Owners of MG and Rover cars have found a way to get money back for their lost warranties.

Thousands of MG Rover buyers were left without any warranty cover when the company said it could not afford to honour the agreements after going into administration earlier this year. But now two motorists have succeeded in securing a refund. Michael Rason, 49, and Clive Bond, 57, both from Hertfordshire, received between £600 and £825 back from Barclays.

Both men bought their cars on Barclays-backed Visa debit cards. Visa insists all its card customers, whether using debit or credit, are entitled to the same refund option. Under the Consumer Credit Act credit card customers can get their money back if goods are not delivered.

“At first my bank said it couldn’t refund the money because it couldn’t put a value on the warranty,” said Rason, who owns an outdoor cleaning business and bought a £9,700 MG ZR, like that below, in March. “But I spoke to Rover and they said it was worth £670. I’ve now been given a refund.”

Bond, a retired management accountant, received £822 for the warranty on his £17,000 Rover 75, bought in January.

“Anyone who has paid for their Rover on credit card or Visa debit card should now have a very good case for having the cost of the warranty refunded,” said Virginia Eastman, consumer affairs correspondent for the BBC’s Working Lunch.

Barclays said: “This protection does not apply to those with debit cards from Mastercard, for example, and the rules are not always clear-cut. But in this case it appears the warranty is a separate item and it was not delivered.”