# Authorise a payment to capture later Manual capture gives you control over when to settle a payment by separating authorisation from capture. When a customer pays, you can reserve funds on their payment method without immediately transferring them to your account. This lets you verify orders, confirm stock availability, or wait until services are delivered before finalising the transaction. This tutorial shows you how to authorise a payment and capture it later. You can authorise an amount on a customer's payment method and capture all or part of it later using standard (final) authorisation with manual capture. :::info[Advanced authorisation features] This guide covers basic manual capture with standard authorisation. For advanced scenarios requiring extended clearing windows or variable amounts, see: - [Pre-authorisation](/docs/guides/merchant/operations/capture-and-settlement/advanced-authorisation/pre-authorisation) - Extended clearing windows for deposits and holds - [Incremental authorisation](/docs/guides/merchant/operations/capture-and-settlement/advanced-authorisation/incremental-authorisation) - Increase authorised amounts during service delivery ::: ## What is manual capture Manual capture separates authorisation from capture, giving you control over when funds are actually settled: - **Authorisation:** Reserve funds on the customer's payment method - **Capture:** Settle the transaction and transfer funds to your account This two-step process allows you to verify order details, check stock availability, or wait for fulfilment before settling the payment. ### Why use manual capture Manual capture with standard authorisation offers several benefits over automatic capture: | Benefit | Description | | ------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | | **Instant refunds** | Cancel authorisations to return funds immediately (vs 5-7 days for standard refunds) | | **Fulfilment protection** | Only capture when products are ready to ship or services can be delivered | | **Partial capture** | Capture only the actual amount needed if the final cost is lower than authorised | | **Fraud prevention** | Review suspicious orders before capturing payment | | **Stock verification** | Confirm product availability before finalising the transaction | ### Use cases Capturing payments separately is useful in many scenarios, for example: - When cancelling a payment authorisation, this method presents a much faster and more efficient way to issue refunds to your customers compared to the standard refund process (usually taking 5-7 days) - When your business relies on fulfilment of products, you might want to avoid capturing until the products are ready. This way, if you can't fulfil them, you can cancel the order and the money will be immediately returned to your customer's account - When your business requires holding an amount of money for a service provided and at the end of the service you only take its final value (e.g., equipment rental, service deposits) ## Authorisation validity When you authorise a payment with manual capture, the funds are held on the customer's payment method for a limited time. You must capture the payment before this period expires, or the authorisation will be automatically cancelled. ### Default validity period By default, authorised payments are valid for **7 days**. If you don't capture within this period: 1. The authorisation automatically expires 1. The order state changes to `cancelled` 1. Funds are immediately released back to the customer's payment method 1. You'll need to create a new order and request payment again ### Extended validity for advanced scenarios If you need authorisation validity periods longer than 7 days, or the ability to increase authorised amounts during service delivery, see our advanced authorisation features: - [Pre-authorisation](/docs/guides/merchant/operations/capture-and-settlement/advanced-authorisation/pre-authorisation) - Extended clearing windows (up to 30 days depending on card scheme) - [Incremental authorisation](/docs/guides/merchant/operations/capture-and-settlement/advanced-authorisation/incremental-authorisation) - Increase authorised amounts during service ## Authorisation types When creating an order with manual capture, you can choose between two authorisation types using the `authorisation_type` parameter. Each type offers different capabilities for managing the authorisation period and amount: ### Final authorisation Final authorisation is the default approach for manual capture where the authorised amount is fixed at the time of payment. **Characteristics:** - **Fixed amount:** The authorised amount cannot be increased after initial authorisation - **Standard validity:** 7 days by default, customisable with `cancel_authorised_after` parameter (see [Customise the validity period](#customise-the-validity-period)) - **Simpler flow:** Best for straightforward scenarios where the final amount is known upfront **When to use:** - E-commerce orders with known final amounts - Order verification before fulfilment - Stock confirmation workflows - Standard manual capture scenarios ```json [Example] {5} { "amount": 10000, "currency": "GBP", "capture_mode": "manual", "authorisation_type": "final" } ``` ### Pre-authorisation Pre-authorisation provides extended authorisation capabilities for variable-amount scenarios and longer hold periods. **Characteristics:** - **Extended