What Is a "Temporary Authorization" on My Bank Statement?

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.

Plain-English explanation

Temporary authorizations are common at gas stations ($75–$150 initial hold), hotels (room rate + incidentals), car rentals (security deposit), and some online retailers. They show as pending and reduce your available balance but aren't final charges. Most settle within 1–3 days; hotels and rentals may hold for the full stay duration.

Most common reasons this appears

• Gas station fuel purchase (pre-auth before pump)
• Hotel check-in incidental hold
• Car rental security deposit hold
• Online order where the charge pends until shipment

How to verify this charge

• Identify the merchant from the pending authorization descriptor.
• Wait 1–7 business days for the authorization to settle or be released.
• If an authorization hasn't cleared after 7 days, contact your bank.

When to be concerned

• Hold amount much larger than the expected transaction (e.g., $200 hold for a $20 fill-up).
• Authorization from a merchant you don't recognize.
• Hold not released after 10 business days.

Part of: Bank fees & transaction issues →