Manage payments
After a shopper authorizes a payment, you may need to capture a different amount, release an unused authorization, or refund funds that were already captured. Airwallex supports these operations so you can align post-payment handling with your business process.
Place a hold on a payment method
A hold (authorization without immediate capture) reserves funds on the shopper’s payment method for a limited time. The PaymentIntent stays in an authorized state until you capture, cancel, or the authorization expires.
Use this when you want to confirm the shopper can pay before you ship goods, finalize a booking, or settle the final amount. This is useful for scenarios where the final charge amount isn't known upfront, such as hotel deposits, car rentals, or pre-orders. Holds are supported only for eligible payment methods (for example, cards and some Buy now, Pay later methods) and are subject to scheme and issuer expiry rules.
Capture funds
Captures move authorized funds into your settlement flow (subject to your settlement and reserve settings. With a hold in place, you call capture when you are ready to charge the shopper.
Partial capture means you capture less than the authorized amount. The portion you do not capture is typically released back to the shopper according to scheme and product behavior. You cannot capture more than the authorized amount.
Cancellations
Cancellations apply when you want to end a PaymentIntent before funds are captured. You release the authorization so the hold clears on the shopper’s side (timing can depend on their bank). It is used when you no longer intend to capture the payment. Common cancellation scenarios include order cancellations before fulfillment, out-of-stock situations, or expired authorizations.
Refunds
Refunds return money after a payment has been successfully captured. Unlike cancellations which release reservations, refunds transfer captured funds from your account back to the shopper. You can issue full or partial refunds up to the remaining refundable amount, subject to payment method rules, dispute state, and available refundable funds.
Payment method support
Not all payment methods support these operations. Many local payment methods process payments immediately without authorization holds. Refund timing and eligibility also vary by payment method. See individual payment method documentation for specific capabilities.