Credit Card Authorize vs Capture
How do I authorize a Credit Card but not actually charge it until I ship the goods?
While many businesses will want to take payment immediately online, sometimes the business model requires that the customer’s card be authorized but not charged until the goods have been shipped.
Most gateways allow you to authorize only
for the payment, and then within a week capture
the payment when you ship the goods.
The length of time allowed before capture
depends on the contract you have with the Gateway (based on their rules, and on the kind of business you run).
Authorize-Only
To enable this, check whether your module has an option to specify Authorize-Only
mode, and enable it. (As opposed to Charge
or Capture
mode.)
The process is this:
- Customer places an order. The card is only
authorized
. - Prepare the order
- Log in to your Merchant Gateway system. Find the transaction for that customer/order.
- Choose the option to
Capture
the funds. This charges the card and puts the money in your bank account during the next settlement/processing batch. - Ship the goods
Authorize And Capture Immediately
The process is this:
- Customer places an order and submits for payment. The card is authorized and funds captured immediately.
- You fulfill the order by shipping the goods. (Or customer gets immediate access to their downloads.)
Still have questions? Use the Search box in the upper right, or try the full list of FAQs. If you can't find it there, head over to the
Zen Cart support forum
and ask there in the appropriate subforum.
In your post, please include your Zen Cart and PHP versions, and a link to your site.
Is there an error or omission on this page? Please post to General Questions on the support forum. Or, if you'd like to open a pull request, just review the guidelines and get started.
You can even PR right here.
Last modified January 1, 0001