Payment Status Decoder

A hold is placed; no money has moved yet.

• “Authorization Hold”

  Your bank set aside the funds for a charge that has not actually been completed yet. The money still belongs to you — it just cannot be spent elsewhere until the hold drops off (typically 1–7 days) or the merchant captures it.

  Where you see it: Hotel check-in, car rental, gas pump pre-auth, restaurants pre-tipping out, online order before shipment.

  What you can do: Wait for the merchant to either capture the charge (turning it into a real transaction) or let it expire. Most authorisations release within 1–7 business days if not captured.

  Also seen as: Pre-Authorization · Auth Hold · Pending Authorization · Card Authorization Pending

• “Pre-Authorization”

  The merchant asked your bank to confirm funds are available and reserve them, but has not actually charged the card yet. Common pattern — the real charge follows when the service is delivered.

  Where you see it: Car rentals, hotels, gas stations, subscription trials, ride-share final-fare adjustments.

  What you can do: Track whether the merchant captures the auth into a real charge. If not captured, the hold expires.

• “Authorized”

  Your issuer (the bank that issued the card) approved the request. Money has not moved yet — the merchant still has to "capture" the auth to actually receive the funds.

  Where you see it: Payment processor dashboards (Stripe, Adyen, Braintree) immediately after a successful charge attempt.

Clearing through the network; not yet final.

• “Pending”

  The charge is in flight but not yet finalised on your statement. The amount, merchant name, and even whether the charge ultimately posts can still change.

  Where you see it: Almost every bank app shows recent transactions as "Pending" before they settle (usually 1–3 business days).

  What you can do: Wait for it to post. Pending charges sometimes drop off entirely if a merchant cancels or re-authorises with a different amount.

  Also seen as: Pending Transaction · Transaction Pending · Awaiting Settlement

• “Processing”

  The payment is moving through the network — your bank, the card network (Visa / Mastercard / Amex), and the merchant's processor are exchanging messages. Usually completes in seconds; can take longer for ACH or international.

  Where you see it: Merchant checkout pages, Stripe / PayPal dashboards, ACH transfers in banking apps.

• “In Review”

  The payment processor or merchant's fraud system flagged the transaction for manual review. It is not declined — yet — but a human is going to look at it before deciding.

  Where you see it: Stripe Radar, PayPal risk holds, Shopify fraud review.

  What you can do: Merchants typically resolve manual reviews within hours. If the review concludes against the transaction, you will see a refund or a declined notice.

• “Requires Action”

  The bank wants extra confirmation before approving — usually a 3-D Secure step (the SMS code, the bank app push notification, the bank web page redirect). Without that confirmation, the payment will not complete.

  Where you see it: Stripe PaymentIntent statuses; common in EU under PSD2 / SCA rules.

  What you can do: Complete the bank verification step — typically a code, app prompt, or redirect — and the transaction resumes.

The charge has posted; money has moved.

• “Posted”

  The transaction has fully settled and is now part of your statement balance. The amount and merchant name are final.

  Where you see it: Bank statements and bank apps after the pending window closes (typically 1–3 business days).

  Also seen as: Settled · Cleared · Completed · Captured · Succeeded

• “Captured”

  The merchant has converted the earlier authorisation into a real charge. Funds are now in motion from your bank to the merchant.

  Where you see it: Payment processor dashboards (Stripe, Braintree, Adyen). Equivalent to "Settled" / "Posted" from the cardholder side.

• “Succeeded”

  The payment completed successfully end-to-end. Stripe and similar processors use this as the terminal "everything worked" state for a PaymentIntent.

  Where you see it: Stripe dashboard, merchant order pages backed by Stripe.

The issuer or processor refused the transaction.

• “Card Declined”

  The issuer (your bank) said no. The bank is the only one that knows exactly why — the merchant generally does not see the specific reason and is not allowed to.

  Where you see it: Merchant checkout failures, recurring subscription failure emails.

  What you can do: Call the number on the back of the card or check the bank app for a fraud alert. Common fixes: confirm the transaction with the bank, update the card on file, or try a different card.

  Also seen as: Payment Declined · Issuer Declined · Declined by Bank

• “Insufficient Funds”

  The account does not have enough money (or enough credit available) to cover the charge. The bank refused the transaction rather than letting it overdraft.

