Have you tried to buy a game on Steam and received a purchase pending error? You are not the only one. Although rare, other people have received this unpleasant and confusing message after trying to make a purchase. This problem could be caused by countless reasons. In this article, we will look at this unfortunate error message, why it may have happened, and what you can do to resolve the issue.
Steam Pending Purchase Period
A pending purchase on Steam could take a few moments or much longer. Typically, the time it will take to clear a pending purchase depends on your banking institution. According to Steam, your transaction could take up to 10 days to clear. Fortunately, a pending purchase error means that the funds have not yet been withdrawn from your financial institution, so you have not paid for something you did not receive.
Steam pending purchase error
If you’ve received a pending purchase error, there are several reasons why this could have happened. Sometimes the easiest solution is to restart your computer or laptop and try the transaction again. If that doesn’t fix the problem, take a look at these common backordering reasons and solutions.
- Connectivity issues
The Steam pending purchase error could be caused by a connectivity issue. The problem could be on your side and a quick solution is to restart your Wi-Fi or router. If the Steam servers had problems when you tried to pay for your purchase, this could be the reason why your purchase did not complete. Please wait a short period and try your purchase again.
- vpn
Are you using a VPN (virtual private network)? Although a VPN is a great way to add a level of protection and security to your online purchases, it can sometimes cause a transaction to appear as pending.
Before making a purchase on Steam, you can try disabling your VPN, which might fix the issue. To do this, follow these steps:
- Right-click the “Start” button and find and select “Task Manager.”
- In the “Processes” tab, select your VPN software.
- Tap the “End Task” button.
- Click the “Home” tab.
- Find your VPN and right click on it.
- From the drop-down menu, tap “Disable.”
Disabling your VPN could prevent future problems with the Steam pending purchase error.
- Previous outstanding payments
If you have a previous pending payment, no further transactions will be completed until it is resolved. The best thing you can do is cancel all pending payments and try to make your purchase again. We’ll cover how to cancel a Steam purchase later in this article.
- Site traffic
It is possible that the Steam website was experiencing a high volume of active users and was unable to process your payment for this reason. Although rare, their servers may not work in your region. To check if Steam servers are down, you can go to down detector to check for cuts.
Pending Steam Purchase Cancel
There are several actions you can take if you have a purchase that appears to be pending. The most obvious solution is to cancel the transaction. To learn how to do this, do the following:
- Launch Steam and tap your “User Account Name.”
- From the drop-down menu, select “Account Details.”
- Locate and click “View Purchase History” to see a list of your Steam transactions.
- Click on the pending transaction.
- Choose “Cancel this transaction.”
- Tap “Cancel my purchase” to confirm your choice.
If the transaction you canceled was previous, then the most recent pending purchase should be able to continue. Otherwise, follow the steps above and cancel it. If your pending purchase was made using the Steam app, try making the purchase again using the Steam website.
Other options after canceling the purchase
There are several options you have after you have canceled a pending purchase. If you want to go ahead and try the purchase again, here are some things you can try.
- Change your payment method
Steam offers many different payment methods. If your preferred payment method is causing a pending purchase error, you have the option to change your payment method. You can try selecting a different payment method to see if it has any effect on your purchase. Here’s how to do it.
- Launch the Steam app and tap your “Account Name.”
- From the drop-down menu, select “Account Details.”
- Locate the card you are using to make purchases and click “Edit.”
- Complete the information corresponding to your banking institution and press “Save.”
Now try your purchase again using your updated payment method.
- Check your download region
Your download region may have been defaulted to one other than yours and this could be causing your payment to be left in limbo. To learn how to check your download region, follow these steps:
- Open the Steam app and select the “Steam Menu” in the top left corner of the screen.
- Click “Settings.”
- In the left menu, tap “Downloads.”
- Make sure the download region is the one you reside in. If it is correct, try turning it on and off by selecting a different region and then return to the one you own.
- Press the “OK” button.
If your download region was correct, sometimes toggling it and re-saving your selection will clear the pending purchase error. Please try your purchase again after following these steps.
- Check your payment currency
Just as your download region could have somehow defaulted to the wrong region, the same could have happened with your payment currency. It’s possible that if you changed the server location, it also affected your default payment currency. To verify your payment currency, follow these steps:
- Launch Steam and click on your “Account Name.”
- Choose “Account Details” from the drop-down menu.
- Tap “Store and Purchase History” and “Update Store Country Link.”
- Make sure your currency is correct.
- Click OK.”
If your currency selection was correct, try choosing a different one and then select the correct currency again. Sometimes turning this selection on and off will help finalize the pending purchase issue. Please try to make your purchase again.
- Contact Steam Support
If your purchase is stuck in pending limbo, please contact Steam Support. Maybe there is a problem with your account that you are not aware of. Here’s how to contact them:
- Go to the Steam support page and log in to your account.
- From the drop-down menu, tap “Purchases.”
- Click “I can’t complete my purchase on the Steam Store.”
- Follow the on-screen instructions until you reach the option to contact Steam Support.
Steam Pending Purchase Error Fixes Made Easy
It’s frustrating when you’re ready to buy and play a new game, but your payment is stuck in pending purchase limbo. The best course of action is to cancel the transaction and try again after disabling your VPN and verifying that the Steam servers are up and running. Sometimes using a different payment method is all that is needed.
