What Does it Mean When a Payment is Pending (2024)

FAQs

What Does it Mean When a Payment is Pending? ›

2. What's a pending transaction? Pending transactions are transactions that haven't been fully processed yet. For example, if you make a purchase with a debit card or credit card, it will almost always show as pending immediately when you view your account online or in a mobile banking app.

How Long Do Pending Transactions Take to Post? Although pending transactions typically post within two to three business days, they may post immediately in some cases or take up to 30 days in others.

A pending transaction on your bank account means your bank is processing a purchase you made, a bill you paid, or a deposit that's heading your way, but it hasn't been completed yet. Either the payment hasn't been sent to the vendor yet or the incoming funds haven't cleared, although they are in process.

It's simply a recent payment that you've made with a debit card or a credit card. You may have bought something in a shop or online. Either way, the word 'pending' shows that the payment is still being processed by the retailer and is waiting to leave your account.

Managing pending payment as a customer

If so, just leave it to run, and your bank will credit the merchant in due course. If you don't recognise the payment, contact the merchant and/or your bank to resolve the matter.

Key Takeaways

A pending transaction will affect the amount of credit or funds you have available. Canceling a pending transaction usually requires contacting the merchant who made the charge. Once a pending transaction has posted, contact your bank or card issuer to dispute it.

Pending transactions are temporary and a normal part of making purchases with a credit card. These charges will eventually resolve on your statement once they have been fully processed by the merchant and your credit card issuer.

Pending transactions take time because they go through an authorization process to confirm available funds and involve communication between the merchant, credit card issuer, and payment processors.

Most transactions post at the end of each business day but posting order and times can vary. Business days for banks are generally Monday - Friday from 9am to 5pm, excluding federal holidays. Transactions received outside of these hours, including on weekends, are usually posted on the next business day.