Authorization & Capture

Overview

Authorization and capture enables you to authorize fund availability but delay fund capture. This can be useful for merchants who have a delayed order fulfillment process. Authorize & Capture also enables merchants to change the original authorization amount in case the order changes due to shipping, taxes, or gratuity.

Authorization and capture enables you to authorize fund availability but delay fund capture. This can be useful for merchants who have a delayed order fulfillment process. Authorize & Capture also enables merchants to change the original authorization amount in case the order changes due to shipping, taxes, or gratuity.Express Checkout, Website Payments Pro, and PayPal Payments Standard buttons.

Authorize and capture can be used with other PayPal payment options, such as

For any payment type, you can capture less than or the full original authorized amount. You can also capture up to 115% of or $75 USD more than the original authorized amount, whichever is less.

For any payment type, you can capture less than or the full original authorized amount. You can also capture up to 115% of or $75 USD more than the original authorized amount, whichever is less.

Types of authorizations

You can make two types of authorizations, basic authorizations and order authorizations.

Basic authorizations

Basic authorizations place the customer's funds on hold for up to 29 days. During this time, you can capture, void, or reauthorize the funds. You can reauthorize it for up to 115% of the originally authorized amount or an increase of $75 USD (whichever is the lesser amount).

Basic authorizations place the customer's funds on hold for up to 29 days. During this time, you can capture, void, or reauthorize the funds. You can reauthorize it for up to 115% of the originally authorized amount or an increase of $75 USD (whichever is the lesser amount).NVP/SOAP and void NVP/SOAP basic authorizations through the APIs or by logging in to your PayPal account and using the web interface.

Orders and order authorizations

Creating a PayPal Order indicates that the buyer has consented to the purchase but does not place the funds on hold. After creating the Order, you can capture the order directly without any additional authorization, or you can create an authorization API call to place funds on hold until you are ready to capture. Authorizations created from an order expire after three days, so you must capture the order within that time. Since the order does not place funds on hold, it is advised that you follow the second approach and create an authorization instead of capturing an Order directly.

Creating a PayPal Order indicates that the buyer has consented to the purchase but does not place the funds on hold. After creating the Order, you can capture the order directly without any additional authorization, or you can create an authorization API call to place funds on hold until you are ready to capture. Authorizations created from an order expire after three days, so you must capture the order within that time. Since the order does not place funds on hold, it is advised that you follow the second approach and create an authorization instead of capturing an Order directly.PayPal Customer Support to configure your account to allow up to 99 basic authorizations for each Order.

This technique is often used by merchants who accept orders for varying items, some of which may not be available for shipment at the time the order is placed. Subsequent basic authorizations are made as the items become available. These authorizations ensure the customer still has the funds available to purchase each item. You can make up to 10 basic authorizations for each Order. If your account allows only a limited number of authorizations per Order, contact PayPal Customer Support to configure your account to allow up to 99 basic authorizations for each Order.Website Payments Pro) or PayPal Payments Standard. For Direct Payments with Website Payments Pro, you can only create authorizations; you cannot create order authorizations.

You create authorizations on order transactions using either the PayPal API (for

Use authorization and capture

You create authorizations or order transactions using either the PayPal API (for Express Checkout or Website Payments Pro) or PayPal Payments Standard. For Direct Payments with Website Payments Pro, you can only create authorizations; you cannot create order authorizations.

You create authorizations or order transactions using either the PayPal API (for

After you have created authorizations, you can capture, void, or reauthorize the transaction using the PayPal API. You can capture or void authorizations from the PayPal website.Authorization and Capture APIs. You cannot process order authorizations through the PayPal website. The PayPal website only supports processing basic authorizations, not order authorizations.

Integration information

For integration information see How to use Express Checkout to Authorize and Process a Payment.