Why Parking Apps Charge You Automatically but Bigger Apps Don’t

Author: Muaaz J

Ever wondered why a parking app can charge your card the moment you leave, but when your own app tries to do the same with larger payments, the bank often makes the user approve it again? The difference comes down to how banks and payment providers handle automatic charges.

How the first payment works

The first time someone pays in your app, their bank asks them to confirm it with an OTP or through their banking app. Once that’s done, the payment provider creates a token for that card.

That token allows your app to charge the card again later without asking the customer to type in details every time. That’s how parking apps and many subscription services feel seamless.

Why small payments go through easily

Small, regular amounts — like R20 to R100 for parking — usually get approved automatically. Since the bank already confirmed a similar charge before, future ones look safe and don’t trigger another check.

Why big payments get stopped

When the amount is larger, like R1 000 to R4 000, banks see more risk. To protect the customer, they often require another approval step. In these cases, the payment provider pauses the transaction and asks the customer to confirm it again with their bank.

Why parking feels smooth

Parking fees are low and predictable. Once the first payment is confirmed, every other one looks nearly identical, so banks let them pass without another challenge.

Why bigger apps face more stops

Apps in areas like healthcare, finance, or enterprise services deal with higher and less predictable amounts. Because these charges don’t look like the original setup payment, banks are more likely to ask for extra confirmation.

How to make it easier for your users

If your app handles bigger payments, here are a few ways to reduce friction:

• Use a realistic first payment instead of a tiny test charge.

• Make sure users get notified right away if a payment needs approval and give them a simple link to complete it.

• Be upfront that large payments may sometimes need bank confirmation for security.

Lets wrap this up

Small, predictable payments usually happen automatically. Bigger or variable payments often need an extra step. This isn’t a problem with your integration — it’s simply how banks and payment providers manage risk.

The trick isn’t to avoid it but to design around it. When you handle these approval steps quickly and clearly, your app still feels smooth even with large transactions.

Some things to keep a note of

There are also other factors outside your control that can increase the chance of a pause, such as the card issuer’s fraud engine, the type of card being used (debit vs. credit, local vs. international), network outages between the provider and the bank, or even temporary regulatory settings applied by PASA or Visa/Mastercard. These edge cases are normal and unavoidable — the key is to design your flow so that even when a step-up happens, the customer experience stays smooth.