The following questions and answers can help you understand how holds work in Actionstep Payments.

• What Does a Hold Mean?
• Why Might a Transaction Have a Hold Placed On It?
• What Will You See When a Transaction Has a Hold On It?
• What Does a Hold on a Transaction Mean for Your Actionstep Payments Account?

What Does a Hold Mean?

A hold placed on a credit card transaction will delay the processing of that transaction while the Actionstep Payments risk team reviews the transaction and ensure that it is not a fraudulent transaction. The majority of held transactions are processed within 12 hours of being created.  If the risk team believes the transaction to be fraudulent, the transaction will be canceled and Actionstep will reach out to you directly.

Why Might a Transaction Have a Hold Placed On It?

At times, a transaction might be noticed if it is unusual, perhaps because it's unexpected or for a higher amount than your client's typical pay. Or, it might be an unusual volume of transactions from a specific customer. These holds are almost always temporary while checks are made to ensure that credit card fraud worldwide is minimized.

What Will You See When a Transaction Has a Hold On It?

Typically, you won't notice when a transaction has had a hold placed on it. If you do, you might see a Held label next to the transaction when you are reviewing the Actionstep Payments portal. Actionstep Payments will not send a notification about a hold. You will only be notified if the payment is canceled.

What Does a Hold on a Transaction Mean for Your Actionstep Payments Account?

In most situations, a hold will merely be a delay in the funds being taken from the credit card and applied to your account. Once the hold has been removed, Actionstep Payments will process the transaction like any other, marking the invoice as paid and depositing the money into your bank account.

If you have any further concerns about a transaction that has had a hold placed on it, please contact Actionstep support.