Refunds & pending authorizations

Why pending charges sometimes look larger than the purchase, how long holds last, when refunds arrive, and where the money lands.

Pending vs. settled charges

Pending (authorization): the merchant has reserved an amount on your card balance. The money hasn't left yet — it's held.
Settled: the merchant has finalized the charge. The held amount (or the corrected final amount) is actually deducted.

A pending charge that the merchant never settles simply expires and the held amount is released back to your card balance.

Why this happens: holds larger than the purchase

Some merchants authorize more than your expected total on purpose:

Hotels: room rate plus an incidentals buffer per night
Fuel stations: a fixed pre-authorization (often well above a typical fill-up) before you pump; the real amount settles later
Car rentals and deposits: the rental plus a security deposit
Restaurants/bars in some countries: the bill plus an estimated tip

Because Echlon cards draw on a dedicated card balance, that balance must cover the hold, not just the final price. Before a hotel stay or car rental, top up enough to cover the deposit too — or the authorization will decline.

How long do holds last?

The merchant controls when a hold is settled or released. If a merchant never finalizes, the hold expires and the funds return to your card balance automatically. Hold durations vary by merchant type — fuel and restaurant holds usually clear within days, while hotel and rental deposits can take longer after checkout.

Merchant refunds: timing and where the money lands

When a merchant issues a refund, it travels back through the card network and lands on the card balance — the same card balance the purchase came from, not your Checking balance.
Refunds typically take several business days to appear after the merchant processes them, because the network batch-processes refunds slower than purchases.
From the card balance you can spend it again or move it back to your Checking balance.

Common questions

I see two charges for one purchase. Was I double-charged?

Usually not — you're seeing the pending authorization and the settlement together briefly, especially when the final amount differs (tips, fuel). If both show as settled for the same amount, that's a real duplicate: contact the merchant, and dispute it if they don't fix it. See Disputes & chargebacks.

The merchant says they refunded me a week ago. Where is it?

Ask the merchant for the refund's ARN (Acquirer Reference Number). With the ARN, the refund can be traced through the network. If the merchant can't provide an ARN, the refund may not have actually been processed.

A pending charge disappeared without a refund transaction. What happened?

Pending transactions are temporary authorizations. If the merchant completes the charge, the transaction moves to Settled. If the authorization expires or is released without being completed, the hold is lifted and the pending entry clears — no settled charge is created, because the merchant never finalized the transaction.

Troubleshooting

Card balance looks too low: check pending transactions — held amounts reduce the available balance even though they haven't settled.
Hold is blocking money you need: only the merchant can release a hold early. Ask them to contact their payment processor to reverse the authorization.

Still need help?

If this article didn't resolve your issue, see our support channels, message us on WhatsApp at +1 (787) 468-5842, or open a support ticket — we typically respond within 24 hours.