Using Pre-Authorization

When you have a customer who want to start a tab, you can enable Pre-Authorization to capture card information without physically holding the card.  

Pre-Authorized transactions will save into the Open tab in your order list. This also allows you to begin a pre-authorized tab on one station and bring it up later on other iPad stations, whether the Validate feature is on or off. To start :

1. Login as an admin, then navigate to: Back Office > Settings
2. Choose General on the top left,  and then tap on Pre-Authorization 
3. On the following screen, tap on the toggle to the right of Pre-Authorization to turn it on.  

When you turn this on, the Validate Card option will check the customer’s card balance for the amount you choose in the Default Pre-Authorization Amount Leave Validate Card on if you want to make sure the customer has a minimum available before you start their receipt. The pre-authorized card can only be used when the receipt total is less than the pre-authorized amount.

If you decide not to check the customer’s minimum balance, you can tap on the toggle to the right of Validate Card to turn it off. 

Helpful pre-auth behavior tips:

• Gateways which do not support Pre-authorization include: Creditcall and TriPOS.
• If Validate Card is disabled and there is an internet outage, the pre-auth transaction will only appear on the iPad that last touched the order. 
  • Example: If a non-validated pre-auth is started on iPad A, and the customer adds an additional item to their tab on iPad B, the pre-auth is held on iPad B. 
• The Validate Card option is not visible and cannot be edited when using an EMV-enabled card reader in EMV-mode. For customers with the iPP320 or iCT250 this option is hidden as EMV requires the card to be present and validated by your processor automatically.
• Pre-Authorization in EMV-mode cannot attach the customers name to the order. EMV rules prevent the reader from sending this to the register app directly.
• If Validate Card is enabled, you are required to enter an amount to pre-authorize. This will hold the funds from the customer, and the pre-auth will fall off within a few days (this is dependent on the customers bank).
  • Example: If you pre-authorize the customers card for $20, there will be a $20 hold on the customers account. If you exceed the authorization amount in talech Register, the pre-auth will be cancelled and you will lose all card information captured. This will require a re-swipe.