What pending means

Explain why two numbers on your bank screen do not match.

When you pay with a card, two things happen on different days.

First the store tells your bank an amount is coming. That is pending. Your bank sets the money aside. A day or three later the money actually moves, and the charge is posted.

That gap is why you see two numbers. Available balance already subtracts pending charges. Current balance has not caught up yet.

Key points

• Pending means the charge is coming but not finished.
• Available balance already subtracts pending charges.
• Current balance counts only finished charges.
• Most pending charges settle within a few business days.
• Plan around the smaller number.

What to remember

• Pending means the money is spoken for but has not moved yet.
• A gap between the two numbers usually has a receipt behind it.
• A pending amount can shift a little before it settles. That is normal.

Try this

Open your account today, find any charge marked pending, and write the amount down. Check in three days to see it settle.

Practice: What pending means. Your first lesson is free, with no account or card; the rest are part of a Lantern plan. Interactive lessons require JavaScript.

Related guides

• Find out what a strange payment actually was
• Prove a payment arrived, instead of paying twice
• Tell pending from posted
• Read a statement line by line
• Tell a deposit from a hold