Why was my card charged before the start of the task?

At Airtasker, we utilise a secure escrow system called Airtasker Pay, powered by Stripe, our trusted payment provider. Our payment system is designed to ensure fairness, peace of mind, and secure transactions for all users.

Here's how it works:

1. When you assign a Tasker, the payment is immediately deducted from your card. The funds are securely held in an escrow account with Stripe while the task is in progress.
2. Once the Tasker completes the task, they will request payment, and you will receive a notification confirming their completion.
3. If you are satisfied with the task outcome, you can release the payment, which will then be transferred to the Tasker's nominated account within 3-5 business days.
   Note: If you are dissatisfied with the task completion, communicate with the Tasker through the Airtasker private messaging your feedback and discuss options to resolve the issue. In case you and the Tasker are unable to agree on an outcome, we have a free dispute resolution service. During a dispute, the payment remains in escrow until it is finalised. 

This process also benefits Taskers, as they can be confident that the payment is securely held until they complete the task.

In the event of a task cancellation, the funds held in escrow may be refunded to your card or converted into Airtasker credit for future tasks. For more details on refunds, please refer here.