Authorization Date

  

Using a credit card is such an everyday process that it seems rote. In fact, it sets in motion a relatively complicated process. Basically, there is a threeway transaction (not involving a hot tub) underway:

When you swipe, 1) you get something from the seller; 2) the seller gets paid from the credit card company; 3) the credit card company gets repaid by you. This process takes place over a number of weeks (if not longer), starting with the transaction initially getting approved and ending with you paying off the credit card debt.

The first key marker of this path is the authorization date. This is the moment when the credit card company approves the transaction, letting the seller know that it's safe to give you whatever it is you're buying.

Related or Semi-related Video

Finance: What is Power Of Attorney (Trad...2 Views

00:00

What is power of attorney?

00:06

alright well little old Maybelle blue hair just can't think straight anymore

00:11

at least when it comes to managing her considerable volumes of money husband [kitchen oven on fire]

00:16

number four was loaded and had a weak heart and well he ate one too many [tombstone and grave]

00:21

cheeseburgers Maybelle trusts her grand nephew

00:24

Beauregard to make trades on her behalf and has given him trading authorization

00:29

to manage her account that is he can make trades without pre-clearing each [Maybelle carries brownie trays]

00:34

one with her his status is analogous to having power of attorney in doing

00:40

various legal and financial things in life like you might sign over power of

00:46

attorney to your legalese proficient uncle to handle negotiating the terms of

00:51

your juggling contract because well with your busy schedule you need some help [hand signing power of attorney papers]

00:55

keeping all your you know balls in the air and you have the option between

00:59

granting general or limited power of attorney like if you want your uncle to

01:05

handle all of your finances general POA makes sense but if you only want him to

01:10

handle your contracts like in a specific narrow area like at this brokerage

01:14

account only with equities or dead or something like that well then a limited

01:18

POA would be more appropriate so ya trading Authority is the Wall Street

01:23

e-version of power of attorney you might really want to put a few grand into the

01:27

stock market but as far as you know the stock market is just a market where they

01:31

keep produce you know stocked so you turn over authority to make the actual [Maybelle at the food market]

01:36

decisions and perform the actual trades to someone you trust to you know more [Maybelle brings food bag home]

01:41

efficiently handle your money because if everything's left up to little old miss

01:44

blue hair her entire life savings could end up invested in sweaters for cats Inc [Maybelle dresses her cat in a sweater]

Up Next

Finance: What are Dividends: Declaration date, Dated date, Pay date, Effective Date, Ex-Distribution Date, Ex-Date, and Reset Date?
15 Views

What are Dividends: Declaration date, Dated date, Pay date, Effective date, Ex-distribution date, Ex-Date, and Reset date? Dividends are sums of mo...

Finance: What is Authorized Stock?
2 Views

What is Authorized Stock? Authorized stock is the amount of common stock that a company can issue. A company’s shareholders have to approve any c...

Finance: What is an Agency Cross Transaction/Trade?
4 Views

What is an Agency Cross Transaction/Trade? An agency cross trade happens when the advisor is the broker for the clients on both sides of a trade. A...

Find other enlightening terms in Shmoop Finance Genius Bar(f)