> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://rain-sandbox-trial.mintlify.site/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Transaction Lifecycle

> How a card transaction moves from authorization to settlement, and how every product's money movement lands on one ledger as a transaction.

Every Rain product records its money movement as a transaction. A card
purchase, a collateral deposit, a balance payment, and a cross-border payout
all land on the same ledger and surface through the same transactions API and
webhooks, so you track them all the same way.

## Card spend: authorization, then settlement

A card transaction moves through two phases. First it is authorized, which
places a hold on funds, and then it settles, which moves the funds. Both
phases behave differently for Rain-Managed and Partner-Managed programs.

<Frame caption="How a transaction moves from authorization to settlement at Rain.">
  <iframe className="w-full aspect-video rounded-xl" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/1199798233?h=71caef7c82&title=0&byline=0&portrait=0" title="How a transaction moves from authorization to settlement" frameBorder="0" allow="autoplay; fullscreen; picture-in-picture; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; web-share" referrerPolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowFullScreen />
</Frame>

See [Authorization](/docs/authorization) and [Settlement](/docs/settlement)
for each phase in full, including how your management model changes who makes
the decision.

## One ledger, several transaction types

Card spend is one of several transaction types the platform records.
[Get all transactions](/reference/transactions/get-all-transactions) returns
every type, distinguished by its `type` field:

| Type           | What it records                                               |
| :------------- | :------------------------------------------------------------ |
| `spend`        | A card transaction, from authorization through settlement.    |
| `collateral`   | A deposit into a collateral contract.                         |
| `payment`      | A payment that pays down an outstanding balance.              |
| `fee`          | A fee charged to a user, a company, or your program.          |
| `transfer`     | Money movement through a payment route or a quoted transfer.  |
| `verification` | A \$0 account-verification check on a card. It never settles. |
| `adjustment`   | A manual correction, such as a dispute credit.                |

Because every type lands on the same double-entry ledger, a customer's card
spend and their deposits reconcile against one source. See
[Ledgering System](/docs/ledgering-system) for how the ledger is structured.

## Track transactions with webhooks

Rain notifies you as a transaction moves through its lifecycle, so you don't
poll. Card spend emits `transaction.*` events from request through
completion, and money movement emits `transactionTransfer.*` events. See
[Transaction Webhooks](/docs/transaction) for every event and payload.

## What's next

<Columns cols={2}>
  <Card title="Authorization" icon="bolt" href="/docs/authorization">
    How Rain decides a card authorization in each management model.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Settlement" icon="scale-balanced" href="/docs/settlement">
    How settled funds move, seven days a week.
  </Card>

  <Card title="How Money Movement Works" icon="money-bill-transfer" href="/docs/how-money-movement-works">
    Payment routes and quoted transfers, the sources of `transfer` transactions.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Ledgering System" icon="book" href="/docs/ledgering-system">
    Accounts, books, and double-entry ledgering at Rain.
  </Card>
</Columns>