Authorisation holds - what they are and why we use them

After you take your first trip, you may see amounts listed as ‘pending’ on your bank statement or transaction history. These are authorisation holds – amounts of money that we use to verify your payment method. They are immediately voided by Uber, but they may take a few days to be released by your bank.

When will you see them?

We issue authorisation holds to all new users to check that they are using a valid payment method. After you take your first trip, you may occasionally see authorisation holds on your account, for example, when you add a new payment method.

What do they look like?

The label in your bank statement may vary, but usually shows as ‘pending’ for a few days, depending on your bank. Usually, the amounts are for $1, $2, $5, or up to the actual fare amount.

Authorisation holds are temporary

If you see a ‘pending’ amount on your account and are wondering what it is, there’s no need to worry – these temporary holds are immediately voided by Uber. These are used to verify your account and help protect against fraud. Although they are not actually charged to you, authorisation holds may show as ‘pending’ for a few days until they are released by your bank.

Authorisation hold FAQs

I see a pending charge on my account. When will it be voided?
We immediately void authorisation holds, but they may show as ‘pending’ until released by your bank. This may take several days and during this time you will not be able to access those funds, so we recommend contacting your bank with any questions.
The pending charge is still showing up on my statement, what do I do?
We recommend contacting your bank directly if you are waiting for an authorisation hold to be removed or if you need clarification on your bank’s policy on authorisation holds.
Why did I get a notification from my bank?
Some banks may send a text or other notification that an authorisation hold has been applied to your account. This is completely normal and may happen either when you request a ride or afterwards.