---
title: "Credit card pre-authorizations | Helcim Learn article series"
slug: "credit-card-pre-authorizations-aka-holds"
description: "Explore our comprehensive guide to credit card pre-authorizations, covering what they are, how to create them, and how to capture funds."
updated: 2025-06-03T16:47:27Z
published: 2025-06-03T16:47:27Z
canonical: "learn.helcim.com/credit-card-pre-authorizations-aka-holds"
---

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://learn.helcim.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Credit card pre-authorizations (a.k.a. holds)

Credit card pre-authorizations allow you to verify funds or place a temporary hold for an amount on a customer's credit card without processing a charge. This is especially useful for businesses where the final transaction amount might fluctuate, like rentals or service industries, or for security deposits.

This series of articles will guide you through everything you need to know about pre-authorizations, from understanding their purpose to creating and capturing them.

### Contents

---

| ![Payments tool icon in the Helcim dashboard and app](https://cdn.document360.io/4e721329-1a9d-4ef0-8d2f-497e0c1f185a/Images/Documentation/payments(3).png) | [What are credit card pre-authorizations?](/v1/docs/what-are-credit-card-pre-authorizations) |
| --- | --- |
| ![Payments tool icon in the Helcim dashboard and app](https://cdn.document360.io/4e721329-1a9d-4ef0-8d2f-497e0c1f185a/Images/Documentation/payments(3).png) | [Create a credit card pre-authorization](/v1/docs/create-credit-card-pre-authorizations) |
| ![Payments tool icon in the Helcim dashboard and app](https://cdn.document360.io/4e721329-1a9d-4ef0-8d2f-497e0c1f185a/Images/Documentation/payments(3).png) | [Capture a credit card pre-authorization](/v1/docs/capture-credit-card-pre-authorizations) |