Still have questions about credit card holds? Check out the answers to these frequently asked questions.
How long do credit card authorization holds last?
How long an authorization hold stays on a credit card depends on why the hold was placed, when you pay the final bill and if you use the same card that has the hold on it to pay the final bill.
Some credit card holds may clear soon after you pay the bill. Or it may take a few days. And according to the FTC, if you use a different payment method—that doesn’t have the hold on it—to pay the bill, the hold may stay on your card for up to 15 days.
What are debit card holds?
Holds can also be placed on debit cards. With debit card holds, a portion of the card’s account balance will be temporarily unavailable.
If a debit card hold causes your account balance to dip too low, it could cause checks to bounce or other payments to be declined. So make sure to keep a close eye on your checking account balance before making any payments.
Will my card be declined if there’s a hold on it?
It depends on how much of your credit limit or account balance—in the case of debit cards—the hold takes up. If the hold causes your account balance or available credit to dip too low, it may cause purchases that exceed your available funds to be declined. Debit card holds may cause checks to bounce, too.
Is a credit card hold a charge?
A credit card hold isn’t a charge. It’s a temporary hold or block on a certain amount of your credit limit. In some cases, the hold may be larger than the final transaction amount. But you’ll only see the final transaction amount on your statement after the hold is removed.
But keep in mind that all or part of a credit card hold may be processed as a transaction to cover damage.
What can go wrong with a credit card hold?
One thing that could go wrong with a credit card hold is that it could cause your card or payment to be declined. In some cases, a hold may remain on your statement even after the bill is settled. If that’s the case, consider contacting the merchant to get the hold removed.
