What is an Authorization Hold?

August 18, 2022 / Global

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August 18th, 2022
When you request a ride in the Uber app, you may receive a notification from your bank about an Uber charge. Uber may apply a temporary authorization hold for the value of the fare in advance, which will appear as a pending charge in your account’s payment method. This is standard e-commerce practice to ensure the card has sufficient funds, and most importantly, it doesn’t result in a duplicate charge on your card.
When the trip is completed, this authorization hold becomes a charge on the final trip fare.
If the total fare is less than the initial fare, only the actual fare for the trip will be charged and the authorization hold will be voided.
Alternatively, if the final fee is higher, we may override the original authorization hold and charge the final fee, or charge the remaining amount in addition to the original fee.
When you cancel a trip, the authorization hold will be removed immediately.
If you cancel the trip outside of our cancellation policy, the Uber app may charge you a cancellation fee.
This amount varies in each city, and depends on the time and distance the driver traveled until the trip was canceled.
Depending on your bank’s policy, the adjustment may be reflected within a few minutes or up to the date your account statement is published. If you need clarification on your bank’s policy on authorization holds, we recommend you contact your bank directly.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Why did I receive a notification from my bank before the trip started?Down Small
The authorization hold is placed when requesting a trip. Some banks may send a text message notification that an authorization hold has been placed on your account. This hold is made to make sure that your payment method works correctly and also has enough funds to cover the payment of the trip that you are about to make. Although sometimes these resemble actual charges, don't worry: the authorization hold will become the actual charge or will be canceled by your bank in a few days.
If I made multiple trips on the same day, will I receive multiple authorization holds?Down Small
It depends on the situation. If an authorization hold from a previous trip has not yet been completed or canceled, the same authorization hold can be used for multiple trips. It is possible to receive multiple authorization holds on the same day if the previous authorization hold has already been processed.
Why is the authorization hold amount higher than my initial fees?Down Small
Authorization holds are currently for the full amount of the trip at the time of request, and exclude any promotions or discounts. Don't worry though: you will only be charged the correct amount and any unused authorization hold amount will be refunded to your payment method.
How can I tell the difference between an authorization charge and an actual charge?Down Small
On your credit card statement, the charge should appear as “Pending”, “Voided” or “In Progress” instead of “Posted”.
We recommend that you contact your bank directly if you need clarification on your bank's policy on authorization holds.
Why was I asked to add another payment method?Down Small
This can happen if the authorization hold is not done correctly. If the amount of the initial fees is not available for us to hold, we will decline the trip. In this scenario, we suggest you add another payment method and follow up with your bank.
Why do I have two charges for the same trip?Down Small
This can happen if you change your destination while you are on your trip, which may cause the final fare to be higher than the initial authorization amount. If a second authorization hold for the final full amount is unsuccessful, your bill may be split into two receipts. Please contact us at help.uber if you need assistance with any authorization hold issues.