diff --git a/apps/edr-passenger-web/portal/src/app/booking/confirmation/page.tsx b/apps/edr-passenger-web/portal/src/app/booking/confirmation/page.tsx
index 37c110329..d9253a93e 100644
--- a/apps/edr-passenger-web/portal/src/app/booking/confirmation/page.tsx
+++ b/apps/edr-passenger-web/portal/src/app/booking/confirmation/page.tsx
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ import { useBookingStore } from "@/lib/booking-store";
 import { usePaymentStore } from "@/lib/payment-store";
 import { useQuery } from "@tanstack/react-query";
 import { apiClient } from "@/lib/api-client";
-import { useEffect, useState } from "react";
+import { useEffect, useRef, useState } from "react";
 import { CheckCircle, Clock, Copy, Train, FileText } from "lucide-react";
 import { format } from "date-fns";
 import { isChild, isFirstChild } from "@/utils/fare-utils";
@@ -60,6 +60,27 @@ export default function ConfirmationPage() {
   const [copied, setCopied] = useState(false);
   const [isGeneratingVoucher, setIsGeneratingVoucher] = useState(false);
 
+  // Grace period after landing on this page: keep showing the generic "processing"
+  // spinner instead of the "payment pending" screen, and poll the payment intent
+  // frequently — booking.status and paymentIntent.status flip to CONFIRMED/SUCCEEDED
+  // together (see finalizePaymentSuccess in payments.service.ts), so a payment that
+  // already succeeded at the provider often just needs a few more seconds for its
+  // webhook to reach us. Once the grace period elapses, fall back to the normal
+  // pending screen with slower background polling.
+  const CONFIRMATION_GRACE_PERIOD_MS = 10_000;
+  const FAST_POLL_INTERVAL_MS = 2_500;
+  const SLOW_POLL_INTERVAL_MS = 10_000;
+  const mountTimeRef = useRef(Date.now());
+  const [withinGracePeriod, setWithinGracePeriod] = useState(true);
+
+  useEffect(() => {
+    const timer = setTimeout(
+      () => setWithinGracePeriod(false),
+      CONFIRMATION_GRACE_PERIOD_MS,
+    );
+    return () => clearTimeout(timer);
+  }, []);
+
   // Warms the code-split voucher module ahead of the click so the handler's own
   // `await import(...)` resolves near-instantly — on iOS Safari, a file save triggered
   // too long after the originating click's synchronous execution window is silently
@@ -92,15 +113,20 @@ export default function ConfirmationPage() {
     enabled: !!bookingId,
   });
 
-  // Poll the payment intent every 10 s while the booking is PENDING_PAYMENT.
-  // The backend auto-confirms (and generates tickets) when the payment-api reports
-  // SUCCEEDED, so detecting that here means the booking is now CONFIRMED — refetch
-  // to update the UI without requiring the user to refresh.
+  // Poll the payment intent while the booking is PENDING_PAYMENT — fast during the
+  // grace period (catches a webhook that's just a few seconds behind), then slower
+  // in the background afterward. The backend auto-confirms (and generates tickets)
+  // when the payment-api reports SUCCEEDED, so detecting that here means the
+  // booking is now CONFIRMED — refetch to update the UI without requiring the user
+  // to refresh.
   const { data: intentStatus } = useQuery<any>({
     queryKey: ["payment-intent-status", bookingId],
     queryFn: () => apiClient.get(`/payments/intents/${bookingId}`),
     enabled: _booking?.status === "PENDING_PAYMENT" && !!bookingId,
-    refetchInterval: 10_000,
+    refetchInterval: () =>
+      Date.now() - mountTimeRef.current < CONFIRMATION_GRACE_PERIOD_MS
+        ? FAST_POLL_INTERVAL_MS
+        : SLOW_POLL_INTERVAL_MS,
   });
 
   useEffect(() => {
@@ -279,8 +305,11 @@ export default function ConfirmationPage() {
   // without this, _booking is briefly undefined on first load, isConfirmed reads
   // as false, and the page flashes "payment pending" before flipping to
   // "confirmed" once the fetch resolves (common, since the payment webhook has
-  // often already completed by the time the user lands here).
-  if (isBookingLoading) {
+  // often already completed by the time the user lands here). Also keep showing
+  // this same spinner through the grace period above if the booking is still
+  // PENDING_PAYMENT — most of the time the webhook lands within that window, so
+  // the user goes straight to "confirmed" without ever seeing "pending" at all.
+  if (isBookingLoading || (withinGracePeriod && _booking?.status === "PENDING_PAYMENT")) {
     return (
       <div className="booking-page">
         <div className="container mx-auto px-4">