Gone are the days when purchases were made using cash. Nowadays, you can buy whatever you want with the help of a credit or a debit card. When you make a purchase or a payment using your card, the issuer takes note and creates a record. This record is commonly known as a credit billing statement. Sometimes, a credit card transaction may fail to appear. When such an anomaly occurs, should you panic?
Credit card transaction may not appear as it may be still processed or the transaction was made at the end of your billing circle. Whichever it is, you don’t need to be worried.
I understand that making a transaction and discovering that it isn’t indicated in your statement can be scary. It brings up several questions in your head that unsettles your mind and gives you a headache. However, worrying is not the best solution in this case. What you ought to do is find answers and those answers are in this article. As we move forward, I’ll carefully explain why you shouldn’t panic when you discover that a credit card transaction isn’t appearing.
Credit card life cycle explained.
Should You Be Worried if a Credit Card Transaction Is Not Showing Up?
In my many years of experience in the financial realm, I have come to understand that nothing bothers a man more than his money. Of course, health and family are potent competitors in that aspect. However, I would say that money beats them by a tiny margin. Imagine sending a huge amount of money to someone and later finding out, several hours later, that the other individual hasn’t received the money, neither has it been refunded. If you are that individual, how worried will you be? Super worried, right?
Now, let’s stray too far. You see, I don’t really blame those who panic when a credit card transaction fails to appear in their credit billing statement or wherever it is supposed to appear. It’s quite common, and I guess it is because it’s an anomaly. Naturally, people fear uncertainty. Uncertainties make people overthink. In the scenario of a transaction not appearing, some people may be disturbed that their credit card or bank statement has issues or something terrible happened.
Cases when transactions not appearing will definitely make several people worried, especially when it involves a huge amount of money. If you are currently experiencing this situation or are yet to, my advice is to save yourself the stress. Such a situation doesn’t require you to start imagining those worse case scenarios, nor stressing yourself in any way. What you need to do is understand the source of the issue. And it is quite simple.
You see, if you make a payment or a purchase and you notice that the transaction isn’t being displayed on your statement, there are about three likely reasons for this. First off, the most common and possible explanation for this can be traced to the merchant and the players involved in the credit card processing. The delay or the issue might be because the merchant is yet to send your info to the necessary party or a hitch somewhere.
Secondly, one reason why such may occur is that the transaction made was done at the end of your credit card billing cycle. As you probably know, activities done on your credit card after the end of a billing cycle will show up in your next billing statement.
So the reason why those dairy products you bought from a grocery store isn’t reflecting on your statement is that you purchased them at the end of your credit card billing cycle. You will likely see it on your next billing cycle. However, if you feel urged to call your card issuer, you can go ahead. But, I feel it isn’t necessary in this case.
Lastly, one of the reasons why a card transaction may not appear is simply because there is an error somewhere. In this scenario, the best step to take will be to call your card issuer or the merchant.
Most times, the reason is that the parties involved in processing credit card payments aren’t done with their task. You see, this process usually takes around two to three days, and it involves about four parties and four complicated steps. However, if many transactions are waiting to be processed, the process may take longer than usual. Also, if peradventure an error was detected or something of the ordinary occur, the transaction will be posted later than expected.
Find out if you should be worried if a credit card pending transaction disappeared?
How Long Does It Take for Credit Card Transaction to Post?
Many cardholders don’t understand that transactions made with either a credit or a debit card don’t get processed and approved immediately. This process, which involves about four players, takes time. When a transaction is made, the funds linked with the transaction will be held until all necessary checks and approval are done before it gets posted.
It takes about 24 hours to three days for a credit card transaction to post. However, this time can vary depending on the merchant, transaction type, and bank.
Credit card transaction gets posted when the merchant has been paid. So when you purchase a product from the grocery store with your credit card, the funds linked with the purchase will be held until the four players involved in the credit card processing cycle carry out their check and approval. At the end of the exercise, the transaction will be approved and marked as complete, or in other words, the transaction will be posted.
Sometimes, it may take a day or two for the transaction to be complete. In some situations, it could take more than two days. During this period, you will notice a pending tag when you check your banking app. The pending tag will fall off after the transaction has been complete.
