What should I do if I’ve already paid, but my purchase hasn’t been released?

After completing a purchase, it’s common to expect access to the product to be released shortly after. However, in some cases, the payment may still need to go through confirmation steps before the purchase is recognized and access is sent.

In this article, you’ll learn why a purchase may not be released even after a payment attempt, what it means when a charge appears on your card, the confirmation timeframes for each payment method, and what to do in each situation.

What happens between payment and purchase release?

Before access to the product is sent, the purchase goes through a few confirmation steps. First, the payment must be validated by the institution responsible for the transaction, such as the bank, card issuer, or payment platform. After that, Hotmart receives the confirmation and releases access to the product.

That’s why, in some situations, the payment may have already been made or even appear as charged, but the purchase may not have been recognized yet. This doesn’t necessarily mean the charge was completed successfully or that access should already have been released.

What should I check if I’ve already paid, but still haven’t received access?

If you’ve already made the payment, the first step is to check which payment method was used for the purchase. This is important because each method has a different confirmation timeframe.

If the purchase was made by credit card, confirmation usually depends on approval from the bank or card issuer. If it was made using a bank slip, confirmation may take longer to process. For instant payment methods available in some countries, recognition is usually faster, but it still depends on the transaction being confirmed within the validity period of the generated code.

It’s also worth checking the email address used for the purchase. This is the address where confirmation and access details are usually sent. A typo in the email address provided may make it difficult to identify the purchase and receive the access instructions.

What does it mean when a charge appears on my card, but the purchase was canceled?

This is a common question for credit card purchases. In some cases, the card issuer or bank may show a charge or temporary authorization hold on your card limit, even when the purchase wasn’t completed.

This can happen when the transaction was reviewed by the financial institution but wasn’t approved based on one of the issuer’s internal criteria. In this situation, the amount may remain temporarily reserved on the card and then be automatically reversed, according to the card issuer’s rules.

If this happens, we recommend monitoring your statement and, if necessary, contacting your bank or card issuer directly to confirm the regularization timeframe.

How long does it take to confirm payment via bank slip?

For payments made using a bank slip, the purchase is only recognized after confirmation by the institution responsible for processing the payment. For this reason, even after payment, access is usually not released immediately.

If the payment was made before the due date, recognition may take a few business days. During this period, the purchase may continue to appear as pending until confirmation is completed.

If the payment deadline expired before the transaction was made, the purchase is automatically canceled. In this case, you’ll need to try again to generate a new payment option.

I paid using an instant payment method, but the purchase still hasn’t been recognized

For instant payment methods available in some countries, confirmation usually happens faster than with other payment methods. However, the purchase can only be recognized if the payment was made within the timeframe provided at checkout.

If the payment code expired before you made the payment, the attempt becomes invalid, and you’ll need to start a new purchase to generate a new code.

If the payment was made within the timeframe, but the purchase still doesn’t appear as approved, we recommend waiting a little while for the transaction to update and checking whether the payment was completed correctly in your bank’s app or platform.

Frequently asked questions 

❯ When should I contact my bank or card issuer?

It makes sense to contact your bank or card issuer when:

• The purchase was made by card.
• A charge or temporary authorization hold appeared.
• The payment was declined, but you’re not sure why.
• The amount is still appearing on your card even after the purchase was canceled.

In these situations, only the financial institution can confirm the reason for the decline, temporary hold, or reversal timeframe more accurately.

❯ When should I contact support or the creator?

Some cases require a different type of guidance. If the payment has already been made and the expected confirmation timeframe has passed, you may need help locating the purchase or understanding why access hasn’t been sent yet.

If your question is related to product access, it’s also worth checking whether the confirmation message was sent to the correct email address and whether there are any additional instructions from the creator about content delivery or release.

❯ A charge appeared on my card, but my purchase was canceled. Was I charged?

Not necessarily. In some cases, the bank or card issuer only places a temporary authorization hold on your card limit. When the purchase isn’t completed, that amount is usually reversed automatically afterward.

❯ How do I know if the issue is with the payment or with product access?

If the purchase still doesn’t appear as approved, the situation is usually related to payment confirmation. If the purchase has already been confirmed by email, but you’re unable to access the product, the issue is related to access.

If the issue is related to access, check out this article for more information.

❯ I noticed I entered the wrong email address when purchasing. What should I do?

If you entered your email address incorrectly when making your purchase or no longer have access to the registered email address, don’t worry. Follow the instructions in this article to request an email address change.