Pre-Authorization Payments

A Pre-Authorization Payment temporary reserves the payment amount on a debit or credit card. The purpose of a pre-authorization is to verify that the cardholder has sufficient credit available to cover a transaction and to temporarily set aside that amount until you capture the funds.

Pre-Authorization Payments are only available for same-currency payments, not for FX payments.

Example for a Pre-Authorization Payment:

A guest checks into a hotel for a three-night stay, and you place a pre-authorization on their credit card for the estimated cost of the stay.

Check-In: You pre-authorizes $600 on the guest's credit card ($150 per night plus $150 deposit). This reduces the guest's available credit by $600 but is not yet charged.

During the Stay: The guest orders room service for $50.

Check-Out: The final bill is $500 ($450 for room charges plus $50 for room service). You capture $500 from the pre-authorization. The remaining $100 from the original hold is returned to the guest's available credit.

Creating and Managing Pre-Authorization Payments

A Pre-Authorization Payment is split into two distinct steps:

Pre-authorization of funds (via Checkout , Flywire API or Elements )

With pre-authorization, you reserve funds on the card for a certain amount of time (the holding period). The funds are reserved but not withdrawn.
How do I pre-authorize funds?
Via Checkout :

You can create a single Pre-Authorization Payment, see Checkout for Pre-Authorization Payments.

Via Flywire API:

You can create a single Pre-Authorization Payment as a Payment Request, see Creating a Payment Request.

Via Elements:

You have two options:
- You can create a single Pre-Authorization Payment.
- You can also start Self-Managed Recurring Payments with a Pre-Authorization Payment.
How long is the holding period?
How long funds can be reserved depends on the card issuer and other circumstances. At the moment, Flywire can reserve the funds for 7 days. The period starts from the day the Pre-Authorization Payment is created.

If you want to hold funds for longer, you can extend the holding period.

If you want to release the block on the funds before the holding period ends, you can cancel the Pre-Authorization Payment.

The blocked amount returns back to the cardholder's credit:
- if you don't capture the funds within the holding period
- if you cancel a Pre-Authorization Payment (immediately after cancelling)
Can I change the amount that is being reserved?

Yes, there is an option to adjust the pre-authorization amount, see Adjusting or Extending a Pre-Authorization Payment.

If you created the Pre-Authorization Payment via Checkout or the Flywire API:

You can always extend the holding period and adjust the amount during the holding period.

If you created the Pre-Authorization Payment via Elements:

You can extend the holding period and adjust the amount during the holding period unless you manually set the authorization to finalwhen you created the payment.
Capturing the funds (via the Flywire API)

When the funds are captured, the card is charged and funds are withdrawn. You can manually capture funds anytime during the holding period.

If you want to hold funds for longer, you can extend the holding period.

If you want to release the block on the funds before the holding period ends, you can cancel the Pre-Authorization Payment.

Do I have to capture the exact pre-authorized amount?

You can capture the exact pre-authorized amount or less, but not more.

If you capture less, the remaining balance is released back to the cardholder immediately and the payment will be updated to reflect the captured amount.
What happens if I don't capture the payment during the holding period?
The blocked amount returns back to the cardholder's credit:
- if you don't capture the funds within the holding period
- if you cancel a Pre-Authorization Payment (immediately after cancelling)

Checkout

The Checkout implementation allows you to embed the Checkout Experience into your own website.

With Checkout, your payers never leave your website:

With the click of a button on your website the Checkout Experience form opens for the payer.
In the form, the payer can choose their preferred payment method and complete the payment.
After the payment is completed and the form is closed, the payer either is returned to the original page or is redirected to a page you specified.

You can use Checkout for the following payment types:

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How to embed the Checkout Experience via Checkout

This simplified html example shows you how to implement the Checkout Experience in your website:

Script

Add the script that opens the Checkout Experience to your page.

The script source is

https://checkout.flywire.com/flywire-payment.js

Button

Add a button (or other element or event) to trigger the Checkout Experience form.

Event Handler

Add an event handler that defines what happens after the button is clicked.

Configuration

Set your portal specific payment configuration options. See List of Configuration Parameters for all parameters.

Render

Render the Checkout Experience form with the specified configuration.

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
  <head>
    <!-- Include the flywire.js script -->
    <script src="https://checkout.flywire.com/flywire-payment.js"></script>
  </head>
  <body>
    <!-- Add a button element -->
    <button onclick="pay()">
      Make Payment
    </button>

    <script>
      // Add an event handler
      function pay() {
        var config = {
          // See sample configuration options
        };

        var modal = window.FlywirePayment.initiate(config);
        modal.render();
      }
    </script>
  </body>
</html>

Flywire API

The Flywire API allows you to integrate Flywire’s payment services into your own system. You can build a custom user interface while taking advantage of Flywire’s payment network, ensuring a smooth and secure payment experience.

Grand Horizons Travel Backoffice

This is just a demo user interface to visualise what you could build with the API - you can't perform any actions here.

Flywire Elements

Flywire Elements is an integration that provides access to a library of elements. These elements combine UI components (like input fields or dropdowns) with functionality (like charging a payment). You display them on your website to provide payment functionality.

This integration requires Flywire API credentials and the ability to make API requests for creating and confirming Checkout Sessions.

Smart Rendering

Smart Rendering means you render Flywire Elements on your website with the help of the Flywire SDK script.

Extensive customization

Select which payer fields to display, choose the language, and customize the appearance, such as fonts and colors.

Responsive layout

Optimized responsive layout for desktop and mobile devices.

Easy event handling

Simply define what should happen in case of success or errors - no need to filter individual postMessages.

As a fallback option, you can render Flywire Elements in an iframe on your website. The iframe sources a URL that is generated via the Flywire API.

Which Elements are available?

How do I implement Elements?

Implementing the Payment Element

Your Website

How would you like to pay?

Card

Just save new card

Save new card and make first payment

Use existing card

Direct Debit

SEPA

BACS

EFT Canada

ACH