Authorization and Capture is a payment method that allows you to authorize the withdrawal of funds when an order is created in order to capture those funds once the order is processed.
The principle is simple: when your customer places their order, an authorization for withdrawal is created that validates the transfer of their funds for 29 days. During these 29 days, a “validity period” of the funds is guaranteed for the first 3 days. After the 3 days expire, you can renew the validity of the funds every 3 days during these 29 days.
Once the 29-day period is exceeded, the authorization expires and the order is canceled.
| Find at the end of this chapter a glossary of the most commonly used terms for this payment method. |
Why activate this payment flow?
Authorization and Capture allows you to:
- secure the transaction (authorization guarantees the availability of funds).
- avoid fees on sales that do not take place (no cancellation fees).
- eliminate refunds in case of non-shipped orders.
- manage your inventory by selling only available items.
Payment compatibility
Authorization and Capture is compatible only with these payment methods:
- PayPal
- Credit Card
- Apple Pay
- Google Pay.
Note: Activating Authorization and Capture automatically disables other payment methods.
How to configure Authorization and Capture?
Activate this mode from your back office menu: Payment > Payment Methods then in the Active payment modules section, click on the “Configure CTA” of the PrestaShop Checkout module. Complete your configuration in the Advanced Settings tab.
Note: activation automatically disables other local payment methods.
In the Advanced Settings tab, enable “Authorize and Capture” then select your capture method:
- Instant Capture (default): you automatically capture funds at the time of payment. Funds will be collected automatically when the order is recorded.
- Automatic Capture by Status: you can choose the order status(es) that will trigger automatic capture of funds.
- Example: if I choose the “Shipped” status, funds will be captured when the order status is “Shipped”.
Important: If no status is selected, the order will be captured on all statuses by default.
How to manage authorizations on orders?
From your back office in the “orders” section, locate the order you want to capture. Scroll down to the payment box (see below) to find the list of transactions.
When you expand each transaction, you will find the details of each with their amount:
- Pending Authorization
- You will find the authorization period which allows you to see the dates of authorization creation, capture validity, and expiration.
- Payment
- Partially Refunded
- Refunded
You have 3 actions; you can:
- re-authorize the 3-day validity period,
- capture the funds immediately in the order,
- or cancel the capture.
To do this, go to the order on which you want to take action, then scroll down to the list of transactions and expand the transaction details.
Clicking on Re-authorize allows you to extend the 3-day validity period during which PayPal guarantees the availability of funds. A PayPal window will open to confirm the re-authorization request.
Clicking on Capture allows you to capture the funds immediately. The payment will then be withdrawn/made immediately. A PayPal window will open to confirm the capture request.
Clicking on Cancel allows you to cancel the capture authorization and will therefore return the funds to the customer's account. A PayPal window will open to confirm the cancellation.
Note: once the cancellation is confirmed, you can no longer capture the amount. The order is definitively canceled.
Coming soon: You will soon be able to capture only part of the amount of an order. To be informed as soon as this feature is released, contact us at: pscheckout@prestashop.com
What to do if the capture fails?
An error message will be displayed in your back office. If your message concerns:
- A technical error: try the capture again later. If the error persists, you can contact our help center via this form.
- A payment failure (due to a declined payment method): capture is impossible and the order is canceled. To claim payment from the customer, create a payment link from the PayPal dashboard via Request Money.
How to issue a refund?
From the relevant order, go to the bottom of the page in the list of transactions, then click on “Refund”. A PayPal window opens. Enter the amount to refund and confirm. A confirmation message will appear on your screen.
Note: refund is only possible if the transaction status is “completed” or “partially refunded”.
Some best practices
Managing the guarantee period
- To benefit from the guarantee period, remember to capture your funds within the first 3 days.
- Did you not capture your funds within the first 3 days? Renew the authorization for an additional 3 days.
- Monitor expiration dates (maximum 29 days) to avoid losing authorization.
Managing “pending” statuses?
- A PENDING authorization usually resolves within 24 to 72 hours.
- After 72 hours, consider the authorization as declined and contact the customer.
- Do not wait 29 days to resolve a PENDING status.
