You have picked a date, you are looking at the card step, and the page says your card will be "saved" now and "held" later. Nothing has left your account, but you would like to know exactly when something will. For a Hometress visit in Philadelphia the order is short: nothing is charged when you book, a temporary hold goes on your card a few days before the visit, and you are charged once the clean is complete.
The short answer
- When you book: "Nothing is charged when you book." Your card is saved.
- A few days before your visit: a temporary authorization hold is placed on the card, or right away if your visit is sooner than that.
- After the clean: we charge the card on file for the final amount due, and the hold is captured toward that charge or released.
- If the card is declined: we contact you and ask you to update it.
The timeline, moment by moment
This guide covers bookings made on our website or by our team; bookings made in the Hometress app follow Section 8.1 of the Terms. Our Terms put the advance-booking sequence in one sentence: "your card is saved when you book, and the temporary authorization hold is placed a few days before your visit, or right away if your visit is sooner than that." The table lays that sequence out step by step.
| Moment | What happens | What you may see |
|---|---|---|
| You book | Your card is saved. Nothing is charged. | Your booking shows the date the hold is scheduled for |
| A few days before the visit (or right away if the visit is sooner) | A temporary authorization hold is placed on the card | Depending on your bank, a pending transaction and a lower available balance or credit |
| The clean is finished | Shortly after the service concludes, we automatically charge the card on file for the final amount due | The charge itself; the hold is captured toward it or released |
| You cancel or reschedule | The hold is released or adjusted under the cancellation policy | Your bank decides how quickly a released hold disappears |
For a saved card, the booking page repeats the same order in a short line under your total: "Saved now · held before your clean · charged after it."
A hold is not a charge
Our Terms say it directly: "An authorization hold is not a charge." The same paragraph adds that, depending on your bank, the hold "may appear as a pending transaction and temporarily reduce your available balance or credit," and that your payment is only completed after your cleaning is finished.
That second part is the one that catches people. A hold takes room on the card without moving money, so a card with little room left may not be able to carry a large one. A payments company explains the general idea the same way: in Stripe's public documentation, "authorizing a payment guarantees the amount by holding it on the customer's payment method," and the funds are captured later. The same page warns that card statements from some issuers "don't always distinguish between authorizations and captured (settled) payments, which can sometimes confuse customers." (Stripe, place a hold on a payment method, read October 17, 2026.) That page is about payments in general, not about our timing or any bank's, so use it for the idea and our Terms for the dates.
Is the amount held the amount charged?
Two of our pages speak to this, and they emphasize different things, so here are both. The help center says you will see the full, all-in total before you confirm, and that this is the amount held and the amount that hits your card after your clean. The Terms say the hold is "based on the estimated service cost," and that the final amount due "may be adjusted for actual time/scope if different from the estimate."
Read together: the total at checkout is what is held, and the final amount due can differ if the actual time or scope differs from the estimate. Neither page gives a formula for an adjustment, and we are not going to invent one here. If your home is different from what you entered, say so before the visit. The help center's own advice for anything unusual is to message the team, because a person can look at your specific booking.
If the hold does not go through
Our Terms address a failed hold in two places. In the payments section: "If the hold can't be placed on your card, we'll let you know and ask you to update it; your visit stays booked while you do." In the same section's list of advance-booking rules: "If the authorization cannot be placed (for example, a declined or expired card), we will contact you before your appointment so you can update your payment method. We may be unable to dispatch a cleaner until a valid payment method is confirmed."
We quote both rather than pick one, because both are in the Terms. Read together: a declined hold does not cancel your booking, and we may hold off sending a cleaner until a valid card is confirmed. When we reach out, answer quickly.
If the charge after the clean fails
Section 6.1 of the Terms covers this: "If your payment method on file is declined, we'll notify you promptly to provide an alternative method to settle the amount due." The same section also describes late fees on overdue balances and our right to pause or cancel future scheduled cleanings until a balance is paid, so a decline after the clean is worth answering the day you hear about it.
Cancel or reschedule: what happens to the hold
Our FAQ says to message or call us to move or cancel a visit. Rescheduling or cancelling is free with more than 48 hours' notice. Inside 48 hours, cancellation fees apply. Notice decides the cost for both. With more than 48 hours' notice, the Terms say "No cancellation fee is charged, and any authorization hold is released." Shorter notice has fees, and the exact tiers are in Section 2.4, so check them before you cancel. Once a hold is released, your bank determines how quickly it disappears from your account; we do not publish a number of days for that.
For the prices behind a visit, see our line-by-line price breakdown, and for who carries cancellation and payment risk when you hire, see independent cleaner versus cleaning company.
Same-day bookings work differently
If you book for today, there is no waiting period. The Terms say: "The full price is held on your card as soon as you book and charged when the clean is complete." Cancelling is also different: "Once a cleaner is assigned, cancelling costs 100% of the price." And if the problem is on our side: "If we can't provide your service, we release the hold on your card and you aren't charged. Your bank may take a few business days to clear it from your statement."
Before you book: a short check
- Make sure the card has room for the full total. The hold can temporarily reduce your available balance or credit.
- Check the expiry date against your visit date. Our Terms name an expired card as one reason a hold cannot be placed.
- Use a card you want charged. The charge after the clean goes to the payment method on file.
- Read the total on the payment step before you confirm. The line under it tells you when the hold and the charge happen.
- If a charge looks wrong, write to us first. Section 6.2 asks you to contact customer service, ideally at billing@hometress.com or (215) 607-7361, within 5 business days of the charge date, and to do that before you start a chargeback with your bank.
Questions people ask
Does Hometress charge my card when I book?
Not for an advance booking: "Nothing is charged when you book." Your card is saved, a temporary hold is placed a few days before the visit, and the charge comes after the clean. A same-day booking is different: the full price is held as soon as you book.
Why is there a pending charge on my statement?
It is most likely the hold. The Terms say a hold is not a charge, and that depending on your bank it may appear as a pending transaction. If you see a pending line you do not expect, check the hold date your booking shows, and write to us if it does not match.
How long until a released hold disappears?
Your bank decides: the Terms say "Your bank determines how quickly a released hold disappears from your account." For a same-day booking we cannot provide, they add that your bank "may take a few business days to clear it from your statement." We do not publish a number of days for the advance-booking case.
Does a declined card cancel my cleaning?
The Terms say your visit stays booked while you update the card, and also that we may be unable to dispatch a cleaner until a valid payment method is confirmed. Fix the card as soon as we contact you.
Ready to see it for your own home? Start a booking: the ZIP check tells you whether we clean your Philadelphia address today, and you see your full total before you confirm. Questions about a specific booking go to the team through the help center or the FAQ.