Why are my account balance and available balance different?
Whether you have a Nationwide current account or credit card, it's normal for your account balance and available balance to be different. This is usually because a transaction can take 7 days to go into or out of your account.
Pending card transactions affect your balance
Pending transactions are payments that would normally go into or out of your account within 7 days.
When you use a debit card to pay for something, it reduces the available balance in your current account. Similarly, when you use a credit card to pay for something, it increases your available balance. This is because the money has been reserved, ready for the company to take.
How to view your pending transactions
You can view your pending transactions in our Banking app.
- Log in to our Banking app.
- Tap on the account you would like to view.
- Tap View pending transactions.
You can check your account balance and available balance in our Internet Bank, but you won't be able to see your pending transactions.
We’ll remove older pending transactions
If a pending transaction hasn’t been taken by the company after 7 days, we’ll stop reserving the money so that it’s available for you to spend. The pending transaction will no longer show in your account and your available balance will go back.
For current accounts, it’s a good idea to keep enough money in your account to cover the payment. That’s because some can take up to 180 days to go through. So, the money could still be taken at a later date.
Problems with pending transactions
If you think you’ve been charged by mistake or a pending payment shouldn’t be there, we may be able to help.
Cheques increase your balance
If you pay a cheque into your current account, the balance will increase. However, the money won’t be available until the cheque has cleared.