Bank fees & transaction issues

Some statement entries describe what the bank did to a transaction rather than naming a merchant. NSF and uncollected-funds messages relate to available balance, while authorisations, reversals, adjustments, and holds describe stages in card processing. Foreign or international transaction fees are separate bank charges that can appear beside the original purchase.

First determine whether the entry adds money, removes money, or is still pending. A reversal often returns funds after an authorisation expires or a merchant cancels a payment; it is not usually a second debit. Duplicate-looking entries may be a pending hold and a final settled charge. Compare running balances and wait for the pending item to resolve when the merchant confirms only one payment. For fees, review the account terms and the balance at the exact time the transaction was attempted.

Contact the merchant about an incorrect purchase amount, duplicate settled charge, or promised refund. Contact the bank about fee waivers, unexplained codes, holds that remain after the stated timeframe, or transaction-processing errors. Keep receipts and cancellation evidence. If an entry is a settled debit that neither the bank nor merchant can identify, report it promptly as unauthorised rather than waiting for it to disappear.

Charges in this category

• Insufficient Funds Fee

  A bank fee related to a payment attempted without enough available funds.

• NSF Fee

  An NSF fee (Non-Sufficient Funds fee) is a charge your bank applies when a transaction is declined because your account balance is too low to cover it.

• Declined NSF

  Declined NSF means your bank declined a payment because you had Non-Sufficient Funds — your account balance was too low to cover the transaction amount.

• Uncollected Funds

  An uncollected funds charge appears when your bank prevents a withdrawal or payment because recent deposits have not yet cleared and are not available for use.

• Debit Reversal

  A debit reversal means a debit payment that was previously taken from your account is being returned — either because of a refund, a transaction error, or a chargeback.

• Debit Card Reversal

  A debit card reversal means money is being returned to your debit account — usually from a merchant refund, bank error correction, or a dispute you won.

• Pending Authorization Reversal

  A pending authorization reversal means a temporary hold that was placed on your account (like a hotel pre-authorization or gas station hold) has been cancelled, releasing those funds back to your available balance.

• REVERSE DEBIT HOLD

  A reverse debit hold means a temporary authorization hold was released — this is money being returned to your available balance, not a new charge.

• REFUND VS REVERSAL

  A refund and a reversal are both ways money returns to your account, but they work differently. A refund is processed by the merchant after a completed transaction. A reversal cancels the transaction before it fully settles.

• Card Adjustment Charge

  A card adjustment is a small change to a previous card transaction — for example, when a tip is added after a restaurant visit, when a final fuel amount differs from the pre-auth, or when a price correction is applied.

• Temporary Authorization Charge

  A temporary authorization is a hold placed on your account to reserve funds for a pending charge — the money isn't gone yet, it's just unavailable until the transaction settles or the hold is released.

• Recurring Card Purchase

  A recurring card purchase is an automatic, scheduled charge from a subscription or autopay service — your card was charged on the schedule you previously agreed to.

• International Transaction Fee

  An international transaction fee is a surcharge your bank adds when you use your card for a purchase processed in a foreign currency or outside your home country — typically 1–3% of the transaction amount.

• Foreign Transaction Fee

  A foreign transaction fee is a 1–3% charge added by your bank or card issuer when you make a purchase processed outside the US or billed in a foreign currency.

• Still Being Charged After Cancelling

  If you're still being charged after cancelling, first confirm the cancellation was processed, then contact the merchant to request a refund, and dispute the charge with your bank if the merchant doesn't respond.

• Charged Twice on Card

  If you see the same charge twice, first check whether one is a pending authorization that will be released — if both charges settled, contact the merchant immediately to request a reversal of the duplicate.

• Unknown Charge on Debit Card

  For an unknown debit card charge: first check for forgotten subscriptions and family member purchases, then search the full merchant descriptor online, then contact your bank if you truly don't recognize it.

• SPUKL

  An unfamiliar statement code that should be checked with the bank and merchant.