how to find pending charges on your accounts

What pending charges are

Pending charges are temporary card authorizations that reduce your available balance before a purchase posts. They often appear after gas, hotels, ride shares, or when a merchant runs an authorization hold to verify funds.

Quick steps to locate them

1. Open your bank or card app and check the Activity or Transactions screen for a “Pending” section or filter.
2. Tap each item to see the merchant descriptor, amount, and time; compare against receipts or recent taps.
3. Review your digital wallet (Apple/Google/Samsung Pay) for the same card to confirm mirrored pending entries.
4. Set alerts for authorizations so new holds surface immediately.
5. If a hold lingers beyond 3–7 days (hotels up to 30), contact the issuer or merchant to release it.

Where else to look

Check merchant accounts (food delivery, rides, subscriptions), email receipts, and order history. Some services show authorizations separately from posted charges.

• Lower available balance with unchanged statement balance
• “Processing” or “authorization” label on a transaction
• Odd placeholder amounts (fuel or hospitality holds)

Capture screenshots, note timestamps, and avoid duplicate taps while a reader is slow. You can freeze the card if activity looks wrong.