How to verify a new card with a temporary hold
Verifying your card
To protect you from fraud and make sure no one else can use your card on Moreta, we may occasionally verify that each
new card actually belongs to you before you can deposit with it.
When you add a new card to deposit money, we place a small temporary hold on it to make sure the card belongs to you. To
finish verifying, you'll find the exact amount of that hold in your banking app and type it back into Moreta. That's it.
This guide walks you through what the hold is, where to find the amount, and what to do if you can't see it.
What the temporary hold is
The hold is a tiny authorization (less than $1) that confirms you have access to the card. It's not a charge — no money
leaves your account. The hold drops off on its own, usually within 1 business day.
You'll see it show up as a pending charge from Moreta CF in your card's app or online banking. The amount is different
every time, and that's the point: only the real cardholder can see it, so it proves the card is yours.
How to find the amount
The pending charge usually lands in your banking app within a few hours, though it can take up to 1 business day. To
find it:
1. Open your bank or card issuer's app or website.
2. Go to your recent transactions or pending charges.
3. Look for the charge from Moreta CF. It'll show up as pending or authorization-only.
4. Note the exact amount next to it.
5. Head back to the verification screen in Moreta and enter that amount.
Banks use different words for pending transactions, so keep an eye out for: pending, authorization, hold, temporary
charge, or pre-auth. If your app keeps pending and completed transactions in separate places, you'll find the hold under
pending — not in your completed or posted transactions.
If your card was issued outside the US
The amount you enter always needs to be the USD amount, not your local currency.
To find it, tap into the Moreta CF charge and open the transaction details or description. The original amount is listed
there — often labeled "foreign amount," "transaction currency," or "original amount." Use that USD figure, not the
converted local amount shown on the main line.
For example, a $0.63 USD hold might appear on an Indonesian Rupiah card as Rp 10,250 on the main transaction line, with
USD 0.63 tucked into the details. The amount you'd enter is 0.63.
If the USD amount isn't in the details
Some banks don't break out the original USD amount anywhere — you'll only see your local currency on the charge. If
that's the case, you can work out the USD amount yourself.
Look up the exchange rate for the day the hold landed (search "[your currency] to USD," or use any currency converter),
then divide your local amount by that rate. Round the result to two decimal places — that's the amount to enter.
For example, if the hold shows as Rp 10,250 and the rate that day was around 16,270 IDR to 1 USD, then 10,250 ÷ 16,270
≈ 0.63, so you'd enter 0.63.
Because the rate you find won't be exactly the one your bank used, your number might land a cent off. If it doesn't go
through on the first try, enter the value one cent up or down (e.g. 0.62 or 0.64) and try again.
If the charge doesn't show up
Can't find the pending charge yet? Try these before reaching out to us:
- Give it up to 1 business day. Some banks are slower to display pending authorizations, and weekends or bank holidays
can stretch this out.
- Check your bank's website, not just the app. Some apps don't show pending transactions, but the website usually
does.
- Look under pending or unposted transactions. The hold won't appear in your cleared or completed list until it
expires.
- Check your email, including spam. We send a notification when the hold is placed, which may include the amount.
After your card is verified
Once you enter the correct amount, your card is verified and ready to use for deposits right away.
You don't need to cancel or refund the hold — it releases on its own from your card issuer, usually within 1 business
day, and no money is ever taken from your account.
You only have to do this once. The same card won't need verifying again for future deposits.
If verification doesn't go through
If the amount you entered didn't work, it's usually one of these:
- You entered your local currency instead of the USD amount.
- The number of decimal places was off.
- You found the wrong pending transaction in your bank app.
Before you try again, double-check that the charge is from Moreta CF and that you're entering the USD amount.