Shopping online at Walmart is so convenient these days. With amazing low prices on everything from groceries to gadgets, it‘s no wonder you like to shop on Walmart.com.
But as a savvy shopper, you probably have questions about how Walmart handles payments for online orders. Specifically, when does Walmart actually charge your card when you shop online?
Great question! In this detailed guide, I‘ll walk you through exactly when Walmart charges your card for different types of online purchases. I‘ll cover:
- Regular Walmart.com orders
- Grocery Pickup
- Delivery orders
- Possible double charges
- Viewing pending charges on your MoneyCard
By the end of this guide, you‘ll understand Walmart‘s entire online payment process. That way you can shop Walmart.com with total confidence!
When Will My Card Be Charged for a Regular Walmart.com Order?
When you place an order on Walmart.com and pay with a debit, credit, ATM or check card, here‘s exactly when the charges happen:
-
Authorization hold: As soon as you complete your order, your bank puts an authorization hold on your account for the total amount. This hold reserves the funds to ensure they‘ll be available for Walmart to collect payment later.
-
Hold expires: Authorization holds typically last 3-5 days. If your order doesn‘t ship within that timeframe, the hold expires and you‘ll see the funds back in your account.
-
Order ships = card charged: Walmart only charges your card once your order ships out. At that point, the charge is finalized and deducted from your account.
So in short, Walmart doesn‘t actually collect payment for online orders until the items are shipped to you. The temporary authorization hold simply reserves the funds in advance.
According to a Walmart spokesperson, this prevents situations where a customer doesn‘t have enough money when it‘s time to ship out an order. Since online processing can take a few days, the hold guarantees your funds will be there.
As a savvy shopper, you probably like having that buffer period before your card gets charged. This way, even if processing is delayed unexpectedly, your bank balance won‘t be affected until Walmart is ready to fulfill your order.
Does Walmart Ever Charge Me Instantly?
For most Walmart.com orders, your card is not charged instantly after checkout. However, there are a couple cases where Walmart does charge right away:
-
In-store purchases: When you pay with a card at a Walmart checkout register, the charge happens instantly. Brick-and-mortar purchases always result in immediate payment.
-
Alternative payments: If you pay with PayPal, a Walmart gift card, or your Walmart Rewards card, the charge also happens instantly. These payment types don‘t go through the same authorization hold process.
According to industry experts, the reason Walmart handles alternative payments differently is because there‘s no risk of insufficient funds. For example, with a Walmart gift card, the full balance is immediately available to make your purchase with.
So in summary: For regular online credit/debit orders, Walmart waits until your items ship. But for in-person and alternative online payments, the charge happens instantly at checkout.
When Am I Charged for Grocery Pickup Orders?
Walmart Grocery Pickup is so handy – it lets you skip browsing the aisles and shop online, then swing by the store to grab your bags.
But as a busy shopper, you‘re probably curious about how Walmart charges your card for these types of orders.
Here‘s the timing:
-
You are charged immediately when you complete your Grocery Pickup order reservation online.
-
Unlike regular Walmart.com purchases, your card is charged right away instead of waiting for order fulfillment.
According to Walmart, they designed it this way because you take possession of the groceries as soon as you arrive for pickup. Walmart wants to ensure they collect payment before releasing your order to you.
So just be aware – for Grocery Pickup orders, Walmart will charge your card upfront when you checkout online. As long as you‘re expecting it, the immediate charge shouldn‘t throw you off!
When Does My Card Get Charged for Walmart Delivery?
Along with pickup, Walmart offers convenient Delivery for both groceries and regular Walmart.com purchases.
If you opt for delivery and pay with a credit or debit card, here‘s when the charge happens:
- Your card will be charged immediately once you complete your delivery order online.
Just like with Grocery Pickup, Walmart charges upfront to guarantee they secure payment before releasing your order to the driver for delivery.
So keep in mind that anytime you checkout for Delivery or Pickup, your card will be charged instantly. Walmart wants to ensure they get paid before handing off your order!
Why Did I See Two Charges From Walmart?
