Authorization Adjustment
Increase or decrease a pre-authorized amount before you capture — used for hospitality, fuel, and variable-total orders.
Authorization adjustment lets you change the authorized amount after the initial hold is placed, before you capture. The issuer updates the reserved amount on the customer's card — no new authorization is needed.
When to use itAsk
| Use case | What happens |
|---|---|
| Hotel pre-authorization | Place a hold at check-in; add room service and minibar charges before checking out. |
| Fuel / fleet cards | Authorize an estimated amount at the pump; adjust down to the exact fill amount. |
| Variable-total orders | Reserve a ceiling at checkout; adjust to the final total once it is confirmed. |
| Extended stay | Extend the authorization validity period to prevent expiry on long bookings. |
Authorization adjustment is supported on card rails. Support is ultimately determined by the issuing bank — some issuers decline adjustments.
Pre-authorizations and adjustments expire. The validity window depends on the card scheme and issuer — typically up to 7 days. Use the adjustment flow to extend validity when needed.
How it worksAsk
The flow has three steps:
- Pre-authorize — create a payment with
captureMethod: 'manual'and flag it as a pre-authorization. - Adjust — update the authorized amount one or more times as the final total becomes known.
- Capture — capture the final amount once fulfilment is complete.
Each adjustment request returns the new authorized amount. Adjustments can increase or decrease the hold, and VINR supports both asynchronous and synchronous adjustment flows.
See Adjust an authorization for the full step-by-step implementation guide.
LimitsAsk
- Maximum of 50 adjustments per payment transaction. After that, further adjustment requests are declined; the last successfully authorized amount remains capturable.
- Zero-value adjustments are not permitted.
- Adjustment support varies by card scheme and Merchant Category Code (MCC).
Next stepsAsk
Adjust an authorization
Step-by-step: pre-authorize, adjust the amount, and capture.
Capture
Capture the final authorized amount.
Cancel
Void the pre-authorization if the order is abandoned.
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