Library · Payments · How to run this
Ask when an open auth dies before ship
An open authorization is a temporary issuer hold — not settled cash (sold vs settled). Holds expire. If you ship or capture after that window, the capture can fail and you need a re-auth. Split boxes and long warehouse waits are how teams learn this the hard way.
Pair: Auth expiry / re-auth — claim map on Payments. Void vs refund doors: auth / capture / settle. Split ship: partial / multi-capture. Days after capture sit on payout delay.
What to get in writing
Auth expiry on this gateway / issuer path (hours or days — typed from the notice, not a forum).
Whether partial capture keeps or resets leftover hold time.
Re-auth rules if the hold died — new CIT vs incremental auth.
What CS may promise — “we already authorized” is false after expiry.
What not to do
Do not invent a universal 7-day hold. Do not capture a dead auth and call it a soft decline playbook. Do not bid media on open auths as settled. Do not confuse auth expiry with refund-overlap or bank float clocks.
Related: Payments, sold vs settled, auth / capture / settle, partial / multi-capture, payout delay.
Procedure
- Get this MID’s auth expiry in writing.
- Ask what happens to leftover hold after partial capture.
- Re-auth before late capture if the hold died.
- Keep float math on the payout-delay page.
Failure modes
- Inventing a universal hold day count.
- Forcing capture on a dead auth.
- Confusing expiry with bank float.
- Bidding on open auths as settled cash.
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
- Auth expiry
- When an issuer / gateway authorization hold dies before capture. Late capture usually needs a re-auth — not a soft-decline hop.
Work with us — We run this job on your accounts. Services
FAQ
- How long does an authorization stay open?
- Issuer and gateway rules differ. We invent no day count. Get this MID’s auth expiry in writing.
- If the hold expired, can I still capture the old auth?
- Usually no. You re-auth (or void-and-restart) before capture. Ask this gateway.
- Is expired auth the same as cash in float?
- No. Float is after capture/settlement — [payout delay](/manuals/payout-delay). Expiry is a dead hold before capture.