diff --git a/toolkit/components/places/src/nsNavBookmarks.cpp b/toolkit/components/places/src/nsNavBookmarks.cpp
index a25c1840ce1a..229c3aabd4db 100644
--- a/toolkit/components/places/src/nsNavBookmarks.cpp
+++ b/toolkit/components/places/src/nsNavBookmarks.cpp
@@ -106,7 +106,7 @@ nsNavBookmarks::nsNavBookmarks() : mItemCount(0)
                                  , mTagRoot(0)
                                  , mToolbarFolder(0)
                                  , mBatchLevel(0)
-                                 , mBatchHasTransaction(PR_FALSE)
+                                 , mBatchDBTransaction(nsnull)
                                  , mCanNotify(false)
                                  , mCacheObservers("bookmark-observers")
                                  , mShuttingDown(false)
@@ -2907,12 +2907,7 @@ nsresult
 nsNavBookmarks::BeginUpdateBatch()
 {
   if (mBatchLevel++ == 0) {
-    mozIStorageConnection* conn = mDBConn;
-    PRBool transactionInProgress = PR_TRUE; // default to no transaction on err
-    conn->GetTransactionInProgress(&transactionInProgress);
-    mBatchHasTransaction = ! transactionInProgress;
-    if (mBatchHasTransaction)
-      conn->BeginTransaction();
+    mBatchDBTransaction = new mozStorageTransaction(mDBConn, PR_FALSE);
 
     NOTIFY_OBSERVERS(mCanNotify, mCacheObservers, mObservers,
                      nsINavBookmarkObserver, OnBeginUpdateBatch());
@@ -2925,9 +2920,13 @@ nsresult
 nsNavBookmarks::EndUpdateBatch()
 {
   if (--mBatchLevel == 0) {
-    if (mBatchHasTransaction)
-      mDBConn->CommitTransaction();
-    mBatchHasTransaction = PR_FALSE;
+    if (mBatchDBTransaction) {
+      nsresult rv = mBatchDBTransaction->Commit();
+      NS_WARN_IF_FALSE(NS_SUCCEEDED(rv), "Batch failed to commit transaction");
+      delete mBatchDBTransaction;
+      mBatchDBTransaction = nsnull;
+    }
+
     NOTIFY_OBSERVERS(mCanNotify, mCacheObservers, mObservers,
                      nsINavBookmarkObserver, OnEndUpdateBatch());
   }
diff --git a/toolkit/components/places/src/nsNavBookmarks.h b/toolkit/components/places/src/nsNavBookmarks.h
index 2879babfa418..f5238751f636 100644
--- a/toolkit/components/places/src/nsNavBookmarks.h
+++ b/toolkit/components/places/src/nsNavBookmarks.h
@@ -234,12 +234,10 @@ private:
   // personal toolbar folder
   PRInt64 mToolbarFolder;
 
-  // the level of nesting of batches, 0 when no batches are open
+  // The level of batches' nesting, 0 when no batches are open.
   PRInt32 mBatchLevel;
-
-  // true if the outermost batch has an associated transaction that should
-  // be committed when our batch level reaches 0 again.
-  PRBool mBatchHasTransaction;
+  // Current active transaction for a batch.
+  mozStorageTransaction* mBatchDBTransaction;
 
   nsresult GetParentAndIndexOfFolder(PRInt64 aFolder,
                                      PRInt64* aParent,
diff --git a/toolkit/components/places/src/nsNavHistory.cpp b/toolkit/components/places/src/nsNavHistory.cpp
index b9e3f95d04f8..f6c98b76acb3 100644
--- a/toolkit/components/places/src/nsNavHistory.cpp
+++ b/toolkit/components/places/src/nsNavHistory.cpp
@@ -385,7 +385,7 @@ PLACES_FACTORY_SINGLETON_IMPLEMENTATION(nsNavHistory, gHistoryService)
 
 nsNavHistory::nsNavHistory()
 : mBatchLevel(0)
-, mBatchHasTransaction(PR_FALSE)
+, mBatchDBTransaction(nsnull)
 , mCachedNow(0)
 , mExpireNowTimer(nsnull)
 , mLastSessionID(0)
@@ -4284,11 +4284,7 @@ nsresult
 nsNavHistory::BeginUpdateBatch()
 {
   if (mBatchLevel++ == 0) {
-    PRBool transactionInProgress = PR_TRUE; // default to no transaction on err
-    mDBConn->GetTransactionInProgress(&transactionInProgress);
-    mBatchHasTransaction = ! transactionInProgress;
-    if (mBatchHasTransaction)
-      mDBConn->BeginTransaction();
+    mBatchDBTransaction = new mozStorageTransaction(mDBConn, PR_FALSE);
 
     NOTIFY_OBSERVERS(mCanNotify, mCacheObservers, mObservers,
                      nsINavHistoryObserver, OnBeginUpdateBatch());
@@ -4301,9 +4297,13 @@ nsresult
 nsNavHistory::EndUpdateBatch()
 {
   if (--mBatchLevel == 0) {
-    if (mBatchHasTransaction)
-      mDBConn->CommitTransaction();
-    mBatchHasTransaction = PR_FALSE;
+    if (mBatchDBTransaction) {
+      nsresult rv = mBatchDBTransaction->Commit();
+      NS_WARN_IF_FALSE(NS_SUCCEEDED(rv), "Batch failed to commit transaction");
+      delete mBatchDBTransaction;
+      mBatchDBTransaction = nsnull;
+    }
+
     NOTIFY_OBSERVERS(mCanNotify, mCacheObservers, mObservers,
                      nsINavHistoryObserver, OnEndUpdateBatch());
   }
diff --git a/toolkit/components/places/src/nsNavHistory.h b/toolkit/components/places/src/nsNavHistory.h
index 245d992b1466..54505cabd9d5 100644
--- a/toolkit/components/places/src/nsNavHistory.h
+++ b/toolkit/components/places/src/nsNavHistory.h
@@ -313,12 +313,10 @@ public:
   nsresult BeginUpdateBatch();
   nsresult EndUpdateBatch();
 
-  // the level of nesting of batches, 0 when no batches are open
+  // The level of batches' nesting, 0 when no batches are open.
   PRInt32 mBatchLevel;
-
-  // true if the outermost batch has an associated transaction that should
-  // be committed when our batch level reaches 0 again.
-  PRBool mBatchHasTransaction;
+  // Current active transaction for a batch.
+  mozStorageTransaction* mBatchDBTransaction;
 
   // better alternative to QueryStringToQueries (in nsNavHistoryQuery.cpp)
   nsresult QueryStringToQueryArray(const nsACString& aQueryString,