Card payments typically go through two main steps:
Authorization – Venn first checks with your card issuer to authorize the payment. This step determines if the payment is approved or declined.
Merchant Action – If the payment is authorized, the merchant then decides whether to complete (or capture) the charge.
If the merchant hasn’t completed the charge yet, the transaction will show as “Pending.” This means the funds are on hold — your available balance will already reflect this amount as deducted, even though the merchant hasn’t finalized the payment.
This is common for e-commerce orders where merchants may only complete the charge once the order is shipped.
What should I do?
No action is needed if the merchant has confirmed your order — either verbally, through an email, or via an order confirmation page.
If you made an in-person payment and the merchant’s terminal showed the payment was accepted, you also don’t need to do anything further.
Just give it some time — different merchants complete charges at different speeds.
If you’re unsure or haven’t received any confirmation, it’s best to check with the merchant directly.
If the merchant takes no action, the pending charge will automatically expire after 30 days.
What do other statuses mean?
Completed – The merchant has finalized the charge and the transaction is complete.
Declined – The payment was not successful. This may be due to:
Reaching your card limit (you’ll receive an email from us if this happens), or
The merchant declining the transaction (you may need to ask them why).