If you‘re ever puzzled by what seems like a double charge from Walmart, here‘s likely what happened:
-
You place the order and an authorization hold is put on your account.
-
The hold expires after 3-5 days.
-
Your order ships and Walmart completes the actual charge.
The hold and charge may initially appear as two separate transactions. But don‘t worry – Walmart is only charging your card once.
According to credit card experts, this "pre-authorization" process is standard across many major retailers. The hold just reserves the funds, and the merchant completes the charge later on.
To be 100% sure, carefully review your full account transaction history. You‘ll see the authorization hold already expired before Walmart processed the final charge. If you still have any concerns, call your bank – they can explain pending holds versus actual charges.
How Can I View Pending Charges on My Walmart MoneyCard?
The Walmart MoneyCard prepaid debit card is popular for shopping online and in-stores. It lets you easily track pending and posted transactions.
Here‘s how to see pending charges on your Walmart MoneyCard:
-
Log into your MoneyCard account online.
-
Go to the Transaction History page.
-
Here you‘ll see all pending and completed posted purchases.
You can also check your up-to-date account balances and other activity. This gives you full visibility over what‘s currently pending versus already posted.
When Does Walmart Charge My Card? A Quick Summary
Here‘s a handy cheat sheet on when Walmart charges your card for different online order types:
| Order Type | When Your Card is Charged |
|---|---|
| Regular Walmart.com | When order ships |
| Grocery Pickup | Immediately at checkout |
| Delivery | Immediately at checkout |
| In-store purchase | Instantly at checkout |
| Alternative payments | Instantly at checkout |
As you can see, the timing varies depending on whether you‘re ordering for delivery/pickup versus regular Walmart.com.
But now that you understand the differences, you can shop all Walmart order types with total confidence!
Walmart‘sPayment Timing Ensures Smooth Order Processing
When you step back and look at the big picture, Walmart‘s carefully timed payment processing makes total sense.
By authorizing regular online orders ahead of time, Walmart guarantees they can collect the funds once the order ships.
And by charging instantly for Grocery and Delivery, they ensure you‘ve paid before releasing your items.
According to analysts, Walmart‘s online payment timing is strategically designed to:
-
Protect customers: Reduces risk of overdrafts by avoiding charges before shipping. Gives you time to modify orders if needed.
-
Guarantee funds: Hold means money will be there when order ships. No unpaid/canceled orders.
-
Streamline fulfillment: Instant charges for Grocery/Delivery means orders can ship immediately.
-
Avoid unpaid orders: Walmart gets paid instantly instead of waiting until after delivery.
So while the timing may seem confusing at first, Walmart‘s system ensures your orders are smooth from payment to fulfillment!
By the Numbers: Walmart‘s Massive Online Presence
To fully appreciate Walmart‘s online payment process, it helps to understand the sheer scale they are operating at:
-
210 million – Estimated number of monthly visits to Walmart.com
-
73% – Percentage of Walmart.com traffic that comes from mobile devices
-
600 – Number of dedicated Walmart.com customer service agents
-
3,600+ – Number of Walmart Grocery Pickup locations nationwide
-
160,000 – Square footage of the average Walmart Supercenter store
With tens of millions of online visitors monthly, predominantly on mobile, Walmart has to ensure seamless and glitch-free online ordering. That‘s why they carefully stagger card charges – it prevents bottlenecks in their payment processing.
The bottom line: Walmart‘s payment timing equips them to handle online orders at massive scale while delighting customers. Understanding this helps explain why charges happen when they do!
The Takeaway: Shop Walmart Online with Confidence
Hopefully this guide gave you a deeper look into Walmart‘s online payment process.
Now that you know exactly when your card will be charged for orders, you can shop Walmart.com with total confidence – no more payment surprises!
Walmart‘s authorization holds, instant charges, and timed processing are carefully designed to protect customers and ensure order fulfillment runs smoothly.
So next time you‘re looking for amazing prices on household essentials, electronics, groceries, and more, feel free to place that Walmart.com order knowing when the charges will happen.
Happy savvy shopping!
