Temporary Authorization Holds and Pending Purchases

After attempting to make a purchase on Prepzo, you may notice a change in your banking information, even though no new exam(s) are accessible in your Prepzo account. Typically this is the result of a temporary authorization hold or a pending purchase.

This article explains what temporary authorization holds and pending purchases are, and when they should be removed from your banking information or purchase history. 

• Learn how to troubleshoot failed payments.

What is a temporary authorization hold? And why do they happen?

A temporary authorization hold is initiated by the payment processor on their end to verify that your card is active and that enough funds are available for the purchase. As a result, you may temporarily see a charge for the Prepzo purchase you attempted to make, even though the transaction was declined and no exam(s) were delivered to your account.

• Authorization holds are not actual charges and will be reversed after the payment processor gets a response from your bank. 
• When a temporary authorization hold is applied, the practice exam you attempted to purchase will not be added to your Prepzo account, since the purchase was not in fact finalized.

When will the temporary authorization hold be removed?

Generally speaking, it takes 2-4 business days before the temporary authorization hold is removed; however, depending on your financial institution, it may take up to 30 days.

If it’s been over 30 days and you believe you were in fact charged for the purchase, and the practice exam has not been added to your Prepzo account, please have your financial institution provide a letter confirming that you have been charged and submit it to Prepzo Support. We’ll be happy to help.

Example of a temporary authorization hold

1. An examinee attempts to make a purchase. 
2. They are notified during checkout that the purchase was not successful.  
3. Despite the payment failure, a  charge for the transaction appears in their banking information (temporarily).  
4. 2- 4 business days later, the temporary authorization hold is removed and the funds are no longer held.

What are pending purchases? 

“Pending” purchases occur when the payment processor is still attempting to finalize the transaction. When this happens, a payment attempt will be listed as a “Pending” purchase in your Prepzo account’s Purchase history. 

“Pending” purchases may occur even though a charge for the purchase is listed in your banking information, and even though, during checkout, the system indicated the transaction was successful.

• Once the payment processor is able to verify the card and process the transaction, the “Pending” status will be removed and you will receive a confirmation email of purchases from Prepzo. The exam(s) will also be added to your Prepzo account. 
• If the payment processor is unable to finalize the transaction, the “Pending” status will be removed and the exam(s) will not be delivered to your Prepzo account.

When will the pending purchase be finalized?

Generally speaking, it takes approximately 7 business days before pending purchases are finalized; however, depending on your financial institution, it may take up to 30 days.

When a transaction for a pending purchase is ultimately declined, it typically takes around 2 business days before the examinee receives a notification from their payment provider. 

If it’s been over 30 days and the pending purchase still hasn’t been finalized, please contact your financial institution.

Example of a pending purchase

1. An examinee attempts to make a purchase 
2. They are notified that the transaction was successful, but they are unable to access their exam(s). The purchase is listed as “Pending” in their Purchase history. 
3. Approximately 2 days later, the examinee is notified by their payment provider that the payment failed. 
4. The “Pending” purchase is removed from their Purchase history.