aswell as an apology.
While a third commented: This is why I transfer money from savings to current account before every purchase.
Another added: There’s no way that you paid £600 on contactless. I work for Barclays and every bank has a limit which isn’t even anywhere near that amount.
Someone else said: Cash is king. You wouldn’t “accidentally” hand over $777.lol