[key_takeaways title="Key Takeaways"]
- Coinbase can hold newly deposited funds for 7 to 10 days to prevent fraud.
- Margin maintenance requirements and excess open orders can cause Coinbase to hold funds.
- You might be able to avoid the holding period by keeping some funds in your Coinbase account or by tracking your trades/open positions.
- If you find Coinbase unsuitable, swissmoney is a zero-hold platform for buying, selling, trading, and spending crypto.
[/key_takeaways]
Why is Coinbase holding my funds? Unfortunately, this question can be challenging to answer due to the number of possible contributing factors.
However, we explain why Coinbase is holding your money, discuss ways to prevent holds, and highlight an innovative zero-holding period alternative. Let’s get started.
What are the reasons Coinbase holds funds?
Users of the exchange commonly ask why is Coinbase holding my funds. Many factors can contribute to your funds being placed on hold for an extended period, making diagnosing the issue troublesome.
However, based on our research, we determined four of the most common reasons Coinbase holds funds:
Fund clearing
The most common reason Coinbase holds funds is due to the company’s clearing period for deposited funds.
When you deposit local currency or another fiat to an empty Coinbase account to buy crypto, you’ll have to wait up to ten days for the payment to clear.
Before the funds on hold have cleared, you cannot withdraw.
Delays due to funds clearing typically result from ACH payments. However, SEPA deposits can take 1-3 days, while Faster Payments usually process within one day.
If you locate your transaction on Coinbase, it should display the date the funds are expected to clear.
Open orders
If you’re still wondering why is Coinbase holding my funds, another reason can be that you have open limit orders.
If you have pending transactions waiting to be triggered, Coinbase will hold your fiat or digital currency to ensure you have enough funds to cover your orders.
To free up funds, you can close an open order and the money should become available again.
Margin requirements
If you have open-margin trades and your available balance isn’t enough to cover your maintenance requirements, other funds in your Coinbase account will be held.
As such, before you trade, it helps to consider your margin requirements. Otherwise, you won’t be able to immediately cash out on Coinbase.
Account history
Even if you have an existing Coinbase account, you could face holds. The exchange considers factors like your account history, payment activity, and purchase method to determine whether a transaction is suspicious.
If the company determines that a transaction is usual for your account, it could place your funds on hold. To deal with this hold, you’ll have to speak with Coinbase support or provide additional documentation.
How long will the funds be on hold in my Coinbase account?
The time that Coinbase will hold your funds can vary significantly based on the reason and your activity on the platform. If Coinbase locks your funds due to margin maintenance or open orders, you can immediately resolve the issue.
However, if your funds are on hold due to Coinbase’s waiting period for newly deposited fiat, you can expect to wait around ten business days.
How to avoid the Coinbase holding Period?
Unfortunately, it’s impossible to entirely eliminate the Coinbase holding period.
If you create a Coinbase account to use as a fiat-to-crypto exchange, you’ll have to wait approximately ten days for the funds to clear.
However, there are a few steps you can take to reduce the chance of Coinbase holding your funds:
- Keep balance above zero: Some Coinbase users have reported that their funds remain pending for up to ten days if they deposit fiat while having entirely no balance. However, if they deposited while having even $0.01 on the platform, there would be no waiting period. Therefore, keeping a small balance on Coinbase could help you avoid the waiting period.
- Keep track of margin: If you’re actively trading on Coinbase, it’s crucial that you keep track of your margin requirements. Coinbase will hold funds if you need them to cover your margin maintenance. If you ensure you always have funds stored on Coinbase to cover all margin-related activities, then you should be able to withdraw crypto without issue.
Eliminate holding periods and cash out instantly with swissmoney
Why is Coinbase holding my funds? If you frequently ask this question, you might prefer another platform for buying and selling crypto.
swissmoney is an all-in-one financial services platform catering equally to the crypto and fiat worlds.
Unlike crypto exchanges like Coinbase, which can hold your funds for weeks, swissmoney lets users deposit, withdraw, and immediately cash out to a linked bank account with zero holding period.
As such, the platform is ideal for people requiring immediate access to their funds.
On top of swissmoney offering no holding period for all types of transactions and an automatic onboarding process that can be completed in minutes, the platform offers several other helpful features:
- Dedicated IBAN accounts: swissmoney users benefit from dedicated IBAN accounts for EUR, GBP, USD, and CHF that can be used to send and receive international payments or set up direct debits for paying bills like rent.
- Crypto debit card: swissmoney provides users with a virtual or physical crypto debit card that can be funded with cryptocurrency or fiat stored on swissmoney. The card can be used for everyday transactions anywhere that Visa or Mastercard is supported
- Crypto trading tools: On top of all its other features, swissmoney provides all users with a crypto wallet to store their assets. Moreover, users can buy, sell, or trade cryptocurrency directly on the swissmoney platform, making it much more versatile than other crypto exchanges we’ve looked at.
FAQs
Can Coinbase keep my money?
While Coinbase can hold your money for an extended period for security reasons, the company cannot legally keep the money you’ve legitimately deposited to the platform.
If you cannot access your money after waiting ten days, contact Coinbase support.
Why can’t I take my money out of Coinbase?
Coinbase can hold funds and limit cashout availability based on your transaction history, when you deposited, your maintenance requirements, and your open positions.
If you don’t have any open positions, you are likely experiencing a temporary hold due to depositing fiat.
Are there any factors that can extend the hold period?
Issues with your bank account or suspicious account activity can cause Coinbase to hold funds longer than usual.
If your activities trigger a manual review of your account, you’ll likely have to wait an extended period.
How do I speed up Coinbase hold?
If the hold results from funds needing to be cleared, you cannot speed up the process.
However, if the hold is due to margin maintenance or funding open positions, you can speed up the hold by depositing more funds or closing some positions.
Can I still use my funds for other activities on Coinbase while they are on hold?
While your funds are on hold on Coinbase, you cannot use them for any activities. Held funds cannot be traded, staked, swapped, sent, or withdrawn. You must wait for the holding period to end before accessing your funds.
Is there anything I can do to expedite the removal of the hold?
If you’re experiencing an unusual hold, you can contact Coinbase support to create a ticket and provide all the necessary details regarding the funds.
While there is no guarantee, being proactive and communicating your issue with support can help resolve the issue more quickly.
How can I stay informed about the status of my hold and when my funds will be available?
If your hold is due to deposited funds needing to clear, you can view the expected date by finding the transaction on your Coinbase account or checking your deposit confirmation email.
How can I avoid the Coinbase holding period if I don’t want to pay high debit card fees?
If you want to avoid the Coinbase holding period, you can try keeping a few cents in your account to prevent funds from being held.
Alternatively, you could use a platform like swissmoney, which boasts zero holding period.
Are there any other ways to get on-chain faster besides using Juno?
While Juno is one option for quickly swapping between cash and crypto, there are alternatives.
swissmoney also boasts no holding period, allowing users to deposit funds, buy crypto, and withdraw it on-chain very quickly.
Read more:
- How to Unfreeze Cryptocurrency
- How to Cash Out on Coinbase
- How Long Does It Take to Send and Receive Bitcoin
