Pre-Authorization & Exact Authorization
Credit Card Charge FAQs

A pre-authorization is a hold for a pre-determined amount that is put on a consumer’s card when they swipe or tap their card or tap their mobile wallet at an unattended point of sale, like a vending machine. The pending charge stays in place until the final amount is posted approximately 24 – 72 hours later. Pre-authorizations are intended to ensure a payment can be processed.

Consumers shopping at vending machines or at a self-service retail market will see a pre-authorization (or what may look like a “pending charge”) on their card. The pre-authorization amount will remain until the final amount is updated and posted, typically within 24 – 72 hours of purchase. Please note that this pre-authorization process is standard procedure for many merchants and banks.

The transaction goes through a number of steps to get from one bank account to another as it’s being processed. The acquiring bank will issue an authorization request to the card issuing bank through the process, sending the approval back, for the final amount to be posted once funds have been acknowledged and transferred. Note that some banks may add additional days to the process, for example if the account holder is not in good standing. Please visit FIS Global’s website for additional information on credit card processing. 

We pre-authorize up to $5 for Cantaloupe card readers to we and our customers stay compliant with Visa Core Rules and Visa Product and Service Rules, related to unattended transactions for the sale of food and beverages (section 5.8.3 Table 5-13: Special Authorization Request Allowances and Requirements, page 380).

First, be sure to remove any decals on machines that may refer to the prior pre-authorization amount of $1.50. Operators can access new, updated decals to add to their machines, indicating the temporary $5 hold, by visiting Cantaloupe’s online store.

This replaces the hold of a predetermined amount (pre-auth) with a hold that is the exact amount of the transaction. This is not the final charge.

A consumer purchases a Snickers bar for $2.25 at an operator’s vending machine.

If pre-authorization is enabled on the card reader, the consumer will see a fixed amount held on their card – in the example, we’ll go with $5.

If exact authorization is enabled on the card reader, the consumer will see the exact transaction amount held on their card – $2.25.

Currently, exact authorization is only available on G10 and G11 devices operating in single vend mode.

This applies to the card reader and only allows for one item to vend per transaction (even if the machine has multi-vend capabilities).

This also applies to the card reader and allows for more than one item to vend per transaction.

Your machine will only vend one item per transaction. If a consumer wishes to purchase more than one item at a machine, they will need to perform multiple transactions.

Submit a request to your sales representative or account manager via email. Once a request is made to switch your device(s) from pre-authorization mode to exact authorization mode, it will be added to a queue. If the machines you wish to change are operating in multi-vend mode, we will first need to change them to single vend mode.

Our team will push the changes over-the-air. Updates will be applied to the device during the next scheduled overnight update.