What does "blocked amount on card" mean?

Amount blocked on card is a reserved amount, which is to be paid from your account for various transactions. Blocked amounts can come from several sources: 

➤⠀deferred outstanding amounts or garnishments;

➤⠀payments made with credit cardwhere the amount decreases each month as the instalments are paid off;

➤⠀card transactions made at other banks' terminals, whether it is an ATM transaction, a payment at the merchant's POS or on the Internet.

Blocked amounts from card transactions are amounts set aside when you make a transaction at another bank's terminal, whether it's an ATM transaction, a merchant POS payment or on the Internet. 🌐

Blocking the amount is a guarantee that the bank in question will receive the money you have withdrawn, i.e. that a merchant will receive the money for the goods/services offered.  

The settlement period for transactions made at other banks' terminals is a maximum of 30 days. This means that within this period the transaction will be settled automatically and will disappear from the "Blocked amount" section and will be debited from the account. 🙂

Why can I have amounts blocked on my card?

Because you have:

➤⠀attempted an unsuccessful card transaction, but the amount was still blocked;

➤⠀deferred outstanding amounts or garnishments, which will be recovered later when you have money available in your account;

➤⠀made credit card payments in instalments, where the amount decreases monthly as the instalments are paid off;

➤⠀made card transactions at other banks' terminals, whether it's an ATM transaction, a payment at the merchant's POS or on the Internet.

In the case of transactions with an error message, both at the merchant POS and on the Internet, amounts may remain blocked on the account.  

In such situations, don't worry, you can request the amount to be unblocked either by calling the Call Centre (at the number on the back of the card) or in any of the following ways Banca Transilvania branchand the money will be returned to your account as soon as possible. ⏳

Any amount from card transactions remains blocked on the account for a maximum of 20 days, and is then automatically returned to the account unless the transaction is requested to be settled.

Blocked amounts are shown on the statement in the "Blocked amounts" section. 🔒

Why do "failed transactions" occur?

A failed transaction can occur due to one or more factors, for example:

➤⠀card locked;

➤⠀expired card;

➤⠀ demagnetized card;

➤⠀ Insufficient funds;

➤⠀various communication errors;

➤⠀Trading limit exceeded; 

➤⠀Erroneous PIN entry;

➤⠀incorrect entry of card details for Internet payments (card number, expiry date, PIN code, etc.). CVVcode, 3D Secure password).

Is it possible for some transactions to be unblocked automatically?

If a transaction has been carried out and has not been requested for settlement (by the merchant / another bank from which you have withdrawn cash) within 20 calendar days, it will be unblocked by an automatic process and the amount will be returned to your account. 💰

If you have benefited from the product/service transacted, but the amount has not been settled by the merchant within 20 calendar days, even if the transaction is automatically released, the merchant/bank concerned has the right to request the transaction to be settled at a later date.

For transactions made at petrol stations with unattended terminals (where you make your own payment) you are usually charged a certain standard amount (e.g. 50 Euro) 💶

When the transaction is settled, your account will only be debited for the amount of fuel you filled up with and the difference will automatically be credited back to your account.

Why do I have the amount blocked on my card even though I paid at my hotel?

Depending on the terms and conditions of the booking, the merchant may also require the blocking of a guarantee. 

This guarantee is released after actual payment for the services has been made, either at the request of the trader or automatically after 20 days. 📆

If you still notice that the merchant has not released the amount, even though you have paid for the services, you can contact the BT Call Centre (at the number on the back of the card) to initiate a chargeback.

I have an amount blocked for over two months on my card, even though the transaction I made at the merchant was rejected. How do I unblock it?

An amount cannot be blocked for more than 20 calendar days per account.  

If it is not settled by the merchant within this period, the amount will automatically return to the available balance. 🔐