How Authorizations, Refunds, and Voided Payments Work in Cash App
Cash App Card payments go through three distinct phases when they’re processed by merchants:
Temporary Authorization
Void
Capture
Temporary Authorizations and Payment Holds
Some merchants like hotels, rental car companies, and cruise lines may put a temporary hold on your card that shows up in your transaction activity. Funds will be automatically returned to your Cash App when the hold is released, which can take up to 30 days.
Gas stations may also charge your card a temporary authorization hold of up to $175. The cost of your gas will be charged later as a separate transaction that releases the authorization hold. This temporary hold should fall off or adjust to the correct amount within 5 days. To avoid this issue, pay for the amount of gas you’d like at the register before you pump.
When a merchant refunds a completed transaction it can take up to 10 business days (14 calendar days) for Cash App to receive the refund. As soon as Cash App receives the refund, the funds will automatically appear in your Cash App balance.
Please reach out directly to the merchant if you have any questions before the 10 business days have passed.
To view your Cash App Card transaction history in a format (CSV) that can you can send to a merchant:
Log into your Cash App account at cash.app/account
On the left, select Activity
Select the CSV button to the right of the search bar to download a report of your history
If the refund does not appear within 10 business days of reaching out to the merchant, please reach out to the merchant again to confirm before contacting Cash Support.
Voided Payments & Negative Balances
Merchants may refund or cancel a payment to later charge your account for a different amount.
Here are some common reasons payments are voided and captured later:
A restaurant may put a temporary hold on your account when you ask for the check, then process it later with the tip included
Pre-authorizations at gas stations
Hotel reservations
Online retailers may put a temporary hold or charge on your account when you place an order, then complete the charge when they ship your items.
If there aren't enough funds in your Cash App to cover the late charge or the added tip, your balance could go into the negative.
Security, Unauthorized Payments, and Disputes
If you notice a card payment you did not authorize we recommend contacting the merchant immediately to cancel the pending transaction.
Select merchants’ contact information is available in Cash App. To find it:
Go to the Activity tab on your Cash App home screen
Select the payment
Select Completed
Select Need Help?
Select Call Merchant
Once canceled, it can take up to 10 business days for Cash App to receive the refund. If you have any questions before 10 business days have passed, please contact the merchant directly.
For best practices on staying safe and avoiding scams on Cash App select here.
If you need to prevent further fraudulent card transactions, follow the steps in the Temporarily Lock my Card article.
To dispute a recent Cash App Card purchase, first reach out to the merchant to have them attempt to refund the payment.
If the refund does not appear within 10 business days of reaching out to the merchant, please reach out to the merchant again to confirm before contacting Cash Support.