Set Up and Use Pre-Authorization for Payment

By employing credit card pre-authorization, restaurant staff can conveniently swipe a guest's card when placing an order, securely retain their bar tab, and authenticate the validity of their bank account.

It's important to note that pre-authorization is specifically designed for card swiping transactions. It isn't compatible with credit card chip/EMV dip payments or contactless payment methods such as tapping a card.

In This Article:

• Advantages of Pre-Authorization
• How to Set up Pre-Authorization on the POS?
  • Configure the pre-authorization in Dashboard
  • Using the Pre-Authorized Card for Payment
  • Troubleshooting

Advantages of Pre-Authorization

• Utilizing pre-authorization streamlines the process by storing card details, eliminating the need for the physical presence of the card to settle a pre-authorized check. 
• This pre-authorized card information will be readily available as a payment option labeled on the payment interface. 
• Initiating pre-authorization sets up a tab for the cardholder, allowing for easy retrieval of tabs either by the cardholder's name or by re-swiping their card. At the conclusion of the transaction, a check associated with a pre-authorized (Saved CC) card can be closed without the necessity of swiping the card again. However, it's important to recognize that like any other transaction, pre-authorization doesn't provide complete immunity against chargebacks.

How to Set up Pre-Authorization on the POS?

Configure the pre-authorization in Dashboard

1. Open POS Dashboard from Desktop
2. Settings > Payment Methods > check the box for "Enable Pre-Authorization" Enter your minimum Pre-Authorization Amount (must be at least $0.01) but typically most restaurants set this to at least the price of one drink Select SAVE. POS dashboard and POS must then be restarted for your changes to be saved.

Using the Pre-Authorized Card for Payment

1. Open POS App
2. Select Item you want to pre-authorize and click PAY
3. Select Pre-Auth. If this button does not appear for you, please scroll down for troubleshooting resolutions.
4. Enter in your Pre-Authorization amount. Remember, pre-authorization only works with card swiping.
5. The payment will be processed and an Approved window will appear.

Troubleshooting

If you don't see the Pre-Authorization button (step 3 in Using your Pre-Authorized Card for Payment), start by confirming that your POS dashboard is properly configured. Then, double-check that you've completed the following steps as outlined below. > Settings (in POS app)  > Ensure Credit Card Processing toggle is ON