Completing a payment card transaction involves two steps:
1) authorizing the purchase
2) settling the transaction
The authorization process does not transfer funds from the cardholder to the merchant. It's simply the bank's way of telling the merchant that the funds for a purchase exist and those funds are put on "hold" pending a charge.
Our minimum time costs $10 for a 5-minute call. When you call in to pay by phone we authorize your card the $10. So, if you talk 3 minutes or the full 5 minutes it's still $10. You are automatically billed once you hang up the phone.
When you EXTEND a call By Phone we will authorize your card for 20 additional minutes of time which is $40. Because you are extending the call you are not "charged" $40. It is a HOLD of funds. When you connect back to our Agent and continue your call you are not billed until that call is done. So, if you only talk an extra 3 minutes you are actually only billed for those 3 minutes which would be another $6. Once the call is billed by the system the $40 disappears and becomes the $6.
Our system will not authorize their card until the agent presses 1 to accept the call. So, if for some reason the Agent that you selected does not answer the phone or does not accept your call... then you will not have a hold on your card. You can simply make another choice.
If you Pay Online instead of By Phone you can add ANY amount of funds you wish. It works like a savings account in a way. The money REMAINS in your account until you use it. You will never lose your money. A client may only want one payment on their bill instead of several each time they extend a call by phone. Many clients deposit $100 or more and then use those funds up all month long. This is your opportunity to do that.
A "hold" on your funds will typically last anywhere from 24 hours to 3 days. At that time YOUR bank will drop the authorization. We do not have control over how long your bank puts your funds on hold. If it is a debit card that you are using that will likely depend on your bank's opinion about your spending habits.
If you have a hold on your card by our company and did not do a call that authorization can be removed. You can call your bank after 24 hours and ask them to release the funds. We cannot do anything about a hold through your bank.
If you would like more information about authorizations then please visit this link below for a very detailed explanation.