Transaction Date

The transaction date is the original invoice date a credit card transaction occurred. A “transaction” is any activity that occurred on the cardholder’s account, whether it is a purchase, a refund, or other action. Once they have been approved by the issuer and card network, transactions are marked as “pending”in the cardholder's account as pending.

Transaction dates should not be confused with post dates, which are when a transaction posts to the general ledger. If the posting happens soon after the transaction, both dates may be the same. In most situations, however, the post date is 24 hours or more after the transaction date.

While the transaction is pending, the card issuer will put a hold on the cardholder's account, decreasing the amount of available credit (or in the case of debit cards, the available funds) on that card. Once the transaction has been posted, the amount will be added to the cardholder's outstanding balance.