Articles on: Charge App

What is a ‘Pre-authorized payment’ ?

Pre-authorized payments allow users to put a hold on a credit card for a certain amount, without actually processing the payment, just like hotels and hire car operators do.

To process a pre-authorized payment:

Tap the “+” icon and select “Pre-authorized Payment”

Enter the amount and card details etc and tap “Charge Card”

IMPORTANT: Doing this only puts a 'hold' on the card for the amount charged and doesn't actually process the payment. After completing a pre-authorized payment, you have 7 days to process or cancel the payment, otherwise it will automatically be cancelled after 7 days.

To proceed with processing this payment, simply tap the payment in the list of payments and tap “Process” (at the bottom of the screen) and the enter the amount you would like to process (less than or up to the initial amount pre-authorized) and amount will be charged to the customer's card.

To cancel this pre-authorized payment, simply tap the payment in the list of payments and tap the menu icon in the top right corner and select ‘Cancel’.

Note: Fees will only apply if the pre-auth payment is actually captured, and will only apply to the amount that is captured. If a pre-auth payment is not captured (e.g. it is cancelled), then no fees will apply. And if the amount captured is less than the amount initially pre-authorized, the fee amount will be based on the actual amount processed/captured.

We don't have any control over or access to information regarding how long it will take for a cancelled pre-auth payment to be released, so for information like that, please contact Stripe directly and they will be able to assist you. Further information from Stripe regarding pre-authorized payments can be found here.

Updated on: 15/12/2025

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