---
id: help.payments.hold
title: "Hold now, charge later"
canonical: https://docs.secureprocessing.app/help/payments/hold-now-charge-later
description: "A hold sets money aside on your customer’s card without taking it, for a deposit or a tour whose final price you do not know yet. You then charge it, in full or in part, or release it."
last_verified: 2026-11-02
---

# Hold now, charge later

A hold sets money aside on your customer’s card without taking it, for a deposit or a tour whose final price you do not know yet. You then charge it, in full or in part, or release it.

Who can: Owner, Administrator, Support can charge or release a hold in [Payments](https://dashboard.secureprocessing.app/payments).

## Where a hold comes from

Your developer places a hold when they take a payment through your website. A payment link and an invoice always take the money straight away, so they never make one.

A payment that is holding money says **Held**.

## Charge it

1. Open the payment under **Payments**.
2. Check the **Amount to capture**. It starts at the whole amount held.
3. Press **Capture**.

If you capture less than the amount held, the rest goes back to your customer.

## Release it

If you will not charge anything, tick **I’m sure** and press **Release the hold**. Nothing is charged, and it cannot be undone.

## It does not last for ever

Your customer’s own bank decides how long a hold lasts, typically two weeks to a month. After that the money goes back to them whether you charged it or not, so capture as soon as you know the amount.

For developers: [Hold now, charge later](https://docs.secureprocessing.app/preauthorize-and-capture.md)

## Related

- [What a payment’s status means](https://docs.secureprocessing.app/help/payments/what-a-status-means.md)
- [Refund a payment, in full or in part](https://docs.secureprocessing.app/help/refunds/refund-a-payment.md)
- [Glossary](https://docs.secureprocessing.app/help/glossary/terms.md)

Still stuck? Write to [admin@secureprocessing.app](mailto:admin@secureprocessing.app) with the payment’s id.