Releasing vs. capturing a deposit hold

A deposit hold is money set aside on a customer's card as a security deposit — it isn't actually charged yet. Release gives that hold back to the customer with nothing taken. Capture turns the hold into a real charge, keeping some or all of it because of damage or another issue. By default, Renta releases the hold on its own 7 days after the return date if nobody acts sooner — but marking a booking completed or cancelled does not, by itself, release or capture it.

Where to find it

Bookings → open a booking with an open deposit hold → the deposit banner shows the held amount with Release/Capture buttons. The same choice is also offered inside the Process refund modal.

The open deposit hold banner with Release and Capture buttons

How it works

• Open deposit hold — the banner shows the exact amount authorized, for example "Open deposit hold: $250.00."
• Release — cancels the authorization; the customer's bank simply lets go of the hold (this isn't a refund, because no money was ever actually taken).
• Capture — turns the authorized hold into an actual charge, which you'd do if you found damage during your inspection.
• Automatic release — Renta checks every 15 minutes for holds due to be released and releases them on schedule. The default schedule is 7 days after the return date, but this can be changed per booking (see Creating a booking yourself).
• Marking a booking completed or cancelled does not release or capture an open hold on its own — only the scheduled auto-release or a staff action does.

Example

A customer returns a jet ski with no issues — click Release and the $250 hold on their card disappears within a few business days, depending on their bank. If instead there's a cracked hull, click Capture before the automatic release date to actually charge that $250 toward the repair.

Good to know

• A deposit hold is not the same as a refund. A refund gives back money that was already charged — see Refunding or cancelling a booking.
• If you find damage, capture the hold before its scheduled auto-release date — once it releases automatically, that money is back with the customer.