clearing windows:** Up to 30 days depending on card scheme and MCC (vs 7 days for final authorisation) - **Incremental authorisation:** Ability to increase the authorised amount during service delivery - **Flexible amounts:** Ideal for scenarios where final cost isn't known at authorisation time **When to use:** - Hotel bookings and accommodation (incidental charges) - Car rentals (fuel, damage, tolls) - Service deposits with variable final costs - Long-duration services requiring extended holds ```json [Example] {5} { "amount": 10000, "currency": "GBP", "capture_mode": "manual", "authorisation_type": "pre_authorisation" } ``` :::info[Learn more about pre-authorisation] For comprehensive guides on pre-authorisation and its advanced features, see: - [Pre-authorisation](/docs/guides/merchant/operations/capture-and-settlement/advanced-authorisation/pre-authorisation) - Extended clearing windows and use cases - [Incremental authorisation](/docs/guides/merchant/operations/capture-and-settlement/advanced-authorisation/incremental-authorisation) - Increase authorised amounts during service - [Clearing windows](/docs/guides/merchant/operations/capture-and-settlement/advanced-authorisation/clearing-windows) - Card scheme clearing window details ::: ## How it works Manual capture is a server-to-server integration between the Merchant API and your backend server. Your frontend (website or app) implementation is up to you—this guide focuses on the server-side API interactions. ### Manual capture flow Here's the step-by-step process for manual capture: 1. Your server [creates an order](/docs/api/merchant#create-order) with `capture_mode: manual` via the Merchant API. 1. Customer provides payment details via your chosen integration (Revolut Checkout, card widget, Revolut Pay, etc.). 1. Order reaches `authorised` state and funds are reserved (held) on the customer's payment method. 1. Funds remain on hold for 7 days by default for final authorisation (customisable with `cancel_authorised_after` parameter). Pre-authorisation offers extended clearing windows up to 30 days. See [Authorisation types](#authorisation-types) for details. 1. At this point, you decide to: - [**Capture**](/docs/api/merchant#capture-order) - Finalise the transaction and transfer funds to your account (full or partial amount). - [**Cancel**](/docs/api/merchant#cancel-order) - Release the held funds immediately back to the customer. 1. If no action is taken within the validity period, the authorisation expires and funds are automatically released. ### Before you begin Ensure you have: - [ ] [Active Revolut Business account with Merchant capabilities](/docs/guides/merchant/get-started) - [ ] [API credentials for the Merchant API](/docs/guides/merchant/get-started) - [ ] Server-side integration capability (server-to-server API flow) - [ ] Understanding of how to [create an order](/docs/api/merchant#create-order) ## Capture the authorised amount ### 1. Create an order with manual capture mode [Create an order](/docs/api/merchant#create-order) and set `capture_mode` to `manual`. This instructs Revolut to **authorise** the payment (reserve funds on the customer's payment method) but **not capture** it (transfer funds to your account). You'll capture the funds separately when you're ready. Example request payload with minimal required parameters: ```json [Request body] {4} { "amount": 10000, "currency": "GBP", "capture_mode": "manual" } ``` :::tip[Authorisation validity period] By default, authorised payments must be captured within **7 days**, or they're automatically cancelled and funds are released. See [Authorisation validity](#authorisation-validity) for details. ::: ::::details [Customise the validity period] You can customise the authorisation validity period using the `cancel_authorised_after` parameter when creating an order. This parameter accepts an [ISO 8601 duration](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISO_8601#Durations) value. **Examples:** - `"cancel_authorised_after": "P3D"` - Cancel after 3 days - `"cancel_authorised_after": "P1D"` - Cancel after 1 day - `"cancel_authorised_after": "PT12H"` - Cancel after 12 hours ```json [Request body] {5} { "amount": 10000, "currency": "GBP", "capture_mode": "manual", "cancel_authorised_after": "P3D" } ``` :::warning[Shorter validity periods] Setting a shorter validity period reduces the risk of fund holds on customer cards but requires you to capture more quickly. Ensure your business processes can accommodate the shorter timeline. ::: :::: ### 2. Take a payment from a customer Take a payment from your customer with your preferred payment solution. To cater to different customer preferences we offer several options to take payments: 1. [**Revolut Checkout:**](/docs/guides/merchant/accept-payments/online-payments/revolut-checkout/introduction) Offers an embedded checkout form which includes all available payment methods in one widget. 1. [**Revolut Pay:**](/docs/guides/merchant/accept-payments/online-payments/revolut-pay/introduction) Customers can pay directly from their Revolut accounts, offering a seamless payment experience. 1. [**Card payments:**](/docs/guides/merchant/accept-payments/online-payments/card-payments/introduction) Our widget accepts most major credit and debit cards. This is a familiar and widely used payment method. 