Placing a hold on a cardCharges API
Use the Charges API to authorize a payment now, capture funds later.
Stripe supports two-step card payments so you can first authorize a charge, then wait to settle (capture) it later. When a charge is authorized, the funds are guaranteed by the card issuer and the amount held on the customer’s card for up to seven days. If the charge is not captured within this time, the authorization is canceled and funds released.
Note that for in-person payments made with Terminal, you must capture within 24 hours.
The Charges API is an older payments API that does not handle bank requests for card authentication. Try our new payments APIs and integrations instead.
Authorize a payment
To authorize a payment without capturing it, make a charge request that also includes the capture parameter with a value of false. This instructs Stripe to only authorize the amount on the customer’s card.
If you need to cancel an authorization, you can release it by refunding the relevant Charge object.
Capture the funds
To settle an authorized charge, make a capture charge request. The total authorized amount is captured by default, and you cannot capture more than this. To capture less than the initial amount (e.g., $8 of a $10 authorization), pass the amount parameter. Partially capturing a charge automatically releases the remaining amount.
Card statements from some issuers do not distinguish between authorizations and captured (settled) charges, which can sometimes lead to confusion for your customers. In addition, authorized charges can only be captured once. If you partially capture a charge, you cannot perform another capture for the difference. Depending on your requirements, you may be better served by saving customer’s card details for later and creating charges as needed.