Yes, with Omise you can authorize a charge first then capture it later. This two-step payment process allows up to 7 days pause before the transaction is finalised.

How does it work?

1. Hold the charge: When creating the charge, set the parameter capture as false. This will authorize the charge but leave it pending.

2. Capture the charge: When ready to accept the payment, all you have to do is call the Charge API to capture the amount.

How long until a charge expires?

An authorized charge will expire after 7 days.

Note: You are advised to use this feature sparingly as the charge will show on your customer’s credit card statement even if it wasn’t captured. Your customer will most likely be notified by email or SMS alert just as they would with a normal charge.

What if the authorization has expired?

If the authorization expires the capture will fail. In this case, you can retry by creating a new charge with capture=true. For this to work, you will need to use Omise’s Customer API initially in order to reuse the same card.

Can I change the amount of the charge?

No, the amount cannot be changed once it has been authorized. What you can do is refund the charge and create a new one for a different amount.

What if I need more than 7 days to capture?

The purpose of authorization and hold is to make sure that the cardholder’s account is in good standing with sufficient funds to successfully process the charge. However, if extra time is required to capture a charge, you should use a different approach.

What you could do is create a Customer and charge the card for 1 SGD, then make a refund. This will make it possible for you to charge the same card again for any amount after. Most of the time, this method will work but you will need to make sure that the card’s expiration date is beyond the date you plan to create the charge. Besides, cardholders would be more comfortable being charged for 1 SGD than having the full amount on hold. Even for hold-only charges, the cardholder will likely be notified by email or SMS alert, and the charge will show on their statement.