1. [**Apple Pay or Google Pay:**](/docs/guides/merchant/accept-payments/online-payments/apple-pay-google-pay/introduction) Provides a quick and convenient checkout experience for users on Apple and Android devices. 1. [**Hosted Checkout Page:**](/docs/guides/merchant/accept-payments/online-payments/hosted-checkout-page/introduction) Use payment links to redirect your customers to our self-hosted checkout page. :::tip You can also authorise payments using a customer's saved payment method via the [Pay for an order](/docs/api/merchant#pay-order) endpoint. This is useful for recurring payments or providing a faster checkout experience. The payment will be authorised with manual capture mode as configured on the order. For more information, see: [Charge a customer's saved payment method](/docs/guides/merchant/optimise-checkout/save-payment-methods/charge-saved-payment-method). ::: :::tip[When the customer completes the payment] - Funds are reserved (held) on the customer's payment method - Order reaches `authorised` state - Funds remain on hold until you [capture](#3-capture-the-payment) or [cancel](#4-optional-cancel-the-payment) - You control when to settle the payment ::: ### 3. Monitor order state After the customer completes payment, monitor the order state to confirm successful authorisation: - ![Webhooks (recommended)] [Configure a webhook URL](/docs/api/merchant#create-webhook) to receive real-time notifications: ```json [Webhook payload] {2} { "event": "ORDER_AUTHORISED", "order_id": "6920869a-8d8d-aefd-a3c3-8fe4690e4323", "merchant_order_ext_ref": "Hotel booking #12345" } ``` When you receive the `ORDER_AUTHORISED` event, [retrieve the full order details](/docs/api/merchant#retrieve-order) using the `order_id` to confirm the authorisation and check the `capture_deadline`. **Handling events:** | Event | When it fires | Recommended action | | ------------------------ | ----------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------- | | `ORDER_AUTHORISED` | Payment authorised successfully | Deliver service, capture when ready | | `ORDER_PAYMENT_DECLINED` | Payment declined by issuer/bank | Notify customer to retry with different card | | `ORDER_PAYMENT_FAILED` | Technical failure during processing | Customer can retry same payment method | | `ORDER_CANCELLED` | Order manually cancelled | No action needed | | `ORDER_FAILED` | Order expired (timeout) | Create new order if customer returns | When a payment is declined or fails, the order returns to `pending` state and customers can make another payment attempt. :::info For details on the complete lifecycle, see: [Order and payment lifecycle](/docs/guides/merchant/reference/order-lifecycle). ::: - ![Polling] Call the [Retrieve an order](/docs/api/merchant#retrieve-order) endpoint at regular intervals. ```json [Response body] {5,10,22} { "id": "69726c30-1358-a043-a099-da9a0ef7f931", "token": "4749c99d-b744-44aa-88ed-36070470162d", "type": "payment", "state": "authorised", "created_at": "2026-01-22T18:28:00.983427Z", "updated_at": "2026-01-22T20:29:17.321172Z", "amount": 500, "currency": "GBP", "capture_mode": "manual", ... "payments": [ { "id": "69728898-34fc-a4bd-8b92-d4f4ea018581", "state": "authorised", "amount": 500, "authorised_amount": 500, "payment_method": { "type": "card", "card_brand": "visa", ... "capture_deadline": "2026-01-29T20:29:16.057Z" } } ] ... } ``` When the order reaches `authorised` state, funds are successfully reserved on the customer's card. Check the `capture_deadline` to see when you must capture by. **Possible order states:** | Order state | Description | Next steps | | ------------ | ---------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------- | | `authorised` | Payment authorised, funds reserved | Proceed with service delivery | | `pending` | Waiting for payment or payment failed | Customer needs to pay or retry payment | | `processing` | Payment attempt in progress | Continue polling | | `failed` | Order expired without successful payment | Create new order if needed | | `cancelled` | Order cancelled or authorisation expired | Create new order if needed | :::info For details on the complete order lifecycle, see: [Order and payment lifecycle](/docs/guides/merchant/reference/order-lifecycle). ::: :::tip[Payment-level details] For advanced use cases, you can also retrieve individual payment attempt details using the [Retrieve payment details](/docs/api/merchant#retrieve-payment-details) endpoint. This provides granular information about each payment attempt, which can be useful for detailed analytics or debugging specific payment failures. ::: ### 4. Capture the payment To capture an order manually, use one of the following methods: - ![Merchant API] :::info This process assumes you already [created an order](/docs/api/merchant#create-order) and have an `authorised` payment. ::: To capture the payment using the Merchant API, follow these steps: 1. Confirm that the payment authorisation is valid and that your product or service is ready for delivery or fulfilment. 1. Use the [Capture an order endpoint](/docs/api/merchant#capture-order) in the Merchant API to capture the payment. You can choose from two approaches: - **Full capture:** Send the request without a body to capture the full amount. - **Partial capture:** Send the request with a specific amount in the body to capture a partial amount of what was initially authorised. 