---
title: Place and Manage a Card Hold on a Service Order
description: Set the card hold amount, send a hold link, and apply or release a hold on a service order so you know the card is good before a tech goes out.
---

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# Place and Manage a Card Hold on a Service Order

## Reserve money on the customer's card before the work starts, then apply it to the invoice or release it.

**For:** Dispatchers, managers and admins · **Permission:** Approve invoices or manage service orders (changing the amount in Settings needs account settings access) · **Time:** ~5 minutes

### Quick summary

1. Set the hold amount in **Settings › Integrations › Stripe**.
2. Send a Card on File or Credit/Debit Card order. MetaFleet reserves the amount on the customer's card, or sends the customer a hold link.
3. Check the **Card hold** card on the order's **Billing** tab.
4. When you send the invoice, the hold goes toward it and only the rest is charged.
5. If nothing is billed, release the hold.

### Before you start

- Stripe must be connected. [Connect it](https://support.metafleet.ai/connect-stripe-for-card-payments?hsLang=en) before you set the amount.
- Holds apply to orders paid by card (Card on File or Credit/Debit Card). **Manual Collection** orders get no hold.
- A hold reserves the money. Nothing is charged yet, and the customer's bank shows it as pending.
- A hold lasts up to 7 days, about 5 for Visa. After that it expires.

### Set the hold amount

1. Go to **Settings › Integrations** and open **Stripe**.
2. Find the **Card hold** section.
3. Enter the amount per order and click **Save**. The limit is $5,000.00. The badge reads **Off** until an amount is saved.

![Card hold section of the Stripe settings with the amount field, Save button and the What's a card hold? link](https://support.metafleet.ai/hs-fs/hubfs/knowledge-base/oct-2026/card-holds-on-service-orders-01-settings.png?width=550&height=184&name=card-holds-on-service-orders-01-settings.png)

Enter 0 to turn holds off. The section then reads **No holds are placed.** Brands with their own Stripe login get their own row under the amount, labeled **Brands with their own Stripe login**. Set each brand's amount there. Brands that share the main login use the shop amount. Click **What's a card hold?** for a short explanation you can share with your team.

> You need access to account settings to change the amount. Without it, the section is read-only.

### Choose the card on the order

When you create the order, pick **Credit/Debit Card** under **Payment method**. With a saved card selected, the form says the hold goes on that card when you submit and goes toward the invoice. With no card selected, it says MetaFleet emails the contact a link for the hold when you submit. **Enter card now** in that note lets you take the card by phone.

![Payment method on a new service order with Credit/Debit Card chosen and a note that a hold link is emailed on submit](https://support.metafleet.ai/hs-fs/hubfs/knowledge-base/oct-2026/card-holds-on-service-orders-04-create-hold-note.png?width=438&height=344&name=card-holds-on-service-orders-04-create-hold-note.png)

### Fix a hold that fails when you send the order

If the hold can't be placed at send time, the order isn't sent. A banner on the create page offers these choices:

- **Pick another card** or **Change payment method**, then submit again.
- **Send hold link instead** lets the customer enter their own card.
- **Send without a hold** shows only when the bank refused the card. The tech sees **Payment pending** until a hold is secured.
- If MetaFleet couldn't confirm the hold, click **Submit** again. It checks the same hold instead of placing a second one.

### See the hold on the order

Open the service order and go to the **Billing** tab. The **Card hold** card shows where the hold stands. A secured hold shows the amount held, the card, when it was placed and when it expires.

![Card hold card on the Billing tab reading Hold secured, with Place hold again, Release hold and Apply to invoice buttons](https://support.metafleet.ai/hs-fs/hubfs/knowledge-base/oct-2026/card-holds-on-service-orders-02-secured.png?width=909&height=270&name=card-holds-on-service-orders-02-secured.png)

These are the states you will see:

| What the card says | What it means | What you can do |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **No hold for this order.** (**Not needed**) | The order has no hold to place. | Nothing. |
| **Confirming the hold.** | MetaFleet is asking the customer's bank to reserve the amount. | Wait a moment. |
| **We couldn't confirm this hold.** | Stripe didn't answer, so the result is unknown. | If the order hasn't been sent, submit it again. It checks the same hold instead of placing a second one. |
| **Waiting for the customer.** We emailed the contact a link for the hold amount. | A hold link went out and the customer hasn't entered a card. | Click **Resend link**, copy the link, or click **Enter card now** to take the card by phone. |
| **Needs the cardholder to verify.** (hold link) | The customer's bank wants them to confirm the card. | The customer finishes on the same link. Resend it if they lost it. |
| **This card needs the cardholder to verify the hold with their bank** (saved card) | The bank's check can't be done from here yet, so no hold was placed. | On an unsent order, pick another saved card or change the payment method, then submit again. On a sent order, click **Send hold link**, **Enter card now** or **Use another card**. Until then the tech sees **Payment pending**. |
| The customer can try another card on the same link (hold link) | The bank refused the card the customer entered. | The customer retries on the same link, or you click **Enter card now**. |
| **The card was declined, so no hold was placed.** (saved card) | The bank refused the reservation. | On an unsent order, pick another saved card in the order's **Payment** section or change the payment method, then submit again. On a sent order, click **Use another card** or **Send hold link**. |
| **The payment method changed to** a method, **but this hold is still active.** | The order no longer pays by that card. | Click **Release hold**, unless the customer wants it put toward the invoice (**Apply to invoice**). |
| The hold closed before the invoice was paid (**The hold link was closed on** a date) | The invoice was sent before the customer entered a card. Nothing was held. | The invoice's payment link is for the full amount. |
| **Hold secured.** The amount is held on the card until a date and time. **You're covered for at least that amount.** | The amount is reserved. | Apply it to the invoice or release it. |
| **This hold expired on** a date | The hold ran its course. | Nothing. The invoice is charged in full the usual way. |

### Send a hold link

Use a hold link when the customer enters their own card. The customer opens the link, enters a card and, if the bank asks, verifies it there. Click **Send hold link** on the **Card hold** card. MetaFleet sends the link by text, email or both, to the order's contact. The card then reads **Waiting for the customer** and shows the amount, who the link went to and when.

