At the petrol pump with NO MONEY!

Yesterday, I was having a bit of a bad day, I’d hardly slept, I’d skipped breakfast, and I had the school run to do. G’s school is over the other side of town, and it can take a while to get there from our house. The traffic seemed to be better than normal and we got to school just in time. She went off in to school and I left know that I had to get some Diesel on the way home as the bus was running on fumes.

I swung in to the local Texaco, stuck £20 of Diesel in and went inside carrying a very heavy J to pick up some milk and pay for the petrol. I joined the queue and stood there, my arms slowly aching under the weight of our gigantic son, a thought entered my mind.

‘Erm.. Kip, aren’t you forgetting something?’

I patted my pocket, where I keep my wallet..

FUCK. It was empty.

I patted the other pocket, knowing it probably wouldn’t be there..

FUCK! It’s not!

I put the milk back and rushed out to the car, thinking that my wallet MIGHT be in the car. Then I remembered, it was on my desk at home, several miles away. I felt horrid. Should I ring Loz up and get her to taxi over here with my wallet? I’ve never not been able to pay for Petrol / Diesel before, there are plenty of signs up at the forecourt declaring that you’re a criminal if you don’t have means to pay (or words to that effect). I went back inside, and spoke to the cashier.

‘Erm.. I’ve put a load of Diesel in my car, but I’ve forgotten my wallet..’ I stuttered. She stopped me.

‘You need to be dealt with by the manager..’ she then hit the ‘assistance’ bell.

I was a bit confused.. How would the manager deal with me?! Would she ring the police? Would I have to sit in a room out the back and wait for someone to come and pay for the petrol?

The manager came out looking a bit dazed and confused, the cashier turned to her and said.

‘He’s filled up, but doesn’t have his wallet.’

‘I see..’ she replied, pulling out a folder..

Then my brain remembered something, I bank with Natwest… I can get emergency cash out from a Natwest, or RBS Cash Point using the Natwest App on my phone. The cash point outside the petrol station was a Co-operative one, no good to me, but my brain clicked further, there is a Tesco next door. The cash point would be an RBS one! BINGO!

‘Ahhh! I think I can get some emergency cash out from the Tesco cash point, give me a minute and I’ll see..’ I blurted out.

She put down the folder and I went out of the petrol station firing up the Natwest App. There was a little ‘ATM’ logo, I pressed that, and it asked which account of mine I wanted to withdraw from, and how much I wanted. Then the next screen revealed a six digit code that had to be entered in to the cash point, I had to enter the code twice, and re-iterate the amount I had asked for, then.. SUCCESS  The machine spat out some £10 notes at me, all in a matter of seconds!

I lugged the boy back to the petrol station, picked up the milk and paid what I owed, very thankful for my choice of bank! It really is amazing that in just a few seconds from tapping on my phone, a cash point knows just how much I need and can dispense the money, without my wallet! How flipping awesome?!

Have you ever done something similar?