WooCommerce Square: Authorization vs. Charge for Bookly

Overview

When a WooCommerce/Square integration needs to capture card details at checkout without immediately charging the customer, the solution is to change the Transaction Type setting from Charge to Authorization. This is a native WooCommerce Square setting — no custom code or Zapier integration is required.

This pattern is useful for service businesses (spas, salons, hotels) where the final charge amount may differ from the booking amount due to in-person upsells.

The Problem

By default, WooCommerce Square is set to Charge, which immediately collects payment at checkout. For businesses that want to:

• Hold a card on file without charging it upfront
• Allow staff to add services or products at the time of the appointment
• Charge the final (potentially higher) amount after the visit

…the default Charge setting is incorrect. Workarounds involving custom zero-dollar cart values or Zapier automations are fragile and unnecessary.

This issue was encountered with ^[1] and their Bookly booking setup.

The Solution

Change the WooCommerce Square Transaction Type to Authorization.

Steps

1. In the WordPress admin, go to WooCommerce → Settings
2. Click the Payments tab
3. Find Square in the payment methods list and click Manage
4. Locate the Transaction Type field
5. Change the value from Charge to Authorization
6. Save settings

⚠️ Always make this change on the staging site first and verify the full capture flow before touching production.

How Authorization Works

When Transaction Type is set to Authorization:

• At checkout, Square blocks (reserves) the authorized amount on the customer's card
• The funds are not transferred to the merchant immediately
• The merchant must later capture (collect) the payment — either manually in the Square dashboard or by triggering capture through WooCommerce

This is the same mechanism used by:
- Hotels — authorizing the full room cost at check-in, collecting at checkout
- Restaurants — pre-authorizing before the tip is added

For a spa or salon context, this means the card is secured at booking, and staff can add products or additional services during the visit before the final charge is captured.

Completing the Capture

After the authorization is placed, the merchant must collect the funds:

• In Square: Navigate to the transaction and manually capture it
• Timing: Can be done at the time of the appointment (when the final amount is known) or batched at end of day

Authorizations expire if not captured within a set window (typically 7 days for card-not-present), so timely capture is important.

Caveats

• Mixed carts (product + service): If a customer checks out with both a product (charge immediately) and a service (authorize only), a single Transaction Type setting applies to the whole cart. This edge case may require additional logic or a workflow accommodation.
• Custom code: Prior attempts using E-Shock's zero-dollar cart code and Zapier are unnecessary with this approach and should be removed to reduce complexity.
• Long-term fit: For clients with complex UX requirements (e.g., ^[1]), WordPress/WooCommerce/Bookly may be a temporary solution. A custom-developed site may better serve the intended user experience.

Related

• ^[1] — client where this issue was identified
• ^[2] (if exists)