In flight · decode any status
"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 this phrase
Merchant checkout pages, Stripe / PayPal dashboards, ACH transfers in banking apps.
Other in flight phrases
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.
“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.
“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.
Other stages of the payment lifecycle
The same transaction passes through several stages — each with its own phrase library.