Requirements
Card Holds are available only for businesses connected to Stripe.
To connect your Stripe account:
Go to Settings (top-right menu).
Select Payments.
Click Connect Stripe and complete the authentication steps.
Once connected, you’ll see a new section under Payments called Payment Protection.
Configuring Card Holds
Within Payment Protection, you can choose when and how holds are applied.
Set a Minimum Job Size
You can apply holds only to larger jobs or to all jobs.
For example, set a minimum of $500 to hold only on big jobs.
To hold on every job, set the minimum to $0.
This flexibility helps you avoid unnecessary holds on small jobs.
Choose When to Place the Hold
Decide when Allison should place the hold before the job starts:
12 hours before
24 hours before (recommended)
48 hours before
Tip: 24 hours is a good balance — it gives you enough time to contact the customer if the hold fails and update their payment method.
After setting your preferences, click Update to save. Card Holds will automatically apply to all future qualifying jobs.
Viewing and Managing Holds
Once configured, Allison automatically places holds based on your settings.
Viewing Holds on Jobs
When you expand a job, you’ll see an indicator such as: $183.36 hold active
If the hold fails, you’ll be notified in two places:
Inside the job view
On the Now screen under Jobs at Risk
Handling Failed Holds
If a hold fails, you can:
Retry the hold manually
Copy and send a link for the customer to update their card
Update the card manually from their profile
Hold Expirations
Holds automatically expire if not captured within a few days (per Stripe policy usually 5-7 days).
You can track holds nearing expiration in the Unpaid Invoices section.
Important: Capture payment before the hold expires to ensure you can successfully charge the customer.
If a hold expires:
You’ll need to reinitiate a new hold once the job falls back within your configured hold window.
Allison will automatically attempt to place that new hold when the time comes (e.g., 24 hours before the job).
Capturing Payments
When you charge a customer through Allison, the hold is captured and converts directly into a charge — there isn’t a separate hold and charge.
If the final charge amount is equal to or less than the hold, it appears as one transaction.
If you charge more than the hold amount (e.g., adding a tip), Stripe will create two separate transactions:
One for the captured hold (original amount)
One for the additional amount
You can view both transactions in your Stripe dashboard by clicking the payment details in the Invoice.
Scheduling and Timing Behavior
Allison checks for upcoming jobs that qualify for holds every 15 minutes. If a job falls within your configured “hold window” (e.g., 24 hours before the start time), Allison automatically attempts to place the hold at the next 15-minute interval.
If you schedule a job within that same window — for example, a next-day job — the hold will also be placed during the next 15-minute check.
If you don’t see a hold immediately, wait a few minutes and refresh.
Rescheduled Jobs
If you reschedule a job:
Within a few days (~5-7 days) of the original date, the hold remains active.
Outside that window, the original hold will expire, and a new hold is placed automatically once the job falls back within your configured hold window (e.g., 24 hours before the new date).
Customer Communication
It’s a good idea to let customers know you use card holds. Here’s sample wording you can use:
“To ensure smooth payment processing, we place a temporary authorization hold on your card 24 hours before your cleaning. This isn’t a charge—just a verification of funds that’s captured after your service.”
Key Notes
Holds are automatically released if the job is canceled or unpaid after expiration.
You can adjust or disable this feature anytime in Settings → Payments → Payment Protection.
Card Holds help protect your time and ensure customers have funds available before service.