The Unmatched Line / the amount
why it differs from what you staked
The amount is not always the amount
The figure on the line can differ from the figure you remember for three ordinary reasons: the rail converted a currency, the rail added a processing fee, or the line is only a partial authorisation that will be topped up or released. None of the three is a second charge, and all three make an amount-only match unsafe.
Desk spec
- lines that differed
- 240
- a conversion
- 96
- a fee
- 84
- a partial hold
- 60
- mean gap on 100.00
- 2.90
- conversion share
- 40.0%
what the line isA descriptor, not a name: a routing string of up to five fragments. The reference is the only one that is yours.
why it looks wrongOnly 620 of 1,800 sampled lines named the brand; the rest named a processor, entity or wallet.
what decides a disputeThe money that actually left the account. 560 of 680 unplaceable lines were placed by reading, not disputing.
Direct answer
A statement amount can differ from the amount you staked for three reasons: a currency conversion by the rail, a processing fee the rail adds, or a partial authorisation that is topped up later. Of 240 sampled lines that differed, 96 were a conversion, 84 a fee and 60 a partial hold; the mean gap on a 100.00 charge was 2.90.
| reason | how it shows | sampled |
|---|---|---|
| a conversion | you paid in one currency, the rail settles in another | 96 |
| a rail fee | the processor adds a percentage or a flat fee to the settled figure | 84 |
| a partial hold | the authorisation is smaller or larger than the final charge at first | 60 |
| so an exact-amount match can miss the real line | 240 | |
A 100.00 charge that prints as 102.90
the deposit you remember 100.00
the rail rate it applied 2.9%
the amount that settled 102.90
the gap 2.90
and the same 100.00 charge on a fee-carrying rail
the deposit 100.00
the processing fee 1.50
the amount that settled 101.50
two different lines, two different gaps,
the same deposit behind both -
so match on the date and the reference first
and let the amount confirm rather than decide
How to handle an amount that differs
- Hold the date and the reference as the primary match, not the amount.
- Check whether the difference looks like a percentage - that points to a conversion.
- Check whether it looks like a flat figure - that points to a fee.
- Check whether the line is pending - a hold can settle at a different amount.
- Do not treat a conversion or a fee as a duplicate charge; they are one charge printed once.
Conversion rates, fees and authorisation amounts depend on the rail, the currency and the operator terms, and this desk prints invented figures. It is not advice on whether any fee was authorised, and it names no real rail or rate.