# Rolling reserve

https://www.uniwebpay.com/glossary/rolling-reserve/

*Last updated: 2026-08-03*

A portion of a merchant's settlement held back for a defined period and released on a rolling basis, used where a provider is exposed to future disputes — typically businesses that take payment well before delivery. It is a risk instrument rather than a fee: the money is the merchant's and is released, but it is not available when they expected it, which makes it a cash-flow question.

## Why it matters to a merchant

If a provider raises this during a conversation, it is telling you how it reads your risk — usually because you take money well before you deliver. That is worth discussing openly rather than treating as an insult: the terms, the period and what releases it are all specific, and a business that understands them can plan around them. A business that discovers them from a settlement report cannot.

## Related terms

*What it costs, and what gets measured*

- [MDR (merchant discount rate)](https://www.uniwebpay.com/glossary/mdr/)
- [Interchange](https://www.uniwebpay.com/glossary/interchange/)
- [GMV (gross merchandise value)](https://www.uniwebpay.com/glossary/gmv/)
- [Merchant account](https://www.uniwebpay.com/glossary/merchant-account/)
- [Effective rate](https://www.uniwebpay.com/glossary/effective-rate/)
- [Per-transaction fee](https://www.uniwebpay.com/glossary/per-transaction-fee/)
- [Blended rate](https://www.uniwebpay.com/glossary/blended-rate/)
- [Interchange-plus](https://www.uniwebpay.com/glossary/interchange-plus/)
- [Cross-border interchange](https://www.uniwebpay.com/glossary/cross-border-interchange/)
- [Net settlement](https://www.uniwebpay.com/glossary/net-settlement/)
- [Surcharge](https://www.uniwebpay.com/glossary/surcharge/)

- [All 74 terms](https://www.uniwebpay.com/glossary/)

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