What is a pre-authorized debit card transaction?
Pre-authorized debit card transactions are temporary charges applied by a merchant, generally to verify the account or to hold a projected amount of funds they expect you to spend. Most pre-authorized transactions are the same amount as your final purchase amount, but sometimes the pre-authorized amount may be different. Examples of merchants who may apply pre-authorized transaction amounts different than the final purchase on a debit card would include:
- Car rentals
- Hotels
- Restaurants
- Gas stations
These pre-authorized transactions could cause confusion to the account holder regarding the available account balance since the amount held may not be the precise amount of the eventual charge.
Most pre-authorized transactions are applied to your account for a maximum of three business days or until the merchant submits the actual final amount for payment. At this time, the pre-authorized debit is removed.
Because pre-authorizations can tie up funds in your account, we suggest using a credit card or alternative payment method instead of a debit card for car rentals, hotels and other situations where a deposit or large pre-authorization may be required.
If you have a question about a specific transaction on your account, please visit a nearby branch location or call our Contact Center (866) 952-95231 for personal assistance.
1 Contact Center hours are Monday through Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. CST, and Saturday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. CST.
