# Down Payments & Authorizations (/docs/payments/down-payments)



A down payment in Resytech is a **card authorization** -- a hold placed on the customer's card that reserves funds without collecting them. The operator can later **capture** the hold to collect the funds, or **release** it to void the hold entirely.

This is useful for:

* Requiring a card on file before confirming a booking
* Holding funds for damage deposits or no-show fees
* Reserving a spot while deferring payment to a later date

How It Works [#how-it-works]

Down payments use Stripe's manual capture feature. When you create an authorization-only payment, Stripe places a hold on the customer's card for the specified amount. No money moves until you explicitly capture.

| Step          | What Happens                                                        | Balance Impact                           |
| ------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------- |
| **Authorize** | A hold is placed on the card. Funds are reserved but not collected. | None                                     |
| **Capture**   | The held funds are collected from the card.                         | Balance decreases by the captured amount |
| **Release**   | The hold is voided. The customer is not charged.                    | None                                     |

Authorization Lifecycle [#authorization-lifecycle]

Every authorization is tracked as a payment record with a **card network status** that reflects its current state:

| Status       | Meaning                                                             |
| ------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `authorized` | Hold is active. Funds are reserved on the card but not collected.   |
| `captured`   | Funds have been collected. This is now a regular completed payment. |
| `released`   | Hold was voided. The customer was not charged.                      |

Standard card payments that are charged immediately have a status of `captured` from the start.

Authorization Expiry [#authorization-expiry]

Stripe authorizations expire after **7 days** for most card networks. If you do not capture or release the hold within that window, Stripe automatically releases it and the customer's funds are freed. You should capture or release well before the 7-day limit to avoid unexpected expiry.

Partial Capture [#partial-capture]

When capturing an authorized payment, you can capture **less** than the original authorized amount. For example, if you authorized $500 for a damage deposit and no damage occurred, you could capture only $100 for a cleaning fee and the remaining $400 hold is automatically released.

You cannot capture **more** than the authorized amount.

Down Payments in the Transaction List [#down-payments-in-the-transaction-list]

Authorized payments appear in the booking's payment history alongside regular payments. The **Status** column shows `authorized` (amber), `captured` (green), or `released` (gray) so you can see at a glance which holds are still pending action.

From the transaction list, authorized payments show two action buttons:

* **Capture** (dollar icon) -- Collect the held funds
* **Release** (X icon) -- Void the hold without charging

Related How-To Guides [#related-how-to-guides]

* [Create a Down Payment](/how-to/payments/create-a-down-payment) -- Step-by-step guide to authorizing, capturing, and releasing holds
* [Process a Payment](/how-to/payments/process-a-payment) -- Charge a card or record a manual payment
* [Issue a Refund](/how-to/payments/issue-a-refund) -- Refund a captured payment