Preauthorization

Pre-authorisation is a temporary blocking of funds on the cardholder's account.

From the customer's point of view, this is a normal card payment at a payment gateway. Once completed, the amount is blocked, not charged outright. 

The merchant receives information about the blocking of funds immediately. The maximum blocking period guaranteed by Comgate is 3 days. This period might longer, depending on of the cardholder's issuer. The block can be completed or cancelled on the instruction of the e-shop. 

It is possible to complete the pre-authorisation for the full amount and to choose a lower amount than the amount blocked.

Pre-authorisation can be used, for example, for the purpose of booking goods and services or when the final amount of the transaction is not known in advance.

For more information on how to pre-authorise on the payment gateway, please refer to the API documentation.