You finally decide to purchase that game you’ve been dying to play on Steam, but when you go for it, Steam throws an error that says, ‘Your Transaction Cannot Be Completed’ Because You Have Another Pending Transaction In Your Account’.
Frustrating, right?
Why does Steam says I have a pending transaction?
I faced this exact same issue day before yesterday when I was about to purchase God Of War, so I went on a method hunt to find some of the most reliable ways to fix the Steam pending transaction error.
Don’t worry, as all the steps are straightforward to follow, so stop what you were doing and spare me just five minutes of your time. While you are at it, don’t skip any steps, as that will leave you with more doubts.
How Long Does A Pending Steam Transaction Take?
A pending steam transaction takes around five to ten days to complete. After that period, the transaction can change its status to either successful or failed. If it’s failed, Steam will return the money to your bank account in a couple of days.
You won’t need to do anything extra if the status is successful. The transaction will automatically remove itself from the pending transactions list.
An important point to note here is that Steam transactions are generally supposed to complete within a few seconds most of the time. If the transaction wasn’t successful immediately, it’s probably an issue with your bank.
Most people worry a lot about their money when something like this happens, but I am here to tell you that there is absolutely nothing to worry about.
If the money was already deducted from your bank account and the transaction is failed, Steam will refund the money, and it just might take some time.
Follow our guide on how to Stream Origin Games Over Steam.
How To Fix Steam Pending Transaction?
You must have gotten a basic idea about why this error is popping up from what I mentioned earlier. You should note that you won’t be able to make new purchases on Steam until your pending transaction list is empty.
Before you start reading the fixes, I need you to ensure that your internet connection is stable. While the internet connection itself is rarely the cause for an error like this, you need reliable internet for dealing with any sort of online payment.
Here are the steps to fix Steam pending transaction:
1. Disconnect From VPN Connections
While VPNs or Virtual Private Networks are an excellent tool for gamers to unlock restricted content, they are sometimes the source of the error.
Steam is not the only platform to enforce specific policies that restrict the use of VPNs for enhanced security. If Steam detects that the address from your payment profile and IP address are not the same, it can cause transaction errors.
Try disabling any VPN or proxies that modify your location and try making the purchase again. 
Here’s a complete guide on how to fix Steam not enough disk space.
2. Verify Steam Server Status
Since Steam is used by millions of people worldwide at the same time, it shouldn’t be surprising to consider that their servers might have a little trouble handling it at times.
Despite that, it is rare for Steam servers to go down, and even if that does happen, the servers are brought back online very quickly. If you made your purchase while Steam’s servers were down, transactions would typically fail.
So, how do you know the status of Steam servers? You can check that by typing ‘Official Steam Status’ in Google search and going to the first link.
3. Manually Cancel Pending Transactions
If the previous methods were not successful, then there is likely a previous transaction that you haven’t completed yet. It doesn’t matter whether the transaction is a day old or a year old. You need to cancel it to make room for new purchases.
You can choose to wait for a few days for the pending transactions to be successful if it’s important to you. Otherwise, the best thing to do is to cancel the transactions manually.
Here are the steps to manually cancel pending transactions:
- Launch the Steam app and sign in to your account.
- Look for your account name in the top right corner and click on it. Select Account Details from the drop-down menu.
- Under the Store & Purchase History section, click on View Purchase History in the top right corner.
- You should see a list of all the pending purchases associated with your account. Click on the pending purchase and select Cancel my purchase on the pop-up.
- You may have to repeat the previous step multiple times, depending on the number of pending transactions. The point is there should be zero transactions on this page.
After this list is cleared, you can purchase the game again after relaunching the Steam app.
Check out the easiest way to fix Steam disk write error.
4. Purchase From Steam Website
All applications are prone to bugs, and Steam is no exception. It’s possible that you could be getting this error because of the client and not the servers.
In that case, you can try to purchase the game using the Steam website, which won’t have any unexpected bugs. If the payment goes smoothly, you will be able to find the game purchased on the Steam client as well.
If you manage two different Steam accounts, make sure the Steam account you use to make the purchase on your web browser is the same as the Steam client.
5. Try A Different Payment Method
If you’ve come this far with no success, the problem is probably not with Steam but with your payment method. If you were buying the game using PayPal, there might be an issue with your PayPal account.
Likewise, if you were purchasing it with a credit card, your bank might be having some unexpected issues, so try another form of payment instead. You could also try contacting your bank to resolve the issue.
If you facing any error in the steam library, then you can check this post Steam Shared Library Locked Error.
FAQ
Question: Does a pending transaction mean the money has already been taken out?
Answer: No, a pending transaction doesn’t mean that money has already been taken out. It means that the transaction is being prepared but hasn’t been processed yet. If the money is taken out, you will typically get a refund if the transaction fails.
Question: Why is my Steam purchase taking so long?
Answer: Your Steam purchase is taking so long because your internet connection is unstable. If that’s not it, Steam servers might be down, or there might be an issue with your selected payment method.
Question: Can you refund Steam funds?
Answer: Yes, you can get a refund from Steam from almost all the available games. You will have to wait at least a week for the approval, though. The refund can be received in Steam Wallet funds or through the payment method, as you prefer.
Question: Can I sell my Steam games?
Answer: No, you can’t sell your Steam games. As of right now, the only people who are allowed to sell games on Steam are the original game developer, and you won’t be able to sell the game to anyone using a third-party method as well.
Final Thoughts
That brings us to the end of this guide. You are free to go back to what you were doing earlier now that your Steam pending transaction error has been successfully fixed.
If for some reason, you still face the same issue, you will have to contact Steam support directly as it might be an issue with your account itself. I genuinely hope you find this article useful. You know where to find us if you face more issues like this.
