Place an extended hold on an online card payment
Learn how to use extended authorizations to capture online card payments up to 30 days after authorization.
Extended authorizations have a longer authorization validity period, which allows you to hold customer funds for longer than standard authorization validity windows. For most card networks, the default authorization validity period is 7 days for online payments and 2 days for in-person Terminal payments, whereas extended validity periods can go up to 30 days depending on the card network. For more information about authorization validity windows, see place a hold on a payment method.
Availability
When using extended authorizations, be aware of the following restrictions:
- They’re only available with Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and Discover.
- Certain card brands have merchant category restrictions. Refer to the network availability table below.
- This page describes extended authorizations for online card payments. For in-person card payments using extended authorizations, refer to the Terminal documentation.
- Checkout doesn’t support extended authorizations.
IC+ Feature
We offer extended authorizations to users on IC+ pricing. If you’re on blended Stripe pricing and want access to this feature, contact us at support.stripe.com.
Availability by card network and merchant category
Every card network has different rules that determine which payments have extended authorizations available, and how long they’re valid. The following table shows the validity windows and transaction types that extended authorization is available for using Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and Discover. However, we recommend that you rely on the capture_before field to confirm the validity window for any given payment because these rules can change without prior notice.
Card brand | Merchant category | Extended authorization validity window |
---|---|---|
Visa | Hotel, lodging, vehicle rental, and cruise line | 30 days* |
Mastercard (not including Maestro and Cirrus cards) | All merchant categories | 30 days |
American Express | Lodging and vehicle rental | 30 days** |
Discover | Airline, bus charter/tour, car rental, cruise line, local/suburban commuter, passenger transportation including ferries, hotel, lodging, and passenger railway | 30 days |
* The exact extended authorization window for Visa is 29 days and 18 hours, to allow time for clearing processes.
** While your validity window is extended to 30 days, you must capture the authorized funds no later than the end of the duration of your customer’s stay or rental.
Networks with limited support (beta)
Recent changes to availability
Best Practices
Customers see their funds held longer when you use extended authorizations. Use clear statement descriptors to avoid increased disputes from unrecognized payments.
Compliance
You’re responsible for your compliance with all applicable laws, regulations, and network rules when using extended authorization. Consult the network specifications for the card networks that you plan to accept using this feature with to make sure your sales are compliant with the applicable rules, which vary by network. For instance, for many networks extended validity windows are only for cases where you don’t know the final amount that you’ll capture at the time of authorization.
The information provided on this page relating to your compliance with these requirements is for your general guidance, and is not legal, tax, accounting, or other professional advice. Consult with a professional if you’re unsure about your obligations.
Request an extended authorization
By default, an authorization for an online card payment is valid for 7 days for most card networks. To increase the validity period, you can request an extended authorization by using if_
with the request_extended_authorization parameter.
Rely on the capture_before field to confirm the validity window for a given payment. The validity window won’t change after the PaymentIntent is confirmed. To determine if the authorization is extended after confirming the PaymentIntent, look at the extended_authorization.status field on the associated Charge.
// PaymentIntent response { "id": "pi_xxx", "object": "payment_intent", "amount": 1000, "amount_capturable": 1000, "amount_received": 0, "status": "requires_capture", ... // if latest_charge is expanded "latest_charge": { "id": "ch_xxx", "object": "charge", "payment_method_details": { "card": { "amount_authorized": 1000, "capture_before": 1696524701, "extended_authorization": { "status": "enabled", // or "disabled" } } } ... } ... }
Test your integration
Use any of the below Stripe test cards with any CVC and future expiration date to request extended authorizations while in test mode. If extended authorizations are available on payments for a given network in test mode, they’re also available in live mode.
Card brand | Number | Payment method |
---|---|---|
Visa | pm_ | |
Mastercard | pm_ | |
Amex | pm_ | |
Discover | pm_ |