No, locking your Chime card will not stop a transaction that is already showing as pending. Pending charges have already been authorized, and the lock only blocks new authorization attempts going forward.
How chime card pending transactions differ from new charges
A pending charge is not a "maybe" charge, it is a charge that the merchant has already submitted to Chime for authorization, and Chime has approved it. When you swipe, dip, or enter your card details online, the merchant sends a request to the bank. Chime checks your available balance, holds the funds, and sends back an approval code. That approval code is what creates the pending entry in your activity list. The charge is then waiting for the merchant to send the final settlement file (usually within one to three business days) so the hold becomes a permanent debit. Because the authorization has already been granted by Chime, locking the card cannot retroactively cancel it. The lock does not reach into the settlement pipeline and delete an approved authorization. The only way a pending charge can fail to settle is if the merchant never submits the final settlement, or if the merchant voluntarily voids the authorization, the card lock plays no role in that process.
What locking actually blocks
When you enable the lock feature in the Chime app, by tapping the lock feature or navigating to Settings > Account Settings and turning off 'Allow transactions', you are telling Chime to decline any fresh authorization requests that arrive after the lock is enabled. This means that if someone tries to use your card number for a new purchase, a subscription sign-up, or an ATM withdrawal, the request will be denied immediately, and the activity will not appear as pending. The lock does not, however, interrupt the settlement of prior authorizations. Those earlier approvals remain valid and will still post to your account. For example, if you locked your card at 10:00 AM, but a gas station had already authorized a $50 hold at 9:55 AM, that $50 will still settle. The lock only stops purchases that the merchant attempts to authorize after 10:00 AM. This is also why you can still see a pending charge that was authorized before the lock, even if the lock has been active for hours. To fully understand the lock feature, you can read the hub for this topic: How To Lock Chime Card, which details the exact menu path and timing.
What to do about that suspicious pending charge
If you see a pending charge you do not recognize, do not rely on the lock to fix it. Instead, wait for the charge to post, pending charges cannot be disputed because the merchant has not yet finalized the payment. Once the charge moves from "pending" to "posted" (usually within 1-3 business days), open the Chime app, tap on that specific entry, and select "Dispute this transaction." You will be prompted to provide details about why the charge is unauthorized. Chime will then investigate and issue a provisional credit within 10 business days if the dispute is valid. While you wait, you should also consider changing your card credentials. For example, if you suspect your PIN was compromised, you can use the security settings in the app to change your Chime card PIN. If you need to add funds to cover legitimate charges while the dispute is pending, you can visit Chime card loading locations, such as Walgreens, CVS, or 7‑Eleven, to deposit cash. And if you need to withdraw cash from an ATM after locking the card, remember that the lock blocks all ATM authorizations, so you must turn off the lock first. For a list of fee‑free ATMs, consult the Chime card cash withdrawal locations in the app’s ATM finder. The bottom line: lock the card to prevent new fraud, but dispute the pending charge once it posts.
If you see a suspicious charge in your pending activity list, the card lock has no effect on it, that charge is already queued to settle and hit your balance.
