
A $0 pending charge on your debit card can be a frustrating and confusing experience. This is often a result of a retailer's authorization hold, which can temporarily freeze a portion of your available funds.
Debit card authorization holds can be triggered by various factors, including a merchant's attempt to verify your account information or a temporary hold on your funds for a specific purchase.
In some cases, a $0 pending charge may appear due to a retailer's error, such as incorrectly processing a transaction or failing to update their records after a refund.
These types of holds are usually resolved within a few days, but it's essential to keep an eye on your account activity to avoid any potential issues.
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What Is a Pending Transaction?
A pending transaction is an approved purchase noted on your credit or debit account while the payment processes. It can affect your available balance but won't be part of your outstanding balance or accrue interest.

Once the purchase is finalized and posted to your account, the transaction amount will become part of your current balance or removed from your bank account. This typically happens within a couple of days, but can linger for several days in some cases.
If a merchant is waiting to ship the item or if a hold has been put on the card for services that are not yet complete, the pending transaction may take longer to post.
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Definition and Explanation
A pending transaction is a payment that has been initiated but not yet settled. It's like sending a check in the mail - the sender has given the recipient permission to withdraw funds, but the payment hasn't actually cleared yet.
A pending transaction occurs when a merchant or service provider requests authorization from your bank or credit card issuer to charge a specific amount. This is often the case when making online purchases or signing up for a new service.
In most cases, pending transactions are temporary and settle within a few days. However, some transactions may take longer to settle, depending on the specific payment method or service being used.
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How Pending Transactions Work

A pending transaction is an approved purchase noted on your credit or debit account while the payment processes.
This can affect your available balance, but it won't be part of your outstanding balance or accrue interest.
Once the purchase is finalized and posted to your account, the transaction amount will become part of your current balance or removed from your bank account.
Pending transactions typically post to your account within a couple of days but can linger for several days in some cases.
They may take longer to post if the merchant is waiting to ship the item or if a hold has been put on the card for services that are not yet complete, such as a hotel stay.
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Charge Visibility Issue
A $0 pending charge on a debit card can be unsettling, especially if you're a small business owner trying to maintain a good reputation.
An authorization charge of $0 is sent to the bank when you add a card on file, which is a normal process to get connected with the customer's bank.
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This $0 charge is not a real charge, but rather a test to see if the card is valid and can be used for future transactions.
It's not uncommon for credit card companies to call customers about "mystery charges" like this, so it's a good idea to be prepared for that possibility.
To avoid any confusion, you can consider saving the credit card information separately from the customer entry, so that no activity is started on the card unless an actual charge is made.
Alternatively, you can have customers fill out a Credit Card Authorization Form, which only runs their information if needed.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a $0 authorization?
A $0 authorization is a request to verify a cardholder's account without actually charging their account. This temporary hold allows for verification purposes without affecting the cardholder's available balance.
Sources
- https://www.experian.com/blogs/ask-experian/how-to-cancel-pending-transaction/
- https://www.sellercommunity.com/t5/Square-Point-of-Sale/Why-are-some-of-my-customers-seeing-a-0-charge/td-p/126112
- https://www.greenstate.org/connect/contact-and-support/help-center/pending-debit-card-transactions.html
- https://searchads.apple.com/help/billing/0033-solve-billing-issues
- https://www.mydccu.com/personal-banking/checking
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