Help CenterWhat does “Authorized” mean?
“Authorized” means that the transaction amount has been approved and temporarily held by the merchant, but the transaction has not yet been fully cleared or settled.
In most cases, an authorized transaction will be updated within 1–4 days and may change to one of the following statuses:
Cleared: The transaction has been successfully settled.
Refunded: The transaction was not completed, was cancelled by the merchant, or a refund has been initiated.
Please note that users cannot withdraw, cancel, or manually reverse a transaction while it is in Authorized status.
If the transaction is successful:
If the transaction is processed successfully, the status will usually change from Authorized to Cleared within 1–2 days, which means the transaction has been fully settled.
If a refund is initiated after a successful transaction:
If a refund is initiated by the user or the merchant after the transaction is successful, the status may first change from Authorized to Cleared, and then to Refunded.
Once the transaction becomes Cleared, the refund processing time is usually calculated from the time the refund is initiated. Refunds generally take 2–15 days to be returned, depending on the merchant, card network, and payment processing time.
If the transaction fails:
If the transaction fails or the merchant does not complete the transaction, the status may change directly from Authorized to Refunded, usually within 1–2 days.
Once the status changes to Refunded, the amount will usually be returned to the original payment method. The funds generally arrive within 2–15 days after the refund is processed.
Why can an Authorized transaction take longer?
Authorized transactions require processing by the merchant and the card network. In some cases, the authorization hold may take up to 30 days to be released, depending on the merchant’s authorization cancellation policy.
Common pre-authorization scenarios include:
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Hotels
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Car rentals
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Subscription services
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Deposits or temporary holds
Pre-authorization is a verification process where the merchant temporarily holds an estimated amount on your card. The final settlement amount will be based on the actual transaction amount.