Authorization isn't funding.
An approval response does not mean funds have reached your bank. Clearing, settlement, funding and posting are distinct concepts.
See deposit reconciliation →Interactive Money Trail · Independent education
Follow the money, not the sales pitch.
Trace a fictional payment from customer checkout to a merchant's bank. Change example adjustments and see how net funding differs from gross sales—without entering a single piece of merchant information.
All figures are invented. This is a teaching model, not a processing quote, an account record, a funding forecast, or a statement about what any merchant should pay.
Interactive explorer
Browser-only · no uploadsPick a fictional scenario.
Different merchant environments create different operational questions. The numbers here are made up, not an industry benchmark.
Click any stage
Follow the six stages.
STAGE 01 / 06
Customer initiates payment
A customer attempts to pay for goods or services. The merchant's payment system sends the information needed to request authorization.
QUESTION TO ASK
Which systems capture payment data, and who controls the checkout experience?
Explore the fictional adjustments
What changes the amount sent to the bank?
In this invented batch example, $10,000 of transactions are represented as a single gross amount for teaching purposes. The timing and accounting treatment of each item may differ in real life.
The distinction that matters
A deposit is not necessarily the same as sales.
Refunds, dispute activity, holds and billing methods can all affect what appears in merchant funding reports. The timing may span different dates or accounts.
Money movement is not one number
What this explorer can—and cannot—show.
Net amount is conditional.
Refunds and holds differ from processing expense, while fees can be deducted or billed separately. Real reports are necessary to reconcile dates and accounts.
Understand fee ratios →No quote or savings claim.
No processor is recommended. The example says nothing about industry-average fees, your own compliance status or whether switching is justified.
Review the decision →Evidence & transparency
Where the payment stages come from
The conceptual flow follows published explanations of authorization, clearing and settlement. The fictional calculations are original examples, not extracted statements or current fee schedules.
Sources reviewed for this release: October 27, 2026. This content is educational, not a complete network-rule or legal interpretation.
Privacy boundary: There is no server submission, statement upload, account login, saved answer, analytics tracking, or processor introduction in this tool. The only copy or print operation occurs when you choose it. Never enter real cardholder, merchant, account or bank data into a public education tool.