Credit card authorization holds
Last updated: June 17, 2025
You can place a credit card authorization hold on a customer’s booking after the booking has been created. A credit card authorization hold can help you prevent fraud, chargebacks, and unnecessary refunds.
What is a credit card authorization hold?
A credit card authorization hold is the temporary blocking of funds before a payment is processed. This ensures that the customer has the necessary funds to complete a purchase before actually settling the payment.
How do they work?
When a hold is created using the Save or hold card Booking action, the held card’s credit limit is decreased by the amount of the hold, guaranteeing you can charge up to the amount of the hold while the hold is still active.
Active holds are displayed within a booking’s payment summary. If a booking or bookings with holds are placed into an order, the order’s payment summary will show the sum of all active holds, as illustrated here:
Holds can be created for a maximum of seven days (with the exception of Visa cards, which have a maximum of five days). If a hold is created for fewer than seven days, the automatic release time will be set to midnight of the next day (based on your local timezone) to ensure the opportunity to capture a hold is not missed. A hold can be manually released at any time.
If a hold is captured, the captured amount becomes a payment toward the booking. If a hold is captured for a partial amount, the uncaptured value of the hold will be released to the cardholder.
Placing credit card holds
Placing a hold on a card is a good way to ensure your customer has the ability to pay for any extra expenses that occur during the trip such as damage to equipment or extra food and drinks not included in the initial price. To place a hold with a saved card on a booking:
- From the booking overview, select Save or hold card under Booking Actions.
- Select Hold money on card to view the options for a hold.
- Enter the amount that will be held.
- Select the number of days after which the hold is released. A hold can always be released sooner if it will not be captured. The default hold duration is seven days. (Note: Visa cards only allow up to five days for holds.)
- Enter a new card or select a saved card on which to generate a hold. New cards will be added to the list of saved cards.
- Click Save changes to create the hold.
Credit card hold information on receipts and emails
Authorization holds are displayed and updated on customer receipts and emails to help customers better understand what holds and charges will be reflected on their credit card statement.
Holds are displayed on:
Releasing a credit card hold
If a customer has completed their activity and will not need to be charged for any extra expenses, a hold can be released before the expiration date so the customer can use their credit elsewhere.
To release a hold:
- Select the Release or capture holds booking action.
- Choose Release for each hold that you want to release.
- Click Save changes to release the hold.
Capturing a credit card hold
If additional payment is required, a hold can be captured as a payment to your company to compensate for the added expenses. To capture the payment for a hold:
- Ensure that the amount due on the booking is equal to or greater than the amount that will be captured.
- Select the Release or capture hold Booking action.
- Choose Capture for each hold that will be captured.
- Enter the amount to be captured for each hold.
- Click Save changes to complete the capture.
Note: Keep in mind that there must be an amount due on the booking that is equal or greater than the hold amount in order to capture the hold.
If needed, an amount due can be created by adding an expense to the booking.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why don’t I see the “Save or hold card” option in the Booking Actions section?
You will only see this option if your user account has the correct permissions.
Can I add more than one hold on a booking?
Yes. The hold amount will reflect the total of all holds in the booking’s payment summary.
If I have more than one hold on a booking, can I release individual holds, or do I have to release all?
You can choose to release, capture, or maintain each hold on a booking when managing holds.
Can a credit card authorization hold be disputed by a cardholder’s bank?
No. Once a hold is captured it becomes a standard payment and follows the same rules for disputes as other credit card payments. To read more about disputes, visit this page.
Can affiliate companies create authorization holds on bookings for other companies?
No.
If I release a hold prior to its expiration, can it be re-added to the booking?
Yes. If you’ve released a hold prior to its expiration date. you can add another hold to the booking.
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Permission Requirements for Credit Card Authorization Hold booking actions
In order for a user to create, release or capture a credit card authorization hold, the following permissions are required.
To enable Booking action Save or hold card or Save card to charge later the following settings are required:
To disable both the Save or hold card AND Save card to charge later options entirely:
To enable only Save card to charge later:
To enable Release or capture holds:
FAQ
How long will it take for a customer to see funds from a released hold in their credit card?
This is determined by the individual card issuer, not FareHarbor. We release the funds within 24 hours of the release being initiated. It shouldn’t take more than 4-5 business days, but if these holds cleared on a holiday weekend, for example, it could take significantly longer.
Troubleshooting capturing holds
- Ensure that there is an amount due on the booking, and that it meets or exceeds the hold amount.
- For all surplus expenses added to a booking in order to capture a hold, note that upon capture, the Dashboard will correctly distribute the “amount due” to their bank account and refund any surplus captured from the hold.