Authorization Adjustment

Authorization adjustment lets you modify the amount on a previously authorized card transaction before it’s captured. This is especially useful when the final charge isn’t known at the time of the initial authorization, like in hospitality, fuel, or car rental scenarios.

By adjusting the authorization instead of creating new ones, you can reduce declines at capture time and avoid multiple holds on the cardholder’s funds.

Prerequisites and Limitations

• Prerequisites: You must have a valid id and paymentToken for an existing card authorization, and your merchant account must support adjustments for that payment type.
• Limitations: You can only adjust an authorization before it’s captured, and the new amount must respect issuer and processor limits for that card and currency.

When to Use Authorization Adjustment

Use authorization adjustment when:

• The final charge differs from the initially authorized amount.
• Additional services or fees are added after the initial authorization.
• You need to reduce the held amount due to partial cancellations or changes to the order.

Note: You need to specify the entire new authorization amount—not just the difference.

Adjust an Authorization via API

To adjust an authorization:

1. Call the PUT /checkout/v3/payment/{id} with a request body that includes:

2. PCE sends the updated amount to the issuer and re-authorizes the payment.

Use the GET /checkout/v3/payment/{id} endpoint to confirm the outcome. The response will include:

• amount: The new amount as specified in the adjust request.
• status: The current status of the payment. You’ll also receive the result in a webhook.

3. Monitor the Adjust Authorization webhook to track the final outcome of the adjustment request.

You can store the id and paymentToken to:

• Retrieve updated payment details later.
• Void the payment, if needed.
• Initiate captures.
• Issue partial or full refunds.