Payment Authorization and Failures for Pre-Paid Appointments

When clients prepay for appointments online, MyTime does not charge the card immediately at booking. Instead, an authorization (hold) is placed on the card, and the actual charge is processed 2-3 hours after the appointment concludes. This article explains how authorizations work, what happens when appointments are booked in advance, and the common reasons for payment failures. 

Things to Know:

• Credit cards are typically charged 2–3 hours after the appointment ends. The exact timing may vary depending on the payment processor's volume.
• To allow clients to prepay online, the “Accept online payments through MyTime?” setting must be enabled and set to one of these options:
  • Yes, require online payment to book online
  • Let clients choose whether to pay online or in person. Learn more here  
• For appointments requiring a deposit:
  • The client’s card is charged immediately for the deposit amount at booking.
  • A hold (authorization) is placed on the remaining balance.

• If the attempt to charge the held amount fails, the location manager will receive a notification. The client must then pay in person at the time of the appointment.

• By default:

  • An authorization is placed immediately when booking.

  • If the appointment is more than 6 days away, the authorization expires and funds are released.

  • MyTime will place a new authorization 5 days before the appointment to confirm funds are still available. (This second authorization can fail even if the first was successful.)

• The "Enable Reduced Authorizations" hidden setting allows you to reduce the number of authorizations for appointments booked far in advance. To enable this feature, please contact support@mytime.com.

  •  Appointment booked more that 6 days in advance:

    • No authorization is created (Applies to both Cloud9/Stripe dashboards)

    • "DELAYED ONLINE PREPAYMENT {Card Details}" is displayed on open tickets

    • Delayed transaction can be settled using the 'Settle Payment' link next to it 

  • Appointment booked less than 6 days in advance:

    • Authorization is created and in a pending state (Applies to both Cloud9/Stripe dashboards)

    • "PENDING ONLINE PREPAYMENT {Card Details}" is displayed as such on the open tickets

    • Pending transaction can be settled using the 'Settle Payment' link next to it 

• For appointments booked online that do not require pre-payment but the business has a cancellation policy, a card will still be required and saved to the client’s profile. However, no authorization will be created for either the cancellation fee or the appointment itself.

CONTENTS:

• Authorization for Pre-Paid Appointments
• What Happens If A Payment Fails?

Authorization for Pre-Paid Appointments

When booking, MyTime places a pre-authorization hold on the customer's credit card to verify that sufficient funds are available for the appointment. If the card is approved, the booking is confirmed, and the appointment will be marked as Pre-Paid in the appointment modal.

Standard Authorization Process (Hidden Setting Disabled)

Appointments booked more than 6 days in advance:

Example: A booking on 1/1 for an appointment on 1/21.

• An authorization is placed immediately on 1/1. This hold will naturally expire around 1/7.
• A second authorization is placed around 1/16 to ensure funds are still available.
• Clients may see both authorizations in their online banking temporarily, but only the second authorization will finalize into a charge.

Appointments booked less than 6 days in advance:

Example: Booking on 1/1 for an appointment on 1/5.

• An authorization is placed immediately on 1/1.
• If not settled at the time of the appointment, the charge will automatically finalize 2–3 hours after the appointment ends.

Reduced Authorization Process (Hidden Setting Enabled)

Appointments booked more than 6 days in advance:

Example: Booking on 1/1 for an appointment on 1/21.

• No authorization is created at booking.
• Open tickets will display: “DELAYED ONLINE PREPAYMENT {Card Details}” 
• The first authorization is placed closer to the appointment date (around 1/16).
  
  

Appointments booked less than 6 days in advance:

Example: Booking on 1/1 for an appointment on 1/5.

• An authorization is placed immediately on 1/1.
• Open tickets will display: “PENDING ONLINE PREPAYMENT {Card Details}” 
• If not settled at the appointment, the charge will automatically finalize 2–3 hours after the appointment ends

What Happens If A Payment Fails?

A charge may fail if the final payment amount is higher than the pre-authorization (for example, if extra services are added or if the client leaves a tip). If the card declines, MyTime converts the Pre-Paid appointment to an Unpaid appointment. 

The appointment window will display: Online Payment Failed.  

You will also receive an email notification instructing you to collect payment from the client. If you are using MyTime POS, you can record the payment directly in POS.  

Email notification for payment failure

For more information, contact support@mytime.com. 

Related Articles: 

Booking Appointments Online