# Website Payments Pro Authorization and Capture (/api/nvp-soap/paypal-payments-pro/integration-guide/authorizations) > **Note:** **Important:** NVP/SOAP is a legacy integration method. We > accept new integrations and support existing integrations, but there are > newer solutions. If you're starting an integration, > [we recommend our latest solutions](/). You can use Direct Payment and Express Checkout to authorize payments to be captured later. These payments are known as authorizations. * An authorization places a hold on the funds and is valid for 29 days. * After a successful authorization, PayPal recommends that you capture the funds within the three-day honor period. * Success of the capture is subject to risk and availability of funds on the authorized funding instrument. * Within the 29-day authorization period, you can issue multiple re-authorizations after the honor period expires. A re-authorization generates a new Authorization ID and restarts the honor period and any subsequent capture should be performed on the new Authorization ID. If you do a re-authorization on the 27th day of the authorization, you get only two days of honor period. * You can capture less than the original authorization, full authorization amount, or even more than the authorization amount (up to 115% of the original authorization or $75 USD more, whichever is less). > **Note:** **Note:** Express Checkout provides an additional option, > called an Order, which you use when a single authorization is insufficient. > You can create multiple authorizations and capture them as part of the same > order. This would be useful, for example, when an order is split into > multiple shipments and you need to capture a payment each time part of the > order is shipped. ## Integration steps [#integration-steps] | | | | | -- | -------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | 1. | Optional | Review [support for authorizations and limitations](#support-for-authorizations-and-limitations). | | 2. | Required | [Authorize and capture a payment](#authorize-and-capture-a-payment). | | 3. | Optional | [Reauthorize and capture a payment](#reauthorize-and-capture-a-payment). | ## Support for authorizations and limitations [#support-for-authorizations-and-limitations] The *honor period* is the three-day period during which authorized funds are held. The *valid period* is the 29-day period during which the authorization is valid. After the honor period expires, you can re-authorize the payment, which restarts the three-day honor period. You can re-authorize a payment multiple times during the valid period. Captures attempted outside of the honor period result in PayPal contacting the card issuer to reauthorize the payment; however, the reauthorization and, thus, the capture might be declined. If you know that you will capture after the honor period expires, PayPal recommends that you explicitly reauthorize the honor period before attempting to capture the payment. Authorizations become holds on a buyer's account that typically last 3 days for debit cards and 7 to 10 days for credit cards, depending on the issuer and region. If you decide not to capture an authorization, you should void the transaction, which triggers an authorization reversal. You can explicitly void an authorization, in which case, the uncaptured part of the amount specified in the request becomes void and can no longer be captured. If no part of the payment has been captured, the entire payment becomes void and nothing can be captured. For Visa and Mastercard, a hold caused by the authorization is reversed; a bank hold might remain for 7 to 10 days until reversed by the card issuer. ## Authorize and capture a payment [#authorize-and-capture-a-payment] Use these API operations to authorize and capture a payment: * `DoDirectPayment` ([NVP](/api/nvp-soap/do-direct-payment-nvp/), [SOAP](/api/nvp-soap/do-direct-payment-soap/))
Set the payment action field to `Authorization`. * `DoCapture` ([NVP](/api/nvp-soap/do-capture-nvp/), [SOAP](/api/nvp-soap/do-capture-soap/))
Capture all or part of the authorized payment in one single capture transaction or in multiple transactions. ### Authorize a credit card [#authorize-a-credit-card] The example calls `DoDirectPayment` to authorize a credit card payment and `DoCapture` to capture the payment. #### Request [#request] In your `DoDirectPayment` request, set the payment action to `Authorization`.
```html lineNumbers
``` #### Response [#response] A successful authorization returns the authorization ID in the transaction ID field. `TIMESTAMP=2010%2d03%2d08T19%3a35%3a18Z&CORRELATIONID=ab12f37f9566&ACK=Success&VERSION=58%2e0&BUILD=1218643&AMT=20%2e00&CURRENCYCODE=USD&AVSCODE=X&CVV2MATCH=M&TRANSACTIONID=6RH38738S17889722` ### Capture the payment [#capture-the-payment] #### Request [#request-1] Use the authorization ID in the `DoCapture` request to specify the authorization that you want to capture.
```html lineNumbers
``` The total capture amount should not exceed 115% or $75 USD more than the authorization amount. When you call `DoCapture` for the final payment, you must set the complete type field to `Complete`. Prior calls to `DoCapture` must set this field to `NotComplete`. When payments are complete, any remaining uncaptured amount of the original authorization is automatically voided and nothing more can be captured. #### Response [#response-1] If the capture is successful, the payment status is `Completed`.
