Preauthorized payment when order did not go through

[dith8]

I tried to place order 4 times and used PayPal to make the payment but the orders could not go through. However I received notification in my PayPal account that there were 4 pre authorization made to the cards registered under the account. Will the amount be refunded since the orders did not go through? 3 of those preauthorization were made to my debit card and I’m not sure if the refund process would be different to those made to credit card. Thank you in advance!

[Valentine_F]

I'm so sorry I can't help i just wish there was an answer because the same problem happened to me.  

[PayPal_Ayesha]

Hello @dith8 and @Valentine_F,

Welcome to PayPal Community Forum and thank you for posting!

I understand your concern about the payments to the merchant being deducted however the the order was not placed. Please note that an order or authorization is an agreement between you and the merchant to purchase an item for a set amount. For most purchases, the merchant will complete the payment within a few days of receiving the order. For purchases of goods, many sellers will complete the payment when they are ready to ship your items. Typically, the merchant has 30 days to fulfill an order, however, the order expiry date can vary depending on the merchant. During this time, the transaction status will remain as ‘Pending’ until the merchant takes the payment. The status will then change to ‘Complete’.

If the merchant doesn’t complete your order within this timeframe, your order will be automatically canceled and the transaction status changes to ‘Expired.’ PayPal may be able to void pending orders and authorizations from your account after 30 calendar days and the funds would get reversed to the original payment method. If you wish to cancel a pending order before the 30-day timeframe has passed, you must contact the merchant to do so.

Best Wishes,
Ayesha

[dith8]

Thanks Ayesha for the reply! I did ask the merchant, but they only see one transaction made and went thru (which is the correct ones) and not the other 4 transactions that failed. So they couldn’t do much from their end as well. I can provide the email communication between me and the merchant. Can PayPal help in this case?

[PayPal_Bindu]

Hey @dith8, 

Thanks for the information @PayPal_Ayesha! An Authorization is just a temporary charge.  No need to worry! As the orders didn't go through, the pending authorizations will get voided, the charges will be removed from your bank and the funds would be returned to your available balance. I recommend you to wait for few more days. In the mean time, you can also check with your bank about these temporary charges. 

I hope this information helps!

Bindu