What is happening?
All card transactions (credit, debit, prepaid, etc.) Laso or otherwise, go through an authorization-to-transaction flow.
The process is:
You swipe your card
The business requests an authorization on the card of some amount (generally your purchase amount)
Your card issuer approve or denies it
Business receives the approval/denial
Then you receive your product or service from the business.
Later on, the authorization is converted to a transaction, and the funds are actually released to the business.
The example you're likely familiar with is at a hotel. You swipe your card, they put a $200 authorization on the card, and at the end of your stay, you're refunded that $200. Or if you ordered some room service, it's converted to a transaction at the amount of the cost of the room service.
All transactions go through this flow; it's just that for some flows its resolved in milliseconds.
What Can You Do?
If your balance hasn’t updated immediately after a transaction, consider the following steps:
Wait for Processing: Allow up to 24 hours for the issuer to complete processing the transaction.
Refresh Your View: Try refreshing your card balance in the app or website periodically. The new balance should display once the posted transaction is finalized.
Check Transaction History: Look at your transaction history to confirm whether the payment or redemption was recorded. Some issuers may display pending transactions separately.
If your transaction is showing as pending after a day or two, that is expected and part of the normal transaction process.
This process can take anywhere between seconds and up to 30 days depending on the specific processing timelines set the business you're spending at.