## TL;DR

Ramp flags the transaction because the card network sent a sparse merchant descriptor (common with aggregators, marketplaces, and foreign processors) and no receipt is attached. Upload the receipt or invoice and add a memo naming the vendor; Ramp matches the amount and date and clears the unverified state. The fix is documentation, not a card setting.

## Error

```text
Ramp: couldn't verify this transaction  -  merchant details unavailable
```

## Steps

1. Open the transaction in Ramp and check the raw descriptor shown. Expected: a cryptic string, a processor name, or a blank merchant field confirms the sparse-data diagnosis.
2. Find the actual vendor from your email receipts or invoice for the same date and amount. Expected: you can name the real merchant behind the cryptic descriptor.
3. Upload the receipt or invoice to the transaction and add a memo with the vendor name. Expected: the attachment saves and the memo displays on the transaction.
4. If the charge belongs to a known subscription or vendor, assign it to that vendor profile. Expected: Ramp links the transaction to the vendor and future charges from the same descriptor auto-match.
5. Submit or approve the transaction if your workflow requires it. Expected: the transaction leaves the unverified state and flows into accounting.

## When to use

- Ramp marks a transaction "couldn't verify" or "merchant details unavailable".
- A charge from a marketplace, aggregator, or foreign processor shows no recognizable vendor.
- Month-end reconciliation is blocked by unverified card transactions.

## When not to use

- The transaction was declined (that is an authorization failure, not a verification failure).
- The category is blocked by policy (a policy error, not a data error).
- The charge is fraudulent and should be disputed, not documented.

## Tool compatibility

Ramp web and mobile apps (current 2026 releases). Applies to physical and virtual card transactions.

### Variant phrasings

### "merchant unavailable" on a ramp transaction

The card network descriptor carried no merchant name. Attach the vendor invoice and name the vendor in the memo.

### ramp transaction stuck "pending verification"

Same sparse-descriptor root cause, seen before the receipt is attached. Uploading the receipt usually clears it within minutes.

### foreign processor charge with no vendor name

International processors strip merchant names. The invoice or email confirmation is the authoritative vendor record here.

## Why it happens

Card networks pass a short merchant descriptor with each authorization, and aggregators, marketplaces, and some foreign processors send generic or empty descriptors. Ramp cannot build a vendor profile from an empty string, so it marks the transaction unverified to protect the books. Attaching the receipt gives Ramp the merchant, date, and amount it needs to reconcile; vendor profiles make repeat charges match automatically.

## Provenance

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pst_fFQVP-FG0r-ymhJt_D_1sA