Glossary · Payments
Just-In-Time (JIT) Funding
Just-In-Time funding is a card-network flow where the issuer is asked, in real time during authorization, to fund a transaction — letting a router decide which underlying card pays before the charge clears.
When you swipe a Pikt card, the network sends a Just-In-Time funding request to Pikt's server before the authorization is approved. That request includes the merchant, amount, and merchant category code (MCC).
Pikt uses the few hundred milliseconds inside that window to evaluate your linked cards, pick the one that earns the most on this exact purchase, and respond with the funding decision. The chosen card is charged; you tap once.
JIT funding is what makes real-time reward routing possible: the routing decision happens during authorization, not as an after-the-fact reconciliation.
Related terms
- Reward Routing — Reward routing is the practice of automatically selecting, at the moment of purchase, the credit card in your wallet that earns the most value on that specific merchant and category.
- Merchant Category Code (MCC) — A Merchant Category Code is a four-digit number assigned by card networks that classifies what a merchant sells — e.g. 5812 for restaurants or 5411 for grocery stores.
- Authorization — Authorization is the real-time approval step when a card is swiped, where the network confirms funds and the issuer approves or declines before the transaction later settles.