Editing Orders with Pre-Auth

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We use Pay Pal Payflow Pro. When our invoicers edit an order to make the total match in PC with our in house system we get double holds on a customer's funds. Sometimes the original Auth clears in a few days, sometimes it takes weeks.

Reading the Wiki it says that editing orders Voids the original Pre-Auth but also may cause problems with a customer's credit limit. 

How long does the Void typically take to clear a Pre-Auth?

Edited by razor150 - 19-June-2009 at 1:02pm

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razor150 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 29-May-2008 Status: Offline Points: 7	Post Options Post Reply Quote razor150 Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Topic: Editing Orders with Pre-Auth Posted: 18-June-2009 at 2:55pm
	We use Pay Pal Payflow Pro. When our invoicers edit an order to make the total match in PC with our in house system we get double holds on a customer's funds. Sometimes the original Auth clears in a few days, sometimes it takes weeks. Reading the Wiki it says that editing orders Voids the original Pre-Auth but also may cause problems with a customer's credit limit. How long does the Void typically take to clear a Pre-Auth? Edited by razor150 - 19-June-2009 at 1:02pm

ProductCart Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Admin Group ProductCart Team Joined: 01-October-2003 Status: Offline Points: 135	Post Options Post Reply Quote ProductCart Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 29-June-2009 at 8:54pm
	Voided transactions are settled ( = issuing bank is contacted) at the end of the business day. That is when the payment gateway tells the issuing bank that the funds can be released. Then it's up to the issuing bank to react promptly to that information. Our experience is similar to what you indicated above in that the time it takes for the funds to become available again can vary. However, in most cases this happens rather quickly (24 hours from the settlement of the voided transaction).
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Guests Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Guest	Post Options Post Reply Quote Guests Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 30-June-2009 at 12:07am
	One of the complicating factors here is that debit/bank/check cards (the cards associated with a checking account) are handled differently by the card issuing banks than are credit cards. When an authorization is voided via a gateway or credit card terminal on a credit card, that is indeed "settled" when the batch of transactions for the day is settled. That may take 24 to 48 ours to actually show on the customer's credit card account, but the process of voiding an authorization against a credit card happens as quickly as the various networks involved can process and show it (say on the customers online statement of recent activity). However, with debit card authorizations, the void really does nothing at all. Once a bank has an authorization against a debit card, it will only drop when the bank lets it drop "naturally" if no force capture is run against that authorization. That is, it's completely up to the bank that issued the debit card as to when they will let an authorization that is not captured against fall off. Typically it is 7 to 14 days. Without getting technical, essentially, an authorization on a debit card is an authorization against available cash -- the bank wants to be very conservative about that (they are the ones sitting on the money); while an authorization on a credit card is an authorization against credit extened -- and the credit card issuer has every interest in you having that borrowing power back to the customer ASAP (so they might have something to charge interest against). So, when changing the amount of the original authorization before force capturing on a debit card, it's actually better to not void the original authorization, but instead to change the amount before forcing it. Then the original authorization will be adjusted on the force, rather like when you give a tip at a restaraunt or your hair stylist. The bummer here, though is that there is no way to distinguish a debit card from a credit card programatically, and frankly, unless you have a lodging, restaurant or other type of merchant industry that requires tip out functionality, changing the amount of the original authorization is a no-no.