Quick overview
The most common reasons a final amount looks different from what you expected are:
A temporary authorization (pending hold) that the merchant has not yet finalized.
A conversion fee and a small slippage buffer when paying from a crypto balance.
Exchange-rate changes between the start and completion of the operation.
A network or operation fee on top ups, sends, or withdrawals.
Rounding during calculation or display.
A refund processed under different conditions than the original payment.
Card payments: authorization (pending) vs final charge
When you pay with a card, you may see:
Authorization (Pending) — a temporary hold placed by the merchant/payment network.
Posted/Completed charge — the final amount once the merchant completes (captures) the payment.
They can differ — for example, with hotels, car rentals, fuel stations, restaurants/bars, subscriptions, and delivery services. Any unused part of the hold is released automatically.
For the full explanation (refunds, reversals, fuel/hotel holds, where the money is returned, and timing), see:
Crypto-funded card payments: conversion and slippage buffer
When you pay with a Kolo Card and your balance is in crypto, two things can affect the final crypto amount:
1. Conversion fee (1%). For the full breakdown, the example, and FX rules, see: Fees & Pricing.
2. Slippage buffer (~1%, temporary). A small amount reserved to cover possible exchange-rate movement during conversion. Any unused portion of the buffer is returned to your balance once the payment is finalized.
Top-ups and transfers — other common reasons
Reason | What happens | Example |
Exchange rate changes | If the operation includes a conversion, the final amount may differ if the rate moves before the operation completes. | You top up 0.002 BTC with an estimate of 100 EUR, but by the time it completes the BTC/EUR rate has changed slightly. |
Network or operation fee | Some operations include a fee shown at the time of the operation. | You send 100 USDT with a 1 USDT network fee — the recipient receives 99 USDT. |
Rounding | Amounts are rounded during calculation or display. | An amount calculated as 12.3456 is shown as 12.35. |
Withdrawal and network fees per asset are listed in Fees & Pricing.
Refunds
A refund may differ from the original amount because of rate changes between payment and refund, fees that are not refunded, partial refunds, or because the merchant processes the refund in a different currency or in several parts.
For full details (including where refunds are credited and why), see: Refunds & Reversals.
If your transaction shows Failed or Rejected and the money is returning automatically, see: Automatic refund after a failed transaction.
When to contact support
Please contact support if:
the difference seems too large,
you do not understand which fee was applied,
a pending authorization has not updated for a long time,
the refund looks incomplete,
the operation status is not updating.
Please share your Transaction ID so we can investigate faster. See: How to Find Your Kolo Transaction ID.