How to Use Pre-Authorisation for Transactions

What is Pre-Authorisation?

Pre-authorisation (pre-auth) allows you to temporarily hold funds on a customer’s card without capturing the payment immediately. This is particularly useful in hospitality or service industries, where the exact transaction amount is not known upfront or may change.

With pre-auth, the customer's funds are reserved, but the payment is only finalized (captured) when you choose to do so.

How to Generate a Pre-Auth Payment Link

Follow these steps to create a pre-authorisation link for your customer:

1. From the Home screen, tap Pre Auth.
2. Enter the amount to pre-authorise.
3. Tap Confirm at the bottom of the screen.
4. Choose from the following options:
• Copy Link: Manually copy and share the link.
• Share Payment Link: Use your device’s built-in sharing tools.

How to Capture a Pre-Authorised Payment

To finalize (capture) the reserved payment:

1. Go to the Orders section in your Kayana Business App.
2. Find and select the pre-authorised order.
3. Tap the Capture button to process and receive the payment.

Important: Payments held by pre-authorisation must be captured manually. Funds will only be transferred to your account once captured.