Why does my order say payment pending?

The order went through, but the money has not been confirmed. Bank transfers, pay-later plans and payments held for review all show as pending for a while.

Will a pending order still ship?

Once the payment is confirmed. Most stores hold the order until then, so a long pending period delays shipping too.

What if the payment never clears?

The order is usually cancelled after the store's waiting period. Say how long that is, so the customer has time to pay another way.

Should the store cancel a pending order on its own?

Only after the waiting period you state, and after asking the customer. A short message often saves a sale that would otherwise lapse.

Payment pending reply template

Placed, not paid yet. Say what happens next.

Tell the customer why the payment is still pending for the way they paid, and that the order ships once it clears.Updated November 3, 2026 · By Ziyad Basheer

Use this template free See the template

Short answer

“Payment pending” means the order exists but the store has not received confirmed payment yet, which is normal for bank transfers, pay-later approvals and payments held for a fraud review. Explain which applies and that the order ships once payment is confirmed.

The templates

Fills in from Shopify, with a fallbackYours to fill in

EmailPending payment explained

Subject: The payment for order.name

Hi customer.first_name, Thanks for checking. order.name is placed, and the payment is still being confirmed. That is normal for bank transfers / pay-later plans / payments under review, which usually take 1 to 3 business days to clear. Nothing else is needed from you. We ship as soon as it is confirmed, and the tracking email follows when it leaves us. If it still says pending after 3 business days, reply here and we will look into it.

ChatShort reply

Nothing is wrong. order.name is placed, and bank transfers show as pending until the money reaches us, usually 1 to 3 business days. It ships as soon as the payment is confirmed.

Internal noteBefore you reply

Pending payment on order.name. Payment status: order.financial_status. If it is held for a fraud review, decide capture or cancel before replying. If a transfer has not arrived after 3 business days, ask the customer for their payment reference.

When to use

The customer placed an order, but the payment is not confirmed yet, and they ask why. Not when the card was declined and no order exists.Aide picks a procedure from its When to use. Paste this into your procedure, then edit it for your store.

Only if

They ask about pendingYour payment pending topic is detected, such as “Why does my order say pending?”

An order existsOrder exists is true for this customer.

Pending too longOptional: order created more than 72 hours ago, with a reply that hands off to your team.

Example conversation

Customer

I paid for #1068 by bank transfer two days ago and it still says payment pending. Is something wrong?

Aide

Nothing is wrong. #1068 is placed, and bank transfers show as pending until the money reaches us, which usually takes 1 to 3 business days. The order ships as soon as the payment is confirmed, and you will get an email when it does.

✓Answered from your payment policy · Order #1068

Frequently asked questions

: The order went through, but the money has not been confirmed. Bank transfers, pay-later plans and payments held for review all show as pending for a while.
: Once the payment is confirmed. Most stores hold the order until then, so a long pending period delays shipping too.
: The order is usually cancelled after the store's waiting period. Say how long that is, so the customer has time to pay another way.
: Only after the waiting period you state, and after asking the customer. A short message often saves a sale that would otherwise lapse.

Payment declined at checkoutThe card was refused and no order was placed.Chat · Email Charged twiceTwo charges on the statement for one purchase.Email · Chat · Internal note Order being preparedThe order is confirmed but has no tracking yet.Email · Chat · Internal note

Send this with the order filled in

Aide fills in the Shopify order and tracking, then drafts or sends the reply, as you choose.

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