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Charge Status and Safe Retry

Every card and bank charge in MaidCentral Pulse carries a status. Reading the status correctly — especially before charging a customer a second time — is the difference between fixing a problem and doubling it. This guide explains the statuses, what the system does to prevent duplicate charges, and how to investigate when a customer looks double-charged.

danger

Never charge a customer again just because the first attempt "looks stuck." A charge whose outcome is unknown may have already moved money. Verify at the processor first, and when in doubt, contact support.

What do the charge statuses mean?​

These are the statuses you will see on transactions in Pulse:

StatusWhat it means
PendingThe attempt started but its final outcome is not recorded yet. The money may or may not have moved.
AuthorizedA hold was placed on the card, but the money has not been captured. Common with preauthorization.
CapturedThe charge completed and will be deposited to you. Settled charges also display as captured.
VoidedThe charge was cancelled before settlement. The customer is not charged.
Refunded / Partially refundedMoney was returned to the customer, in full or in part.
DeclinedThe card issuer or bank said no. No money moved.
ErrorThe attempt failed with an error. Treat like a decline, but read the error message.

Some statuses have "partial" variants behind the scenes (for example, a partially captured or partially voided amount); Pulse displays them under the main status names above.

A charge has been Pending for a long time — is it safe to charge again?​

Not until you know what happened to the first attempt. Here is what the system does, and what it protects you from:

Pulse blocks repeat charges on the same job​

Before charging a job, Pulse records the attempt. If a previous attempt on that job is still unresolved, a new charge is blocked with this message:

"A previous charge attempt on this job has not finished. Check the card processor for a matching transaction before charging again."

That block exists because an unresolved attempt may have already taken the money — charging again could take it a second time. The block has no time limit; an old unresolved attempt is treated as more worrying, not less.

Pulse also blocks look-alike duplicate charges​

A second charge of the same amount on the same job within 2 hours is blocked with:

"This job was already charged $X in the last 2 hours. No second charge was made. If a second charge of the same amount is intended, take it from the customer's Transactions tab."

Only attempts that ended in a known-safe state — failed, declined, error, voided, or refunded — are treated as safe to charge again. A different amount (for example, a tip added after the first charge) is allowed through, because that is a legitimate second charge.

Pending charges get checked with the processor automatically​

A background check runs roughly every 10 minutes. For any attempt that has sat Pending for more than about 15 minutes, it asks the payment processor what actually happened and records the real answer. Importantly, age alone never resolves a Pending charge — the system will not assume "it's old, so it must have failed," because that assumption is exactly how double charges happen. Attempts the processor cannot answer for are left Pending for a person to investigate.

So what should you do?​

  1. Wait a short while. Most Pending charges resolve on their own once the processor confirms the outcome — check back after 15–30 minutes.
  2. Check Transaction History (the Transactions Report card on the Invoicing page) for the customer. If the attempt now shows Captured, the money moved — do not charge again.
  3. Check the payment processor's own portal for a transaction matching the customer, amount, and time. This is the source of truth for whether money moved.
  4. If it shows Declined, Error, or Failed, the charge is safe to attempt again — the system itself treats those outcomes as rechargeable.
  5. If it is still Pending after an hour, or the processor's records do not match what Pulse shows, stop and contact support with the customer name, amount, time, and any transaction ID. Do not charge again in the meantime.

A card hold couldn't be captured — can I charge again?​

Only if the processor declined the capture. When a job has a preauthorization hold, charging it captures the hold. If that fails, Pulse never starts a new full charge on its own:

  • Declined (for example, the hold expired): the hold is marked failed and nothing was charged. Charging again is safe; with no hold left, Pulse charges the card normally.
  • "We could not confirm whether the card hold … was captured": a timeout or processor error left the outcome unknown, so the hold stays Authorized. This is not a decline and not permission to retry. Check the processor's portal for that transaction first; charging again may try to capture the same hold.
  • "Collected $X of $Y; the rest was not charged": the hold was captured but the extra amount above it was not. The captured amount shows as Captured. Charge only the remaining balance.

The same rule applies however a hold is captured: only a processor decline marks it failed. A hold that still shows Authorized after a capture attempt is not proof that nothing was captured. Check the processor for that transaction before trying to capture or charge again. Pulse does not yet block a second capture attempt on the same hold on its own.

A customer looks double-charged — what do I check?​

Go through these steps before refunding anything:

  1. List every transaction for the customer. Open Transaction History and search the customer's name with the status filter on All. Also check the customer's profile → Billing → Transactions tab, which shows each charge with the date, total, the card or account used, and who charged it.

  2. Compare amounts including the surcharge. A charge's total is the base amount plus any processing fee, and the customer's statement shows the combined total. A "$100 charge" that appears as $103.50 at the bank is one charge with a fee, not two charges. See Surcharges and Address Verification.

  3. Count the captured transactions. Two or more Captured rows for the same amount, same day, same customer is a genuine double charge in Pulse. One Captured row plus one Declined or Voided row is not — only the captured one moved money.

  4. Check the processor's records. If the customer's bank shows more charges than Pulse does, or a single payment appears as multiple settled transactions at the processor, get the processor's transaction list for that day. Pulse's Payment Reconciliation page lines up the processor's funding batches against your local charges and will surface transactions that exist on one side but not the other.

  5. Fix it with a void or refund — once verified. Same-day extras can often be voided before settlement; settled extras need refunds. Follow Refunds and Voids, and refund only the transactions you confirmed as extras. If the situation involves multiple settled transactions for one payment, confirm each transaction ID at the processor before refunding, and involve support if the counts do not make sense.

  6. Tell the customer what you found, with transaction IDs. If a pending authorization is what they are seeing (a hold, not a capture), it will drop off on its own — the bank controls the timing.

Tips and best practices​

  • Trust the block messages. When Pulse refuses to charge, it is protecting you from an unknown outcome. Work the verification steps instead of finding a way around the block.
  • Use the customer's Transactions tab for intentional repeat charges. That is the supported path when a second charge of the same amount really is intended.
  • Note transaction IDs in every customer conversation. They are the only reliable handle across Pulse, the processor, and the bank.
  • Reconcile daily. A five-minute pass over Payment Reconciliation catches count mismatches while they are hours old, not weeks.

Troubleshooting​

IssueWhat to do
Charge blocked: "previous charge attempt has not finished"Do not force a retry. Verify the attempt at the processor; if it stays unresolved past an hour, contact support.
Charge blocked: "already charged … in the last 2 hours"No second charge was made. If a repeat charge is genuinely intended, use the customer's Transactions tab.
Charge shows Pending but the customer's bank shows the chargeThe processor likely completed it before Pulse recorded the outcome. Wait for the automatic check to update it; if it does not, contact support. Do not charge again.
Charge shows Declined but the customer sees a charge at their bankWhat the customer sees may be a temporary hold that will drop off. Confirm at the processor whether anything captured before acting.
Two Captured rows for the same amountVerify both transaction IDs at the processor, then void (same day) or refund the extra per Refunds and Voids.
One payment, several settled transactions at the processorConfirm each transaction at the processor, refund the extras one by one, and report the incident to support so the cause can be investigated.