This article explains the different types of card transactions, as well as the meaning of each of the statuses a transaction can exist in.

The following types of transactions exist in the Pliant app.

This is the standard transaction type most card transactions will have. It is assigned if you are purchasing something using the card or making any other kind of active or recurring card payment.

In case the merchant you have previously paid with your card is returning the payment, this transaction type is used. This may happen, e.g. after returning a purchased good or in case you were accidentally charged too much. Refunds can only be initiated by the merchant.

This transaction type is used in case of a successful transaction dispute, which results in the funds being returned. In case there is a card transaction you think was done erroneously, or the purchased goods have never arrived, you may be eligible for getting a chargeback. Chargebacks are initiated by the payment network (Visa), which means you can get your money back without the merchant's direct involvement.

You can contact the Pliant customer service either by phone at +49 30 54453778-0, through the chat in our mobile or web app, or by submitting a ticket via our Support Form to get support with a potential dispute/chargeback request.

In case a chargeback has been successful and refunded to your organization's account, the merchant afterwards still has the chance to prove the disputed card transaction was legitimate by providing sufficient evidence to Visa. In case of Visa ruling in favor of the merchant, this may lead to a recharge of the transaction you have previously received a chargeback for.

Card checks are quite common and often also called "Account Status Inquiries". Merchants can use this type of transaction to verify the card details provided are valid and the card ready to be charged. This is especially used for recurring transactions for which the merchant keeps the card on file to collect regular payments, while the very first payment may not necessarily happen when the card details are placed with the merchant.

A card transaction may transition through various statuses.

These are transactions that have just been authorized but have not yet been confirmed by the payment network. The confirmation typically happens on the day after the transaction was authorized but may take up to 7 days. While a transaction is in PENDING state, it can still be reversed (see below) and amounts may change, for example in case of incremental amount authorizations (common at hotels) or exchange rate differences between authorization and confirmation.

Please note a pending transaction cannot be canceled.

This is the state of authorized transactions that have been fully confirmed and booked to the account. This is the final state most transactions will be in.

It may happen that an authorization request for a card transaction is declined. The decline may be triggered at several stages in the process, e.g. a decline may happen on the Visa side for technical reasons or on the Pliant side, for example in case the transaction would exceed any of the limits set for the card. In case a transaction was declined, you will usually be able to see a detailed decline reason along with a recommendation how to resolve the issue in the app. With this information, you should usually be able to fix the issue (e.g. request a higher limit) and retry the transaction. If a payment is rejected by the payment process provider, it needs to be clarified with the relevant vendor, as the payment request is not sent to us.

Once a transaction has been authorized, the merchant still may reverse it. This may happen if the purchase has been canceled right away or if the transaction's purpose was a deposit that should be returned to the cardholder, e.g. in the case of car rentals.