Taking deposits with pre-authorisation

A deposit protects the diary. But taking money weeks before treatment means refunds when plans change, and refunds cost time and goodwill. Pre-authorisation is the middle path: the card is checked and the amount is held, and nothing is taken until you say so.

Hold, capture or release

• Open Take a payment, enter the patient, the reference and the amount, and choose pre-authorise instead of charge
• The patient's card issuer holds the amount; you see the hold in Payments with its own status
• When the patient attends, capture it from the payment and it becomes a normal paid payment with a receipt
• If they cancel in time, release it; the hold falls away and the payment shows as cancelled, with the reason recorded

When to hold and when to take

Hold when the money is a commitment rather than a fee: a consultation slot, a procedure booking, a room. Take when the payment is for something already delivered or ordered on the patient's behalf, such as a lab item. Instalment plans are for spreading the cost of treatment that is going ahead; the deposit on a plan is taken, not held.

Things to tell the patient

• A hold shows in their banking app as pending, not as a charge, and their bank decides how long a hold lasts
• Capture before the hold lapses; if it does lapse you will need to take the payment again
• A released hold has nothing to refund, so there is no wait for money to come back

Duplicate protection

The virtual terminal warns before taking what looks like a duplicate: the same amount for the same patient in quick succession. That matters most on deposit days, when a patient may be on the phone while a colleague is already keying the same booking.

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