Pending Transactions on Discover.com
One of our most requested features is the addition of Pending Transactions to the Recent Activity section of the Discover.com website. We heard you, and it’s here!
Some of you might be wondering what a pending transaction actually is. Well, let me tell you… when you use your Discover card to make a purchase, that transaction is immediately authorized to ensure the credit card is valid and you have enough credit available to make the purchase. This authorization creates a pending transaction. The transaction is “pending” because it has not yet been through the full transaction life cycle (I won’t bore you with the details). However, just know that it takes up to a few days for your transaction to fully “post” to your account.
In the past, you could only see transactions after they were fully posted to your account. With the new Pending Transactions feature, you are able to view transactions on your account as soon as minutes after the transaction has been made!
Keep in mind that there are situations where a merchant might get a pre-authorization for a transaction–this occurs most often at gas stations, car rentals, hotels and restaurants. These merchants don’t always know what the final amount of the purchase will be at the time of authorization, and pre-authorization ensures that sufficient funds are available to cover the transaction’s cost. So don’t worry when you see that strange amount in the Pending Transactions section–it will reflect the proper amount when it finally posts to your account a few days later.
Have questions about Pending Transactions? Let me know and I’ll do my best to answer them all!
