Pending Transactions vs. Posted Transactions: What's the Difference?

Have you ever looked at your account balance and been surprised to see that it’s different than what you expected? If so, it’s likely because of a pending transaction. But what exactly is a pending transaction, and how does it differ from a posted transaction? Keep reading to find out (TLDR at the bottom).

A pending transaction is any transaction that has been authorized but has yet to be posted to your account. For example, let’s say you use your debit card to buy a new tablet for $500. The pending transaction will show up in your account immediately, but the funds won’t be transferred from your bank account to the tablet retailer until the transaction posts.

Once the transaction posts, it will be reflected in your account balance as a posted transaction. A posted transaction is a completed transaction that has been fully processed and appears on your account statement.

It’s important to remember that pending transactions can impact your available balance—the amount of money you have available to spend—even though they haven’t technically been posted to your account yet. For example, if you have a balance of $1,000 in your checking account and there are two pending transactions totaling $300, then your available balance would be $700. On the other hand, once those transactions post, they’ll no longer impact your available balance since they’ll be reflected in your current balance—which is the total amount of money you have in your account, including any transactions that haven’t cleared yet.

TLDR: A pending transaction is any transaction that has been authorized but has yet to be posted to your account. Pending transactions can impact your available balance (the amount of money you have available).

A posted transaction is a completed transaction that has been fully processed. Once those transactions post, they’ll no longer impact your available balance since they’ll be reflected in your current balance (the total amount of money you have in your account).

Armed with this knowledge, you can rest assured that you’re always aware of how much money you have available at any given time! If you have more questions, let us know!