Simple-use Tutorial How to Process a Credit Card PRE-AUTH Transaction in PCCharge

What Is a Pre-Auth Transaction? A credit card Pre-Auth transaction can be described as the first half of a Sale transaction. After performing a Pre-Auth, it is necessary to complete the sale by performing a Post-Auth transaction. After performing a Post-Auth, the transaction is completed, and you can close or settle your batch.

Why Would I Use a Post/Pre-Auth? A credit card Pre-Auth transaction only sets the money aside, and a Post-Auth (on that transaction) tells the processing company that you really want to transfer the funds from the cardholder’s account to your account. This type of transaction is useful in “estimated” totals, where the final total is not yet known. The Post-Auth total can be less than the Pre-Auth total.

Processing a Pre-Auth Click the credit card icon near the top left of the PCCharge main window.

Transaction Window PCCharge’s transaction window will appear.

Select the Pre-Auth Tab Select the Pre-Auth tab near the top of the transaction window.

Enter All Transaction Information  For Credit Card Number, enter the credit card number without spaces, hyphens (-), or slashes (/).  For Card Member, enter the cardholder’s name.  For Exp. Date, enter the card’s expiration date in MMYY (month & year) format, without hyphens (-) or slashes (/).

Enter All Transaction Information  For Amount, enter the amount you want to charge the cardholder. Use DDDD.CC format (dollars and cents) without a dollar sign ($).  For Ticket Number, enter a number you’ve created (such as a purchase order number).  For Zip Code, enter the cardholder’s ZIP code.

Enter All Transaction Information  For Street, enter the cardholder’s street address.  In Card Verification Value:  For Visa/MC/Discover cards, this is the last three digits of the long number on the back of the card.  For American Express cards, this is the four digit number number on the front of the card.

Click Process. PCCharge will then connect to your processing company (which will process the transaction). Your phone may or may not dial, depending on your processing company. Completing the Transaction

In Closing You should have gotten back a response of CAPTURED, APPROVED, or some “successful” response. You will also receive a REFERENCE NUMBER or AUTH CODE. If you didn’t, it may be necessary to contact your processor or VeriFone PCCharge Technical Support. Remember, the amount specified during a Pre-Auth transaction isn’t authorized for transfer from the cardholder’s account to your account until a Post-Auth is performed. Also, it may be necessary to close or settle your batch (depending on your processing company). Consult the PCCharge manual or help file for further details.