Overview

The Separate Authorization & Capture workflow lets you verify payment details and reserve funds at the time of order, then capture those funds later—ideal for delayed fulfillment, pre-orders, or conditional services.

In this guide you’ll learn

• How to perform and manage separate auth and capture flows
• Card-scheme validity windows and capture timing
• Differences between automatic and manual capture modes

Prerequisites & Limitations

• Active merchant account with card processing enabled
• PCI DSS Level 1 compliance
• Capture must occur within card-scheme authorization windows (e.g., Visa/MC: 7–10 days)

Compliance / Regulation Mandates

• PCI DSS Level 1: Ensure all authorization and capture operations comply with PCI DSS Level 1 standards to protect cardholder data.
• PSD2 Strong Customer Authentication: EU authorizations require two-factor authentication under PSD2 for customer-initiated payments.
• AML & KYC: Apply risk-based anti-money laundering controls and customer due diligence before placing or capturing holds on funds.
• GDPR Data Protection: Adhere to GDPR principles—data minimization, explicit consent, and secure handling—when processing EU citizens’ payment information.

Feature Table

Key Details

Authorization

• Verify shopper payment details with the issuer and reserve funds for the transaction.
• Authorization holds funds but does not transfer them to your account until capture.

Capture

• Transfer reserved funds from the shopper to your account by issuing a capture API call.
• Default mode is Automatic Capture, which behaves like a Direct Sale (Immediate Capture).
• Manual Capture requires you to explicitly invoke the capture endpoint after order fulfillment.

Card-Scheme Validity

Each card network enforces a hold window for authorizations:

• AMEX: 7 days
• Mastercard: 7 days
• Visa: 10 days
• Discover: 7 days

Note: Capture must occur within the network’s authorization window to avoid expired holds.

Typical Flow Example

1. Customer submits payment details.
2. Merchant sends authorize request with capture=false, placing a hold on funds.
3. Authorization remains valid for the card-scheme window.
4. Upon shipping or service delivery, merchant sends capture request referencing the original auth.
5. PCE processes the capture and returns a confirmation of the fund transfer.

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Use case: Cancel or modify orders before capture by issuing a void on the authorization if complications arise prior to fund transfer.