If tickets have not appeared in your account after payment, the most common reason is that the payment transaction has not gone through, even though the bank has already made a pre-authorisation.
What is a pre-authorisation hold?
A pre-authorisation hold means that your bank temporarily reserves an amount from your account, but the actual payment has not been completed. The money has never been charged from your account to us – the bank has only placed a temporary hold on your account. This is why tickets are not created in the system until the payment is confirmed.
A pre-authorisation hold looks like the payment went through, but it is only a temporary hold.
Common reasons for pre-authorisation holds:
Insufficient funds in the account – Even though the pre-authorisation was made, the final charge cannot be completed if the balance is insufficient
Temporary disruption between the bank and payment service
Bank confirmation is missing or delayed
Card spending limits – Daily or monthly payment limits are exceeded
Expired or blocked card – The card has expired or the bank has blocked it for security reasons
Strong authentication issue – The bank's mobile app or confirmation did not work during payment
Technical error in payment processing
How does the pre-authorisation hold get released?
Since the payment did not go through successfully, the money has not moved, and therefore it will not be returned as a traditional "refund". This means you will not see a new transaction on your account showing, for example, +50.90 €.
You will usually notice the pre-authorisation hold has been released when:
The hold disappears: The original pre-authorisation entry simply disappears from your online bank's "Pending transactions" or "Pre-authorisations" list. It will never appear on your final account statement.
Your available balance increases: You will notice that your account's "available balance" increases by that amount, even though no new line item appears on your account.
Timeline: Typically, the pre-authorisation hold either becomes a completed payment or is automatically released back to your account within 2–5 business days. Sometimes this may take a bit longer depending on your bank.
What to do if the ticket doesn't appear?
Check pre-authorisations: Look in your online bank to see if the hold still appears there. If it has already disappeared, the amount has been returned to your balance.
Check your account balance and card details: Make sure you have sufficient funds in your account and that your card is valid.
Wait a few days: Give the pre-authorisation hold time to be released (2–5 business days).
Contact your bank: If the ticket doesn't appear and the pre-authorisation hold is not released from your account within a week, contact your bank to clarify the status of the hold.