This article is for: employees and finance teams.
Every payment attempt with a Factorial card, accepted or declined, is recorded on the card's Card payments tab. If a payment or its expense seems to be missing, check its status there: it may be Withheld (not charged yet), Declined, or cancelled (Reversed) or Refunded by the merchant. Here's where to look and what each status means.
Find a card payment
Overview
Use this when a cardholder says they paid but there's no expense, or finance can't match a charge. An expense is created only for accepted payments, but every attempt appears on the card. Cardholders see the payments of their own cards. Admins and finance with permission to see cards see the payments of the cards they manage.
How to use
- Open the card:
- Cardholders: My spending > My cards, then open the card.
- Admins and finance: Treasury > Cards, open the actions menu on the card and choose View details.
- Stay on the Card payments tab.
- Search by merchant, or filter by Status and Date. Use a wide date range: some merchants charge days later.
- Check the payment's status and, if it was declined, its Decline reason.
Understand the status
Overview
| Status | What it means | Is there an expense? |
|---|---|---|
| Withheld | The merchant has reserved the amount but hasn't charged it yet | Yes. It's updated with the final amount when the merchant charges |
| Completed | The payment went through | Yes |
| Declined | The payment was refused. The Decline reason says why | No |
| Reversed | The merchant cancelled the payment | Yes, with the status Payment reversed |
| Refunded | Money the merchant gave back, shown as its own line | No. See A merchant refunded a card payment. How does it show in Expenses? |
How to use
- Find the payment and read its status in the table.
- If it's Declined, read the Decline reason and fix the cause (see Troubleshooting).
- If it's Withheld, wait: the payment and its expense update on their own when the merchant charges.
Tips and Best Practices
- Check the card's payments before contacting support: most "missing" payments are on hold or declined.
- Keep enough funds in the cards account: "insufficient funds" is a common reason for a decline.
- Cardholders get a notification when a payment is declined because of the card's limits or a lack of funds.
- Related articles:
- How are card payments matched to expenses and receipts?
- How do I control how much a card can spend, and where?
- Factorial cards: common questions and quick fixes
Troubleshooting and FAQ
Troubleshooting
- A payment was declined. What do I do? Read the Decline reason on the declined payment and act on it:
| The Decline reason says… | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| …insufficient funds in your account | The cards account doesn't have enough money | An admin adds funds. See How do I open a Factorial cards account, add funds and check the balance? |
| …due to your spending controls | Over the card's limit, or the merchant's category is blocked | Wait for the limit to reset, or ask an admin to change the card's controls |
| …inactive card, canceled card or expired card | The card is deactivated, cancelled or expired | Ask an admin to reactivate it, or issue a new card |
| …ATM withdrawal or cash advance | The charge wasn't allowed; it may be a cash withdrawal | Pay by card instead |
| …insecure authorization method | The terminal needs the chip or the PIN | Insert the card and enter the PIN |
| …the card's PIN is blocked | The PIN is blocked | Contact our support team |
| …flagged as potential fraud | Risk checks stopped the payment | Try again later or contact our support team |
| Any other reason | Contact our support team with the card's last 4 digits and the date |
- My card shows Inactive and payments are declined. Inactive means the card is deactivated. The cardholder or an admin may have deactivated it, or the person left or was removed from Expenses. An admin with Can manage cards can reactivate it in Treasury > Cards. A new physical card also can't pay until its cardholder activates it.
- The payment isn't on the card at all. Factorial has no record of it. Try again or use another payment method. If your bank or the merchant shows a charge, contact our support team.
- The amount is different from the receipt. The card payment records the amount charged to the card, which can differ from the first figure when the merchant charged in another currency, or added a tip or a final amount later (restaurants, petrol stations).
- The expense shows a different merchant name. Merchants often use a company or trading name different from the shop's name. Search by amount or date instead.
FAQ
1. What should I send support if a payment is really missing?
The card's last 4 digits, the cardholder, the date and approximate time, the merchant, the amount and currency, and a photo of the receipt or the merchant's confirmation if you have one.
2. Why is a payment "Withheld"?
The merchant reserved the amount and hasn't charged it yet. The payment already has an expense, which updates with the final amount when the merchant charges.
3. Do declined payments appear in Factorial?
Yes, on the card's Card payments tab with a Decline reason. They don't create an expense.
4. Where can I see all the payments of a card?
On the card's Card payments tab: My spending > My cards for your own cards, or Treasury > Cards > View details for the cards you manage.
5. Why does my payment show "Reversed"?
The merchant cancelled the payment. Its expense changes to Payment reversed and there's nothing else to do.
6. How do I download card movements, or find a record that a payment was made?
Every payment is on the card's Card payments tab with its merchant, amount, date and status. To download the movements of the whole cards account, open it in Treasury > Accounts and click Export transactions.