Question 1

How long can a security deposit hold last in 2026?

Accepted Answer

It depends on the payment provider and the customer's payment method. Mollie supports up to 30 days on Mastercard and Cartes Bancaires, 7 days on Visa and American Express, 28 days on Klarna and Billie, and 180 days on Vipps. PayPal guarantees 3 days at authorization and PayRequest auto-extends it to 29 days. Stripe defaults to 7 days, with up to 30 days on Mastercard when your account is on Interchange-Plus pricing with Extended Authorization eligibility.

Question 2

Why does my deposit show 7 days when I configured 28?

Accepted Answer

The bank's hold window is the hard ceiling, not the product's Hold Duration setting. If your customer paid with a Visa card via Mollie, or with any card via Stripe on standard pricing, the network only guarantees the hold for 7 days regardless of what you configured. The Hold Duration field is PayRequest's internal target — it tells PayRequest when to auto-release. The bank decides the maximum.

Question 3

Can I extend a security deposit hold that's about to expire?

Accepted Answer

Only on PayPal — and PayRequest does it automatically every 3 days up to day 29 of the original authorization. Mollie and Stripe do not support extending an existing authorization. If you need longer than the bank's window allows, release the existing hold and create a new deposit, which means asking the customer to re-authorize.

Question 4

How do I get Stripe's 30-day extended authorization?

Accepted Answer

You need to be on Interchange-Plus pricing with Stripe. Contact Stripe support from your connected Stripe account and request a pricing migration — each connected Standard account owns its own pricing relationship. PayRequest already sends request_extended_authorization=if_available on every Checkout Session, so the longer window activates automatically once your account is eligible. Mastercard typically gets 30 days; Visa and Amex are narrower.

Question 5

What happens when a security deposit hold expires?

Accepted Answer

The bank releases the funds and the hold cannot be re-captured. In PayRequest the deposit status switches to Expired (red badge) and the Capture action is disabled. The customer's available balance returns to normal within 1–3 business days, sometimes up to 7. If you still need to charge for damages, you have to invoice the customer separately through a new payment link.

Question 6

What if PayPal reauthorization fails before day 29?

Accepted Answer

PayRequest logs the failure and flags the deposit. The hold is no longer guaranteed at that point — the bank may release the funds early. Capture immediately if you still need the funds, or contact the customer to set up a new deposit. In practice this is rare (low single-digit percent), typically caused by a cancelled card on file or a suspended PayPal account.

Question 7

Does the customer see the hold deadline?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The branded customer status page shows a live progress bar with the start date, expected end date, and remaining hold time. The bar turns red when 2 days or less remain. Customers also receive automatic email notifications when the deposit is authorized, captured (full or partial), or released.

Question 8

Are these windows guaranteed, or just typical?

Accepted Answer

Mollie's captureBefore, PayPal's honor period, and Stripe's capture_before are the deadlines the PSP commits to — surfaced verbatim in PayRequest. The underlying bank may, in rare cases, release a hold earlier (for example, if the customer disputes it). Treat these windows as deadlines, not minimums, and capture or release with a small buffer.

Question 9

Which PSP gives the longest security deposit hold window?

Accepted Answer

For mainstream cards, Mollie wins with 30 days on Mastercard and Cartes Bancaires, with no special pricing required. For Norwegian and Swedish customers paying with Vipps via Mollie, the window stretches to 180 days. PayPal effectively gives you 29 days through automated reauthorization. Stripe matches Mollie at 30 days only if you're on Interchange-Plus pricing and the card brand is eligible — otherwise it caps at 7 days.

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