What is the difference between a pending and completed transaction?¶

Pending means the provider has recorded a payment that has not reached its defined final state. Completed means it has reached that provider's success state, which may still allow later correction or return.

Status can change while processing continues¶

A pending card event may be an approved hold awaiting merchant completion. A transfer or wallet event may await checks, receipt or confirmation. It can complete, expire, reverse or fail, and its amount or descriptor may change.

“Completed” can mean sent onward, settled or confirmed depending on the system. Refunds, chargebacks and corrections can still follow.

Preserve the status history¶

Capture wording, observation times, transaction references and later changes. Obtain linked authorisation, processing, posting, settlement and return records plus the provider's definition.

State the status at the time observed. Pending may reduce available funds without final loss, while an apparently completed entry may use a different date from the original instruction.