Pre-Authorisation & Capture

Pre-authorisation lets you reserve funds on a customer’s card without taking the money immediately. You confirm the hold at checkout, then capture the final charge whenever you’re ready — giving you full flexibility on the final amount.

---

Where it’s useful

Hotels

Pre-authorise at check-in and charge the final amount at checkout, including any room service or minibar charges.

Car rentals

Pre-authorise the rental and deposit upfront, then capture the final amount once the car is returned.

Safari operators

Pre-authorise a guest’s card for the tour and potential extras, then capture the final amount after the trip.

---

How it works

1. Create a payment link with “Capture funds later” enabled

   When creating a payment link, select the “Capture funds later” option. This is only available on the Card Payment option — not virtual card or manual payment.

2. Your customer completes checkout as normal

   The customer enters their card details and submits payment as usual. Their card is authorised and the amount is reserved against their available balance — but no money moves yet. The payment appears as Uncaptured in your dashboard, with a countdown showing how long the hold remains active.

3. Capture the funds when you’re ready

   Open the payment in your dashboard, select the Capture action, and confirm. The authorised amount is charged to the customer’s card and the payment moves to Processed.

Tip

You’ll see all uncaptured payments with their expiry countdown under Payments in your dashboard — making it easy to keep track of holds that need action.

---

Good to know

How long does a hold last? Most card issuers hold funds for up to 7 days. If you haven’t captured by then, the hold expires automatically and the funds are released back to the customer — no action needed on your end.

Is the customer charged when I place the hold? No. The amount is reserved against their available balance but no money moves until you capture. It may show as pending on their bank statement.

What if I need to cancel? Void the pre-authorisation from your dashboard and the hold is released immediately — no refund process, no fee.

Which cards support pre-authorisation? All major credit and debit cards TurnStay already accepts. Support on some prepaid cards varies by issuer.

What happens when a hold expires? It’s released automatically. The customer is never charged, and their bank drops the hold — though banks can take a few days to make the funds visible again.

---

Questions?

Contact us at support@turnstay.com and we’ll help you get set up.