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Pre-Authorisation on the Pax Positive: A Complete Guide

Pre-authorisation (Pre-auth) allows merchants to reserve funds on a customer’s card for later capture. This guide explains how to initiate, increase, and finalise a pre-authorised transaction on the POS device.

Updated this week


1. How to Initiate a Pre-Authorisation

Follow these steps to reserve funds on a customer’s card:

  1. On the Home screen, tap New payment.

  2. Select Pre-auth and enter the amount you want to reserve.

    • You can also edit the auto-filled reference if needed.

  3. Ask the customer to tap or insert their card.

    • The terminal will begin processing the pre-authorisation.

    • If required, the customer may be prompted to enter their PIN.

  4. Once approved, a confirmation screen will appear and a receipt will automatically be printed.

This creates a pending transaction with funds held but not yet collected.


2. How to Increase the Value of an Existing Pre-Auth

If the final amount is expected to be higher than originally reserved, you can increment the pre-auth:

  1. In the menu, tap Pre-authorisations.

  2. Select the relevant transaction from the Pre-auth history list.

    • Use filters such as date, amount, card number, or reference to locate the transaction.

  3. On the Pre-auth detail screen, tap Increment.

  4. Enter the additional amount and tap Confirm.

    • The terminal processes the incremental authorisation.

  5. Once authorised, the updated reserved amount is confirmed and a new receipt is printed.

ℹ️ Note:

  • You can repeat this process multiple times until the transaction is captured.

  • The total amount cannot exceed issuer or card-scheme limits.

  • Excessive increments may trigger issuer risk checks or declines.


3. How to Finalise (Capture) a Pre-Authorised Transaction

When you are ready to collect the reserved funds:

  1. In the menu, tap Pre-authorisations.

  2. Select the relevant transaction from the Pre-auth history list.

  3. Review the amount on the Pre-auth detail screen.

    • You can adjust the amount by lowering or incrementing it if needed.

  4. Tap Capture.

  5. Tap Confirm to process the capture.

  6. Once approved, the transaction is completed and a receipt is printed.

The reserved funds now convert into a completed payment, and the pre-auth is closed.

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