Delayed payment capture

Delayed payment capture gives merchants greater control over their payment processing workflow by separating the authorization of funds from the actual capture of payment. This feature is particularly valuable for businesses that need to verify inventory, conduct fraud checks, or align payment capture with order fulfillment.

By default, Zonos Checkout processes payment immediately upon order placement. Delayed capture allows you to hold the funds temporarily and complete the transaction at a more optimal time.

Understanding payment authorization and capture 

When processing payments, there are typically two distinct steps:

1. Authorization: A hold is placed on the customer's payment method, reserving the funds but not transferring them.
2. Capture: The actual transfer of funds from the customer's account to your merchant account.

By default, Checkout performs both steps simultaneously when an order is placed. However, you can configure Checkout to separate these steps using delayed capture.

When delayed capture is enabled, Checkout authorizes the payment at the time of order placement but does not capture the funds until either the order is shipped or a configured time window (typically 3 days) passes, whichever is sooner.

Benefits of delayed capture 

Delayed payment capture offers several advantages for merchants:

• Reduced risk of refunds: By waiting to capture payment until after order verification or shipping, you can avoid processing refunds for out-of-stock items or fraudulent orders.
• Flexible order processing: Handle order modifications or cancellations more easily before the final capture, avoiding merchant fees during cancellations.
• Compliance: Meet specific industry requirements that mandate separation of authorization and capture.

Enabling delayed capture 

Delayed capture is currently only available by contacting Zonos to enable it on your account manually. To request this feature, please reach out to your Zonos account manager or contact our support team.