September 24, 2009
Where can “pending debits” come from in your checking account?
TONYA asked:
I have a pending charge that I absolutely did not spend. I have not used my debit card for anything over the phone or internet lately. Havent been to bars restaurants or hotels. I havent used my card anywhwere lately except the grocery store and atm. So my bank says I have to wait to see if the charge will “post” to my account before I can find out what it is and where it came from. Or it will just “drop off if the merchant doesnt have anything to back it up” So, should I cancel my card and get a new one? Does anyone know how or why this would happen?
I have a pending charge that I absolutely did not spend. I have not used my debit card for anything over the phone or internet lately. Havent been to bars restaurants or hotels. I havent used my card anywhwere lately except the grocery store and atm. So my bank says I have to wait to see if the charge will “post” to my account before I can find out what it is and where it came from. Or it will just “drop off if the merchant doesnt have anything to back it up” So, should I cancel my card and get a new one? Does anyone know how or why this would happen?
Leave a Comment
Comments on Where can “pending debits” come from in your checking account?
If this is something that happens often and always ends up being something that never actually clears then I’d consider changing banks. If this is happening it means they are using the money for something and basically holding the money in your account so you can’t use it.
If it does end up being something you bought then ignore it. If something clears that wasn’t yours then it is definately time to call the bank and tell them, at that point if they don’t recommend a new card (with a new number) then tell them you want one.
If you wrote a check to pay a bill, it is possible that the check has hit the bank but has not been removed. If you think that this is a scam or you are sure you have no outstanding payments, close your account to stop the transaction and open a new one. In most cases, it will hit your account if you just change the debit card. So make sure to close the entire account and re-open it. This is crappy and a pain in the ****… but you should protect your money, and if there is one such instance, than that could mean that someone has access to your account and can try again. Good luck.