Library · Payments · How to run this
Know when an auth is still reversible
Authorization, capture, and settlement are different clocks for reversing money. An open auth can usually void. After capture you usually refund. Settlement is when the acquirer books the batch — still not your bank deposit. Confusing those clocks is how CS promises a void that can only refund.
Pair: Auth / capture / settle — claim map on Payments. Split ship captures: partial / multi-capture. Stage labels for bidding: sold vs settled. Days in float: payout delay.
The reverse doors
Auth open. Issuer hold. Often voidable. Auth can expire (issuer / gateway rule) — then you re-auth or lose the hold.
Captured. Batch submitted. Void door usually closed. Refund / reverse per gateway.
Settled (acquirer). Books closed for that batch window. Refunds still exist as new settlement lines. Deposit may still be pending.
In bank. After float — payout delay. Refunds still post; they are not voids.
What not to do
Do not tell a shopper you “voided” a captured sale. Do not bid on open auths as settled cash. Do not invent a universal void window — type this gateway’s rule. Do not mix refund overlap with auth void (refund overlap is a different clock).
Related: Payments, sold vs settled, payout delay, ACH return vs card refund, refund overlap.
Procedure
- Ask whether the sale is still auth-only or already captured.
- Use void only while open; refund after capture.
- Treat settle as books — deposit on the payout clock.
- Get this gateway’s windows in writing.
Failure modes
- Promising a void after capture.
- Treating settlement as bank deposit.
- Bidding on open auths as settled cash.
- Inventing a universal void day count.
Worked example
None on this page yet. When one lands it will be a real case: what broke, the number, and what changed. Not a composite.
Glossary
- Void vs refund
- Void reverses an open authorization before capture. Refund returns funds after capture (or as a new settlement line). Different doors.
Work with us — We run this job on your accounts. Services
FAQ
- Can I void after capture?
- Usually no. After capture you refund (or partial reverse per this gateway). Ask before you ship on a long open auth.
- Is settlement the same as money in the bank?
- No. Settlement is acquirer books. Deposit days sit on [batch to bank](/manuals/payout-delay).
- Is this the sold-vs-settled map?
- No. [Sold vs settled](/manuals/sold-vs-settled) names CRM and statement stages. This page is void vs refund vs settle clocks.