Overview
Pre-authorizing a payment places a temporary hold on a customer's credit card to confirm they have enough funds to cover the job. The hold reserves the amount without charging it. Once the job is complete, you can capture the payment to finalize the charge.
Before You Start
Pre-authorization must be enabled for your account. To get started, book a call with Theo at Remedy Payments to set up your account.
How to Pre-authorize a Payment
Step 1: Save a Card on File (If Needed)
If the customer does not already have a card on file, save one first.
Open the opportunity and go to the Payments section.
Click Payment, then select Take Payment.
In Payment Category select On File to store the card without any charges applied.
Click Store Card. The saved card appears in the Payments section.
Step 2: Run the Pre-authorization
In the Payments section of the opportunity, click Payment.
Select Pre-authorize Payment from the dropdown menu. The Pre-authorize Payment dialog opens.
Choose a payment method:
Saved Payment Methods: Select an existing card on file.
Credit Card: Enter new card details for this pre-authorization.
Review the hold amount. A confirmation message displays the amount that will be held and the card it will be placed on.
Click Pre-authorize. The hold is placed on the card.
The payment entry appears in the Payments section with a Pre-authorized badge, along with the date, card details, and the amount held.
How to Capture a Pre-authorized Payment
After the job is complete, capture the pre-authorized payment to finalize the charge.
In the Payments section of the opportunity, find the payment entry with the Pre-authorized badge.
Click the three-dot menu (⋮) on the pre-authorized payment.
Select Capture Payment. The Capture Payment dialog opens.
Enter the Amount to capture. The capture amount can match the pre-authorized amount or be higher if the final invoice came in above the estimate.
Click Capture. A confirmation message indicates the payment is complete.
The payment status updates from Pre-authorized to show the captured amount as paid.
Note: If the capture amount is higher than the pre-authorized amount, SmartMoving first charges the pre-authorized hold, then charges the difference to the same card. If the card does not have enough funds for the difference, the remainder will decline and you will need to collect the balance from the customer using another form of payment.
Best Practices
Pre-authorize the customer's card before the job date to confirm they have sufficient funds and reduce the risk of payment issues on moving day.
Have your crew finalize the job in the crew app as soon as the move is complete. After 5 days, you will no longer be able to capture payment from the pre-authorization.
Capture the pre-authorized payment as soon as the job is finalized to avoid missing the 5-day window.
Know the typical variance between your estimates and final invoices, and set pre-authorization amounts accordingly. If the capture amount exceeds the hold, the difference is charged to the same card and can decline if funds are short.
Troubleshooting
The Pre-authorize Payment option does not appear.
Pre-authorization may not be enabled for your account. Book a call with Theo at Remedy Payments to get set up.
The pre-authorization failed.
Verify that the card details are correct and that the card has sufficient available credit for the hold amount. If the issue persists, try entering the card details manually instead of using a saved card.
The capture declined for the amount above the pre-authorized hold.
When the capture amount is higher than the pre-authorization, SmartMoving charges the hold first and then charges the difference to the same card. If the card lacks funds for the difference, that portion declines. Collect the remaining balance from the customer using another form of payment.
The pre-authorized payment shows as Expired.
The hold on the card expired before it was captured. You will need to run a new pre-authorization or take a standard payment instead.