Void a payment authorization in Shopify
A void is not a refund. When a payment was only authorized and never captured, there is nothing to send back, so canceling the order voids the authorization: the hold on the customer's card is released and nothing settles. When a payment was already captured, canceling issues a refund instead. Knowing which one you are looking at decides what the customer sees on their statement.
Written · Shopify admin, desktop steps · 4 minutes read
The worked example
| Order | #1043, $132.00, payment Authorized |
| Action | Cancel order before capture |
| Payment status after | Voided |
| Charged to the customer | $0.00 |
| Refunded | $0.00, nothing to refund |
| Captured order | Cancels as Refunded, not Voided |
Download the record: voided-authorizations-log.csv (203 bytes).
A log of the two example orders in this tutorial, showing what happens to the money when an order whose payment was never captured is canceled and when a captured order is canceled.
1Open the order and read the payment status
From your Shopify admin, go to Orders and open the order. In this tutorial order #1043 shows a payment status of Authorized, which means the card is held but the money has not been captured.
2Click Cancel order
Open the order actions and click Cancel order. Canceling an order means you are stopping an order that is in process, for example because the customer asked to cancel or you suspect the order is fraudulent.
3Choose the refund option
The cancel dialog offers refund options. If the payment was never captured, there is nothing to refund, and Shopify voids the authorization instead. Pick the option that matches the order state; for an order whose payment was never captured, no refund is issued.
4Confirm the void
Confirm the cancellation. When you cancel an order, the payment status changes as follows: if the payment was not captured, then the payment status changes to Voided. If the payment was fully refunded, the payment status changes to Refunded.
5Check the timeline
After you cancel an order, the details about what items are restocked and refunded is stored in the order's Timeline. Open the timeline and confirm there is an authorization and a void, and no refund.
The arithmetic
They are simple because a void moves no money at all:
| Order | Amount | Charged | Refunded |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1043, canceled before capture | $132.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| #1044, canceled after capture | $132.00 | $132.00 | $132.00 |
| Difference between the two | $0.00 | $132.00 | $132.00 |
The $132.00 is the same on both rows; what differs is the path the money took. On #1043 the authorization is voided, so $0.00 was ever charged and $0.00 is refunded. On #1044 the $132.00 was charged at checkout and is refunded in full on cancellation.
Held at the counter
A void is not a refund on the statement. A voided authorization releases the hold on the card, but the customer may still see the authorization as a pending charge for up to 30 days, depending on their bank. Tell the customer the difference: nothing was charged, and the pending hold will drop off.
You cannot void after a partial capture. After an authorization has been partially captured, it can no longer be voided by any means. It must either be captured, or left to expire after the authorization period. Capture the rest or wait it out.
Do not cancel an already refunded order in bulk. Do not cancel an already refunded order in bulk. Bulk cancellation can trigger duplicate refund processing because the refund prompt might not be displayed. Cancel it individually and select the Later refund option.
Sources
- Canceling orders — Shopify's help pages: the payment status changes on cancel, the refund options, the timeline record, and the bulk cancellation warning.
- Payment authorization and capture — Shopify's help pages: authorization and capture, and what Authorized means before capture.