```text lineNumbers AUTHORIZATIONID=6RH38738S17889722&TIMESTAMP=2010%2d03%2d08T19%3a47%3a39Z&CORRELATIONID=d1e8043ae0a12&ACK=Success&VERSION=58%2e0&BUILD=1218643&TRANSACTIONID=5F62121256435650V&PARENTTRANSACTIONID=6RH38738S17889722&RECEIPTID=0078%2d2642%2d6061%2d5728&TRANSACTIONTYPE=webaccept&PAYMENTTYPE=instant&EXPECTEDECHECKCLEARDATE=1970%2d01%2d01T00%3a00%3a00Z&ORDERTIME=2010%2d03%2d08T19%3a47%3a38Z&AMT=5%2e00&FEEAMT=0%2e45&TAXAMT=0%2e00&CURRENCYCODE=USD&PAYMENTSTATUS=&PENDINGREASON=None&REASONCODE=None&PROTECTIONELIGIBILITY=Ineligible ``` > **Note:** **Note:** The `DoCapture` response returns a new > transaction ID as well as the authorization ID. The authorization ID becomes > the parent transaction ID for the captured transaction. ## Reauthorize and capture a payment [#reauthorize-and-capture-a-payment] Use these API operations to reauthorize and capture a payment: * `DoReauthorization` ([NVP](/api/nvp-soap/do-reauthorization-nvp/), [SOAP](/api/nvp-soap/do-reauthorization-soap/))
To capture a payment after the three-day honor period and before the 29-day authorization period, you can explicitly reauthorize the payment before capturing it. * `DoVoid` ([NVP](/api/nvp-soap/do-void-nvp/), [SOAP](/api/nvp-soap/do-void-soap/))
Optionally, void the entire authorization or void the remaining amount that has not been captured. ### Authorize a card [#authorize-a-card] This example authorizes a credit card payment using the `DoDirectPayment` API operation and then reauthorizes the payment using the `DoReauthorization` API operation before capturing it with the `DoCapture` API operation. #### Request [#request-2] In your `DoDirectPayment` request, set the payment action to `Authorization`.
```html lineNumbers
``` #### Response [#response-2] A successful authorization returns the authorization ID in the transaction ID field. `TIMESTAMP=2010%2d03%2d05T03%3a55%3a13Z&CORRELATIONID=2f8b1e854983e&ACK=Success&VERSION=62%2e0&BUILD=1218643&AMT=500%2e00&CURRENCYCODE=USD&AVSCODE=X&CVV2MATCH=M&TRANSACTIONID=4HS1916972552122T` ### Reauthorize a card [#reauthorize-a-card] #### Request [#request-3] To reauthorize a transaction, specify the transaction ID in the `DoReauthorization` request.
```html lineNumbers
``` #### Response [#response-3] The response contains the new authorization ID.
```text lineNumbers AUTHORIZATIONID=&TIMESTAMP=2010%2d03%2d08T20%3a37%3a48Z&CORRELATIONID=797da6e380c0&ACK=Success&VERSION=62%2e0&BUILD=1218643&PAYMENTSTATUS=Pending&PENDINGREASON=authorization&PROTECTIONELIGIBILITY=Ineligible ``` ### Capture the reauthorized payment [#capture-the-reauthorized-payment] #### Request [#request-4] To capture the payment, specify the new authorization ID in the `DoCapture` request.
```html lineNumbers
``` #### Response [#response-4] A successful capture has the `Completed` payment status.
```text lineNumbers AUTHORIZATIONID=6HB59926VL998415S&TIMESTAMP=2010%2d03%2d08T21%3a06%3a01Z&CORRELATIONID=8955b8704da91&ACK=Success&VERSION=62%2e0&BUILD=1218643&TRANSACTIONID=2BG77878LE143642C&PARENTTRANSACTIONID=4HS1916972552122T&RECEIPTID=1115%2d8794%2d3120%2d6892&TRANSACTIONTYPE=webaccept&PAYMENTTYPE=instant&EXPECTEDECHECKCLEARDATE=1970%2d01%2d01T00%3a00%3a00Z&ORDERTIME=2010%2d03%2d08T21%3a06%3a00Z&AMT=45%2e00&FEEAMT=1%2e61&TAXAMT=0%2e00&CURRENCYCODE=USD&PAYMENTSTATUS=&PENDINGREASON=None&REASONCODE=None&PROTECTIONELIGIBILITY=Ineligible ``` ## Next [#next] Learn about [card verifications](/api/nvp-soap/paypal-payments-pro/integration-guide/verifications).