![Card hold card reading Waiting for the customer, with Copy link, Enter card now and Resend link buttons](https://support.metafleet.ai/hs-fs/hubfs/knowledge-base/oct-2026/card-holds-on-service-orders-05-waiting.png?width=909&height=278&name=card-holds-on-service-orders-05-waiting.png)

The customer opens the link on a secure Stripe page. It shows the order number, the amount, and the card fields.

![The customer's hold page showing Card hold for the order number, the $50.00 amount, and the card information fields](https://support.metafleet.ai/hs-fs/hubfs/knowledge-base/oct-2026/card-holds-on-service-orders-06-customer-hold-page-v2.png?width=417&height=270&name=card-holds-on-service-orders-06-customer-hold-page-v2.png)

- If the contact has no mobile number and no email, the card says **No hold link was sent.** Add a contact method, or click **Enter card now**.
- After you click **Resend link**, the button reads **Sent just now** for a minute.
- If the customer says the text never came, click **Copy link** on the card.

> Get the card in before you send the invoice. Sending the invoice closes a hold link nobody has used, nothing is held, and the customer pays the full amount from the invoice's payment link.

### Apply the hold to the invoice

Sending the invoice applies a secured hold to it. To do it yourself once the invoice is out, click **Apply to invoice** on the **Card hold** card and confirm. The customer then pays only the balance. If the invoice changed after it was sent, a **Changed after sending** dialog opens first and shows what was billed and what the order is now (for example, "Billed $175.00, order now $437.25."). Click **Apply $175.00 and close** to apply the hold at the billed amount, or **Resend invoice first** to bill the new total before you apply. If the hold is larger than the invoice, the unused part is released back to the card.

> If the invoice drops below the amount the hold already collected, MetaFleet refunds the difference to the same card when you send the invoice. The **Card hold** card then shows **Refunded to the card**, and the order log notes it. If the card refuses the refund, the extra stays on the order as money on account.

The apply button is off until an invoice is out, and after the invoice is paid.

If Stripe doesn't answer while the hold is being applied, the invoice stays locked. After a few minutes, click **Check Stripe** on the **Billing** tab. The button stays off until the time shown next to it. If the hold was collected, MetaFleet records it. If it wasn't, the invoice unlocks. If Stripe is still processing, the invoice stays locked. Check Stripe never charges or releases the card.

### Release a hold

Click **Release hold** when no work will be billed, or when the payment method changed and the customer doesn't want the hold used. The customer's bank removes the pending amount, usually within a few days. The card then reads **Released**, for example **The $50.00 hold was released on Oct 14, 7:47 PM.** A hold is also released on its own when the order is cancelled or closed with no charge.

![Card hold card reading Released, with the amount, the date, and a note that nothing is reserved on the card now](https://support.metafleet.ai/hs-fs/hubfs/knowledge-base/oct-2026/card-holds-on-service-orders-03-released.png?width=909&height=146&name=card-holds-on-service-orders-03-released.png)

### Renew a hold that is about to expire

Within a day of its end, a secured hold offers a renewal if the invoice is not out yet. Click **Place hold again** for a saved card. For a card the customer entered, click **Enter card now** or **Send a new hold link**.

### Watch for hold alerts

Hold changes show in your alerts, for example when a hold is secured, declined, needs the cardholder to verify, is about to expire, expires or is refunded. Technicians see a **Payment pending** chip on the job until a hold is secured.

### Troubleshooting

| Symptom | Likely cause | Fix |
| --- | --- | --- |
| The order has no Card hold card | The amount in Settings is 0, Stripe isn't connected, or the payment type isn't a card | Check **Settings › Integrations › Stripe**. |
| The link wasn't sent | The contact has no mobile number or email | Add one, or click **Enter card now**. |
| Apply to invoice is off | No invoice is out yet, or it's already paid | Send the invoice first. Sending applies the hold. |
| The customer was charged in full | The hold expired before the invoice was paid | Nothing to fix. Expired holds are charged the usual way. |
| Declined hold on a sent order | The bank refused the card | The tech sees **Payment pending**. Click **Use another card** or **Send hold link**. |

### FAQs

**Is the customer charged when the hold is placed?**  
No. The amount is reserved and shows as pending. The real total is taken out of it at billing.

**Does the hold add to the invoice?**  
No. It goes toward the invoice, and only the rest is charged.

**What if no work is billed?**  
Release the hold. The customer's bank removes the pending amount, usually within a few days.

**How long does a hold last?**  
Up to 7 days, about 5 for Visa.

**How do I turn holds off?**  
Enter 0 as the amount in **Settings › Integrations › Stripe**.

### Related articles

- [Approve and Send an Invoice](https://support.metafleet.ai/approve-and-send-an-invoice?hsLang=en)
- [Review and Pay an Invoice](https://support.metafleet.ai/review-and-pay-an-invoice?hsLang=en)

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