Communication with the customer
- Inform your customers that payment will be debited only upon shipment, not at the time of order. (link to mail configuration or at least mention this).
- Explain that they will see a “hold” on their account but no immediate debit.
- Warn them in case of amount modification before the final capture.
Details of different statuses
The different tables provide the necessary information about statuses to understand and track the progress of a payment step by step.
Details of statuses concerning an order
| Value (Enum) | Description |
|---|---|
| CREATED | The order has been created with the specified context. |
| APPROVED | The customer has approved the payment via their PayPal wallet or another form of payment (card, bank account, etc.). |
| VOIDED | All purchase units of the order have been canceled. |
| COMPLETED | The order intent has been finalized and a payment resource has been created. Important: Check the payment status in purchase_units[].payments.captures[].status before fulfilling the order. |
Details of statuses concerning an authorization
| Value (Enum) | Description |
|---|---|
| CREATED | The authorization is pending manual review. |
| CAPTURED | The payment has been successfully captured. |
| DENIED | PayPal cannot authorize funds for this payment. |
| PARTIALLY_CAPTURED | A partial payment was made for an amount less than the initial authorization. |
| VOIDED | The authorization has been canceled. No further captures can be made on this authorization. |
| PENDING | The authorization is pending. See status.details for more information. |
Details of statuses concerning a capture
| Value (Enum) | Description |
|---|---|
| COMPLETED | Funds have been credited to the recipient's PayPal account. |
| DECLINED | Funds could not be captured. |
| PARTIALLY_REFUNDED | An amount less than the total capture amount has been refunded to the payer. |
| PENDING | Funds have not yet been credited. See status.details for more details. |
| REFUNDED | An amount equal to or greater than the captured amount has been refunded to the payer. |
| FAILED | An error occurred during payment capture. |
Details of statuses concerning refunds
| Value (Enum) | Description |
|---|---|
| CANCELLED | The refund has been canceled. |
| FAILED | The refund could not be processed. |
| PENDING | The refund is pending. See status_details.reason. |
| COMPLETED | Funds have been debited and returned to the customer. |
Managing errors during automatic operations
In case of a problem with a transaction, an error message appears at the top of your screen and the order status is automatically updated:
- Payment error: this status is applied if the authorization or capture is impossible. If the refusal occurs during capture, we advise you to contact the customer (verify funds or card validity).
- Authorization expired: this status indicates that the authorization validity period has expired and funds are no longer reserved.
Managing errors during manual operations
If a manual action fails, a detailed error message appears on the screen to guide you directly. This can happen during the following operations:
- Capture: Unable to validate collection.
- Re-authorization: Failed to renew payment validity.
- Cancellation: Unable to cancel the current authorization.
- Refund: Failed to return funds to the customer.
This feature offers you flexible payment management adapted to the logistical and commercial constraints of your business, while securing transactions for you and your customers.
Webhook management
To effectively manage the various PayPal webhooks, here is a summary table of the different events:
| Webhook Events | Description |
|---|---|
PAYMENT.AUTHORIZATION.CREATED |
The authorization is created. Funds are blocked on the customer's account. |
PAYMENT.CAPTURE.COMPLETED |
The capture is successful. The money is transferred to your PayPal account. |
PAYMENT.CAPTURE.DENIED |
The capture was denied (e.g., insufficient funds at final moment). |
PAYMENT.AUTHORIZATION.VOIDED |
The authorization is canceled or expired (deadline exceeded). |
PAYMENT.CAPTURE.REFUNDED |
A refund has been made on this transaction. |
PAYMENT.CAPTURE.REVERSED |
PayPal has reversed the capture (often due to a dispute or fraud). |
For more details about webhooks, consult the PayPal documentation below:
- https://developer.paypal.com/docs/checkout/standard/customize/authorization/#how-it-works
- https://developer.paypal.com/api/rest/webhooks/event-names/#link-paymentsv
Glossary
- Authorization : Authorization allows you to “block” funds on your customer's account for 3 days.
- Capture: Capture allows you to retrieve funds to your account.
- Expired : The 29-day period has expired, the order is canceled.
- Canceled : The order is canceled.
- Re-authorization : Re-authorization allows you to “block” funds again on your customer's account for 3 days.