How to spot a duplicate charge on a receipt
Short answer
Look for the same item and price on two lines, an item count higher than what's in your bags, and weighed produce entered twice. On your card statement, two posted charges for the same amount minutes apart usually mean the payment went through twice. A pending charge next to a posted one is usually just a hold.
Skip the hassle next time. Scan your receipt with Dupe Detective before you leave the store. It takes a few seconds, and a double charge caught at the register is fixed on the spot.
Most duplicate charges aren't fraud. A cashier scans an item, the scanner doesn't beep, and they scan it again. Both scans register. Or a card reader hangs and the payment goes through twice. These mistakes are small, so they rarely get noticed.
Check the receipt line by line
- The same item and price on two lines. Repeats are easy to spot when they sit next to each other. They're harder to see when other items come between them.
- An item count that's too high. Many receipts print an item count near the total. Compare it with what's actually in your bags.
- Weighed produce entered twice. Look for two weight lines (such as "1.32 LB @ 0.59/LB") for one bag.
- A sale price that didn't apply. This isn't a duplicate, but it turns up during the same check. Look for the shelf price where you expected the discount.
Then check your card statement
Two charges for the same amount at the same store, minutes apart, usually means the payment went through twice.
A pending charge next to a posted charge is often not a duplicate. Restaurants, gas stations and hotels place a temporary hold, then post the final amount. How to tell the difference.
Make it a habit
The best time to check is before you leave the store, while the cashier can fix it in a minute. Dupe Detective does the line-by-line check for you: scan the receipt and any repeated item is highlighted.
Found one? Read Double charged? What to do next.