  Where you see it: Merchant checkout, ACH transfers, recurring billing failures.

  What you can do: Add funds, pay down credit, or use a different payment method. If it was a recurring charge, expect the merchant to retry within a few days.

• “Do Not Honor”

  The issuer declined the charge without telling the merchant why. "Do Not Honor" (decline code 05) is the most common decline reason and is intentionally vague — it can mean fraud suspicion, security flags, account issues, or just "we are not approving this right now."

  Where you see it: Merchant checkout pages, Stripe / Square / Braintree decline messages.

  What you can do: The cardholder usually has to call the issuer. The bank can clear the block immediately in many cases — they just will not tell the merchant the underlying reason.

• “Suspected Fraud”

  The bank's fraud system flagged the charge as potentially not-you and declined it as a precaution. Card may also be temporarily frozen.

  Where you see it: Bank fraud-alert texts / push notifications, decline messages on unfamiliar / large / international charges.

  What you can do: Respond to the bank's fraud alert (text "yes/no", confirm in app) or call the number on the card. Once confirmed, retry the transaction.

• “AVS Mismatch”

  The billing address (or ZIP / postal code) you entered does not match what the issuer has on file. Address Verification System (AVS) is a fraud-prevention layer.

  Where you see it: Online checkout pages.

  What you can do: Re-enter the billing address exactly as it appears on the card statement. ZIP is the most common mismatch.

• “CVV Mismatch”

  The 3- or 4-digit security code from the back (Visa / Mastercard) or front (Amex) of the card does not match. The bank refused the transaction.

  Where you see it: Online checkout.

  What you can do: Re-enter the CVV / CVC. If still failing after a correct entry, the card may be flagged — contact the issuer.

  Also seen as: CVC Mismatch · CSC Mismatch · Security Code Invalid

• “Expired Card”

  The card is past its expiration date. The issuer will not approve any transaction on it.

  Where you see it: Recurring subscription failures, checkout errors.

  What you can do: A replacement card has likely already been mailed — check recent statements. Update the card on file with each subscription.

Money flowing back to the cardholder.

• “Refund Issued”

  The merchant initiated a refund. The funds will land back on the original card, but it can take 3–10 business days depending on the bank.

  Where you see it: Merchant order pages, refund-confirmation emails.

  Also seen as: Refunded · Refund Processed · Credit Issued

• “Refund Pending”

  The merchant has triggered the refund but the money has not yet appeared on the card. This is normal — refunds clear through the same authorisation / settlement cycle as charges, just in reverse.

  Where you see it: Merchant order pages within the first 1–10 business days of a refund.

  What you can do: Wait. Refunds typically post within 3–10 business days; international transactions can take longer.

• “Partial Refund”

  The merchant refunded only part of the original charge. Common when shipping is non-refundable, restocking fees apply, or only some items were returned.

  Where you see it: Order pages, return emails.

The cardholder formally challenged the charge.

• “Chargeback Filed”

  The cardholder formally disputed the charge through their bank. The bank pulls the funds back from the merchant pending investigation. Different from a refund — disputes are adversarial; refunds are mutual.

  Where you see it: Merchant processor dashboards (Stripe, Square, PayPal). Cardholders see this as a "credit" or "provisional credit" on the statement.

  What you can do: Merchants have a fixed window (often 7–20 days) to submit evidence ("representment"). Cardholders should keep records — banks may reverse the credit if the merchant wins.

  Also seen as: Dispute Filed · Dispute Opened

• “Representment Submitted”

  The merchant has responded to a chargeback with evidence (delivery proof, signed receipts, refund history) arguing the charge is valid. The card network now decides.

  Where you see it: Merchant processor dashboards.

• “Reversal”

  The transaction was undone — either an authorisation reversal (before settlement) or a dispute won by the cardholder (after settlement). Funds return to the card.

  Where you see it: Bank statements, processor dashboards.

  Also seen as: Transaction Reversed · ACH Reversal

• “Pre-Arbitration”

  The dispute escalated past the first round. The cardholder rejected the merchant's evidence, and the case heads to arbitration where the card network makes a binding decision.

  Where you see it: Merchant chargeback dashboards. Cardholders rarely see this label directly.