A customer paying and money reaching the merchant are two different events. First the payment is confirmed by the buyer bank, then the funds go through settlement between the parties, and only after that they are paid out to your account on the agreed schedule.
What the timeline consists of
- Authorisation. The buyer bank checks the card and its limits — that takes seconds.
- Settlement between parties. The payment system and the acquiring bank reconcile the period.
- Payout to the merchant. Funds go to your settlement account or card on the agreed schedule.
What affects the speed
- Weekends and holidays: interbank settlement does not run on those days.
- A hold, if you enabled it yourself for one to seven days.
- Refunds and disputes — they reduce the amount of the next payout.
What to do as a merchant
- Look at the payout register in the dashboard rather than at individual payment statuses.
- Reconcile by the register: the fee is withheld before the money is credited.
- If a payout is late, start with the register — it shows whether it was generated at all.
What to do when a payout is missing is covered separately in the money has not arrived.
