Capture
When a credit card payment is made – a pre-authorization or reservation is carried out. Capture refers to the point in time where the credit card is finally charged, and the amount is debited. The end customer doesn’t have to expect to be charged until this time, even if the credit card information is recorded or entered. Once the reservation and capture take place, it is equivalent to full authorization.
Capture allows the online merchant to transfer the amount from the customer’s credit card account to his account. Before a capture could happen, the amount cannot reach the online merchant. The reason being when a purchase is made in an online store, the amount is not debited from the end customer’s credit card in real time – only the reservation takes place. If delivery is possible, the online retailer accepts the order and initiates shipping. At this point, a full amount or a partial amount (depending on the agreed payment mode) booked from the credit card is called capture. If the capture is not carried out within a certain time, often a week, after the reservation, the booking may expire.
