If tickets haven't appeared on your account after payment, the reason is usually that the payment transaction didn't actually go through, even though your bank has placed an authorisation hold on the funds.
What is an authorisation hold?
An authorisation hold means your bank temporarily reserves the amount on your account, but the actual payment hasn't yet been completed. No money has at any point been debited from your account to us — your bank has simply placed a temporary hold on your balance. For this reason, tickets aren't created in the system until the payment is confirmed.
An authorisation hold can look as if the payment went through, but it's only a temporary reservation.
The most common reasons for an authorisation hold:
Insufficient funds on the account — even though the hold is placed, the final charge can't be completed if the balance isn't sufficient
A temporary interruption between the bank and the payment service
Missing or delayed confirmation from the bank
Card usage limits — daily or monthly payment limits exceeded
Expired or blocked card — the card has expired or your bank has blocked it for security reasons
Strong customer authentication issue — your bank's mobile app or authentication didn't work during the payment
Technical error in processing the payment
How does an authorisation hold get released?
Because the payment didn't go through successfully, no money has moved, and so it isn't returned as a traditional "refund" either. You will therefore not see a new transaction on your account showing, for example, +€50.90.
You'll usually notice the hold being released by:
The hold disappears: The original authorisation hold entry simply drops off your online banking "Pending transactions" or "Authorisation holds" list. It never moves through to your final bank statement.
Your available balance increases: You'll see that your account's "available balance" goes back up by the same amount, even though no new line appears on your account.
Timeline: An authorisation hold typically either converts into a payment or is released back to your account automatically within 2–5 working days. In some cases this can take slightly longer depending on your bank.
What should I do if the ticket doesn't appear?
Check your authorisation holds: Look in your online banking to see whether the hold is still showing. If it has already disappeared, the amount has been returned to your balance.
Check your account balance and card details: Make sure there are sufficient funds on the account and that your card is valid.
Wait a few days: Give the authorisation hold time to release (2–5 working days).
Contact your bank: If the ticket doesn't appear and the authorisation hold hasn't dropped off your account within a week, contact your own bank to find out the status of the hold.