Glossary
What is settlement?
Settlement is the point at which money has actually moved and is available to you — as distinct from authorisation, which is only a promise that it will.
Updated August 7, 2026
A card payment can be authorised in a second and settle later. A bank transfer is usually settled when it appears.
The distinction matters when you are deciding whether to hand something over. Smilelink shows cleared and pending separately for exactly this reason.
The product does most of this for you.
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