1. Once the capture request is successful, the order will proceed to the processing stage. ::::details [Partial capture] Partial capture allows you to charge less than the originally authorised amount. This is useful when: - Final costs are lower than estimated (e.g., actual delivery cost less than initially authorised) - Some items in an order are out of stock or cancelled - You want to apply a discount after authorisation **How it works** When you perform a partial capture, the remaining authorised amount is automatically voided and immediately returned to the customer's payment method. :::tip[Example] Customer's card was authorised for £100, but final cost is £75 1. You capture £75 using the [capture endpoint](/docs/api/merchant#capture-order). 1. Remaining £25 is automatically voided. 1. £25 is immediately released back to customer's card. 1. Order completes with £75 captured. **Important:** You cannot capture the remaining £25 later—partial capture is final. ::: :::warning The following limitations apply to manual captures: - **Single capture only:** Can only capture once per order. After capturing (full or partial), the uncaptured amount is permanently released and cannot be captured later - **Cannot exceed authorised amount:** Captured amount must be less than or equal to the authorised amount - **No zero-amount captures:** Capture amount must be greater than zero - **No retry:** Cannot retry a partial capture with a different amount—the first capture is final ::: :::: ::::details [Update line items at capture] When capturing an order, you can optionally provide `line_items` to update the final order details at the time of capture. :::info This feature is available in Merchant API version **2024-05-01** or later. ::: **When to use line items at capture** Updating line items at capture is useful when the final delivered items differ from what was initially authorised: - **Partial captures:** When capturing only specific items from the original order (e.g., customer ordered 3 items, but 1 is out of stock—capture with updated line items showing only the 2 available items) - **Final adjustments:** When delivered items differ from initial authorisation (e.g., substituted product, quantity changes) - **Inventory changes:** When stock availability changes between authorisation and capture **How it works** When you include `line_items` in the capture request, you specify the exact items being captured. This is particularly useful with partial captures to accurately reflect which items were captured versus voided. :::tip[Example] A customer orders 3 items totalling £150: - **Item A:** £50 - **Item B:** £60 - **Item C:** £40 At capture time, **Item C** is out of stock. You can: 1. Capture £110 (partial amount). 1. Include `line_items` with only **Item A** and **Item B**. 1. The order accurately reflects the 2 items captured. 1. The £40 for Item C is automatically voided. ::: :::warning If you provide `line_items` when capturing, they will **completely overwrite** the original line items that were provided during order creation or update. Make sure to include **all** the items you want associated with the captured order. You cannot merge or append to existing line items—the new line items replace the old ones entirely. ::: :::info For technical details and request examples, see: [Capture an order](/docs/api/merchant#capture-order) ::: :::: - ![Revolut Business] :::info On the Revolut Business dashboard, you can only capture the **full amount**. ::: To capture the authorised amount using Revolut Business, follow these steps: 1. Log in to [Revolut Business](https://business.revolut.com). 1. Navigate to the :Cart: **Merchant** menu on the sidebar. 1. Select an authorised payment, and click :Check: **Capture** on the overview panel. 1. Click **Capture order** in the pop-up to confirm the capture. 1. Once the capture is successful, the order will proceed to the processing stage. ### 5. (Optional) Cancel the payment If you would like to return the full authorised amount to your customer, you can [Cancel the order](/docs/api/merchant#cancel-order). The amount will be immediately voided and returned to your customer's original payment method. :::info Once a payment has been captured, you can no longer cancel it. Captured payments can only be refunded using the standard refund process. For more information, see: [Refund payments](/docs/guides/merchant/operations/refunds). ::: --- :::tip You've completed the manual capture tutorial! You now know how to authorise payments and capture them when ready, giving you full control over when funds are settled. ::: ## What's next **Explore advanced authorisation features:** - [Pre-authorisation](/docs/guides/merchant/operations/capture-and-settlement/advanced-authorisation/pre-authorisation) - Extended clearing windows for deposits and variable-amount scenarios - [Incremental authorisation](/docs/guides/merchant/operations/capture-and-settlement/advanced-authorisation/incremental-authorisation) - Increase authorised amounts during service delivery - [Clearing windows](/docs/guides/merchant/operations/capture-and-settlement/advanced-authorisation/clearing-windows) - Card scheme clearing window details **Related resources:** - [Order and payment lifecycle](/docs/guides/merchant/reference/order-lifecycle) - [Capture an order](/docs/api/merchant#capture-order) - [Cancel an order](/docs/api/merchant#cancel-order) - [Work with webhooks](/docs/guides/merchant/monitor-and-observe/webhooks/using-webhooks)