Payment Processor Guide.

What is the PMUSA charge on my credit card?

Facts checked

Short answer

PMUSA is ParkMobile, the app used to pay for street parking, garages and event parking across the US. The letters stand for ParkMobile USA. Charges are parking sessions, Wallet reloads or a membership fee, and a $0.00 "PMUSA TOLLING" line is usually a card check or hold, not a toll. It isn't Philip Morris USA.

How it shows up on your statement

  • PMUSA TOLLING
  • PMUSA
  • PMUSA PM PRO
  • PMUSA 953047 HOUSTON

Banks trim and reformat these, so yours may be shorter or carry a different city or number. Why charge names look strange.

Who is PMUSA?

PMUSA is ParkMobile, and the letters stand for ParkMobile USA; the app's developer listing reads Parkmobile USA, Inc. ParkMobile is an Atlanta-based parking payment app. You enter the zone number from the sign by the meter, pick a time and pay on your phone instead of at the meter. It also sells garage and event parking reservations.

ParkMobile doesn't publish the name it uses on statements, but cardholders have confirmed it again and again. One Reddit user who asked what PMUSA TOLLING was came back with the answer: "ParkMobile - it's a paid meter service via an app." Another wrote, "I used an app to park and the charge showed up as PMUSA."

A few websites say PMUSA is Philip Morris USA, the cigarette company. That's very unlikely. Its parent, Altria, says its tobacco companies sell mainly to wholesalers and large retailers, not to people paying by card.

Why is PMUSA on my card statement?

Someone paid for parking through ParkMobile with your card. ParkMobile's help center explains why the amounts often look strange.

  • A $0.00 or small pending hold. ParkMobile may pre-authorize up to $15 on a debit card and releases unused funds after 72 hours. TOLLING has nothing to do with toll roads.
  • Batched sessions. ParkMobile can combine sessions over up to 72 hours, to a maximum of $15, into one charge, so the total won't match any single parking session.
  • Transaction fees. ParkMobile adds its own fee on top of the parking rate, and the fee varies by location.
  • A Wallet reload. When your ParkMobile Wallet hits $0, it reloads the amount you picked: $25, $50 or $75.
  • A membership. ParkMobile Go costs $5.99 a month after a 30-day free trial and is billed on the 1st. ParkMobile's FAQ also mentions a Pro membership at $0.99 a month, which is the likeliest source of PMUSA PM PRO.
  • Someone else parking on your card. One account can hold up to 5 license plates and 5 phone numbers, so a partner or teenager may be parking on it.

How to get a refund from ParkMobile or cancel a membership

Parking you've already used is hard to get back. ParkMobile says it can't cancel zone parking sessions or refund their fees, because the money goes straight to the parking operator. For a technical problem, open a support ticket or ask the operator directly.

  1. Check your parking history first, in the app under Activity, then History.
  2. For questions about a charge, submit a request at support.parkmobile.io with your mobile number, or email helpdesk@parkmobileglobal.com. The help center also has live chat.
  3. To cancel a Pro membership or ask about a refund, call ParkMobile at 877-727-5457. ParkMobile Go can be cancelled at any time; the details are in the app's Subscription tab.
  4. To cancel a reservation, use the Cancel Reservation button in the app or on the website. Most lots allow it up to 3 hours before.
  5. To stop future charges, remove the card in the app under Settings, then Payment Methods. Closing your Wallet returns any unused balance to the card on file.

What if you never used ParkMobile?

Start with the small stuff. Most PMUSA lines are holds or someone else's parking.

  • If it's a $0.00 or small pending charge, give it 72 hours. That's ParkMobile checking or holding the card.
  • Ask everyone who drives your cars. Look for other phones or plates on your ParkMobile account, or a family member who added your card to their own account.
  • Did you scan a QR code on a parking meter recently? ParkMobile warns that scammers stick fake QR codes on meters that lead to fake payment pages, and says its real web app address always starts with app.parkmobile.io. Card details typed into a fake page can be used anywhere.
  • Charges from a city you've never been to mean someone else is parking on your card number.

If it isn't yours, email helpdesk@parkmobileglobal.com or call 877-727-5457, then lock or replace the card and dispute the charges. ParkMobile's 2021 data breach exposed email addresses, phone numbers and license plates but not card numbers, according to Have I Been Pwned, so it's an unlikely source of card fraud.

Still don’t recognize it? Dispute it with your bank

  1. Open the transaction in your banking app. The detail view often shows a longer merchant name, a phone number or a city that the statement line cuts off.
  2. Ask the merchant for a refund first. It is usually faster than a dispute, and your card issuer may ask whether you tried.
  3. If the merchant says no, or you think your card number was stolen, call the number on the back of your card. Ask them to dispute the charge and, if it is fraud, to cancel the card and send a new one.
  4. For a credit card, follow up in writing. The FTC says your letter should reach the issuer within 60 days after the first bill with the error was sent to you, at the billing inquiries address rather than the payments address.

Federal law caps what you owe for unauthorized credit card charges at $50. Debit cards work differently: if only your card number was used, you owe nothing as long as you report it within 60 days after the statement is sent, but the money is gone from your account while the bank looks into it. See the FTC's guide to lost or stolen cards. A successful dispute becomes a chargeback against the merchant.

Questions people ask

What is PMUSA on my bank statement?
ParkMobile, the parking payment app. PMUSA stands for ParkMobile USA, and the charge is a parking session, a Wallet reload or a membership fee.
What does PMUSA TOLLING mean?
It's a ParkMobile card check or pre-authorization, often for $0.00. It has nothing to do with toll roads, and ParkMobile releases unused holds after 72 hours.
What is the PMUSA PM PRO charge?
Most likely ParkMobile Pro, a membership ParkMobile's FAQ lists at $0.99 a month. Call 877-727-5457 to cancel it.
Is PMUSA Philip Morris USA?
Almost certainly not. Philip Morris USA sells cigarettes through wholesalers and retailers, and cardholders have repeatedly traced PMUSA charges to ParkMobile.
Can I get a refund from ParkMobile?
Usually not for parking you used, since the money goes to the parking operator. For a technical problem, open a ticket at support.parkmobile.io or call 877-727-5457.

Related on this site

What a pending hold is

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Sources

Read on . Policies and phone numbers change, so confirm on the company’s own site before you act.

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