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A customer initiated transaction (CIT) is a payment where the cardholder is actively present and initiates the charge — for example, completing a checkout flow or entering their card details at the point of sale. Because the cardholder is participating in real time, CITs are the foundation of the payment flow: they establish cardholder consent, verify funds, and can serve as the reference point for future merchant initiated transactions. If approved, the authorization reserves the requested amount and must be captured to complete the transfer of funds. When to Use
  • You need to verify a customer has sufficient funds before processing a transaction, or
  • You want to reserve funds for a future capture (e.g., for items that will ship later), or
  • You need to secure payment before providing goods or services.
ExampleBen opens an online subscription to StreamHQ’s monthly video streaming service plan. StreamHQ submits a customer initiated transaction to start his first month.

Steps

  1. Call the authorizeCustomerInitiatedTransaction mutation, passing in the required and optional input fields:

Automatic capture

Automatically capturing an authorization upon approval instructs Tesouro to submit a capture request on your behalf without requiring additional information or actions from you. To know if you should automatically capture upon approval, use the following chart:
If the authorization is not captured or reversed within 10 days, you will be assessed a Misuse of Authorization fee.

Payment transaction reason

When submitting an authorization, accurately specifying the reason for the payment request can:
  • Help qualify the transaction for better interchange rates
  • Ensure proper processing and reporting
  • Comply with relevant financial regulations
If a reason is not provided, it will default to GENERAL_PURCHASE. Supported reasons: