MioCommerce allows you to manage payment authorization directly from a booking. This includes pre-authorizing a payment, capturing the authorized amount, or releasing the authorization when needed.
All payment actions — Pre-authorize, Capture, Release, and Refund — are managed directly within your MioCommerce account.
What Is a Pre-Authorization?
A pre-authorization is a temporary hold placed on "booking amount" on a customer’s credit card to confirm that funds are available for a booking.
Important things to know:
No money is transferred during pre-authorization
The booking amount is checked and reserved on the customer’s card
The funds remain in the customer’s account, but are temporarily unavailable for other use
The authorization is valid for up to 7 days
After 7 days, the authorization expires automatically
If an authorization expires, you can pre-authorize the same booking again directly from the booking.
Where Do I Manage Pre-Authorization, Capture, and Release?
All payment actions are available from:
Customer Booking Profile → Right-side menu → Actions → Payment Processor (Stripe)
From here, you can:
Pre-authorize a booking
Capture a pre-authorized amount
Release a pre-authorization
Issue refunds
What Happens When a Booking Is Created?
Scenario 1: Customer Enters Credit Card at Booking
When a customer creates a booking and enters their credit card:
The booking amount is automatically pre-authorized
You’ll see Capture and Release options available on the booking
Scenario 2: Pre-Authorization Expires After 7 Days
If 7 days pass and the booking is not charged:
The pre-authorization expires automatically
The reserved amount is released back to the customer
You will now see a Pre-authorize button on the booking
You can click Pre-authorize again to place a new authorization hold.
What Does “Capture” Mean?
A captured payment means the authorized funds are officially charged.
When you click Capture:
MioCommerce charges the pre-authorized amount
Funds are transferred to your connected Stripe account
The booking payment status updates accordingly
🔵 Capture = charge the customer
Note: You cannot capture more than the authorized amount.
What Does “Release” Mean?
A release cancels the pre-authorization hold.
When you click Release:
The reserved amount is removed
Funds become available again to the customer
No charge is made
🔴 Release = cancel the authorization
If you take no action within 7 days of pre-authorization, Stripe will automatically release the authorization.
Charging After Pre-Authorization Expires
If the authorization has expired:
You can still charge the customer
The difference is that funds are no longer reserved
You may also choose to pre-authorize again before charging
This gives you flexibility based on service timing.
Pre-Authorization for Recurring Bookings
For recurring services:
You can pre-authorize the card any time before service
Best practice is to pre-authorize within 7 days of service completion
This avoids expired authorizations and ensures smoother payment collection
Summary: How Payments Behave in Different Scenarios
Scenario | Pre-authorized/Capture/Release | Booking Amount Status | What you can do? |
1. When the customer creates a booking | The booking amount is pre-authorized (checked for availability & reserved for you) | Money is still in customer's account |
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2. If the booking is charged within 7 days of pre-authorization | MioCommerce will display an option to capture the pre-authorized booking amount. | The Booking amount is reserved for you to capture. | Capture the pre-authorized amount |
3. If the booking is charged after 7 days of pre-authorization | The pre-authorized booking amount is released (has expired), if you wish you can again pre-authorize the booking amount. | If not again pre-authorized, Reserved funds are released back to the client's credit card. | Simply "charge customer using your MioCommerce account" |