Partial Capture

A partial capture is a Capture of an amount less than the full authorized amount from a prior Authorization. Rather than capturing the entire authorized sum, the merchant captures only a portion, typically because only part of an order has been fulfilled, an item was out of stock, or the final amount was less than the reserved amount.

Partial capture is standard in several business contexts. A marketplace fulfilling orders from multiple sellers may authorize the full order total and capture individual amounts as each seller's items ship. An online retailer that authorizes for a full order and then discovers one item is unavailable partially captures the amount for the items that shipped. A hotel that estimated a stay cost higher than the actual charges captures the actual amount at checkout rather than the full authorized amount.

When a partial capture is processed, the remaining uncaptured balance of the authorization is released back to the cardholder. Most card networks automatically release uncaptured authorization holds after the capture is processed, the issuer receives the capture for the partial amount and releases the remaining hold. Some processors require an explicit void of the remaining authorization; others handle it automatically. The merchant should verify the behavior with their specific gateway to ensure uncaptured amounts are not held against the cardholder unnecessarily.

From a customer experience perspective, partial captures are clean when communicated proactively. Customers who see a charge less than they expected (because an out-of-stock item was excluded) appreciate a notification explaining the difference, it prevents confusion and reduces the risk of dispute filings from customers wondering why the amount differs from their original order.