You may notice transactions on your account that you can’t immediately identify, even though you recognize the merchant.
These transactions are often made for validation purposes by merchants (e.g. self-service gas stations, hotels, car rental companies) to verify your Kontist card or to reserve a deposit.
The reserved amount is not available to you temporarily but is usually released by the merchant a few days later.
Example: Car rental deposit
You’re on a business trip and rent a car. You pay the rental fee using your Kontist Visa card.
The card is charged for both the rental cost and a security deposit.
If you return the car undamaged and the deposit is not used, the authorization expires and the amount will be available again – at the latest within 30 days.
Example: Self-service gas station
At a self-service gas station, you use your Kontist Visa card.
Since the pump doesn’t know in advance how much fuel you’ll get, it places a temporary hold on a certain amount – usually between €60 and €150.
After refueling, you receive a receipt showing both the authorized amount and the actual amount charged.
The difference will be refunded within a few days.
Good to know:
To help you keep track, transactions that haven’t been finalized yet are marked as “Pending”.
Once the amount is posted, the pending label will disappear.