Understanding pending charges and failed payment attempts
This page explains how banks handle pending charges and failed payment attempts, and provides guidance on how to communicate with customers about these situations.
How banks handle pending charges
Many banks display charges immediately when an attempt for payment is made, even if that payment fails. Most of the time, failed payment attempts appear as pending charges; however, some banks display them as regular charges. These charges, regardless of their status, appear for a short period of time before they are reversed.
The amount of time that the charge appears on the customer's account depends on the bank, but is typically 3-5 days.
Communicating with customers about pending charges
If a customer contacts you about a charge they don't recognize, follow these steps:
- Check if you have an order matching the charge amount.
- If no order exists, explain to the customer that:
- The charge is likely a pending authorization from a failed payment attempt
- The charge should automatically reverse within 3-5 business days
- They can contact their bank to confirm whether the charge is an authorization, a failed charge, or a successful transaction
If a charge remains on the customer's account for more than 5 business days without an order and the customer's bank can't determine what the charge was for, then contact Shopify Support for assistance.