Card machine with bar tabs and pre-authorisation UK
Card terminals that support pre-authorisation (holding a card on file) and open tabs / bills. Essential for bars, hotels, car rentals and any business where the final amount is not known at the start of the transaction.
Who cares about this
UK pubs and bars with bar tabs, hotels with damage deposits, restaurants holding bills open across courses, car rental and equipment rental, anywhere with a "pay later" customer flow.
UK acquirers that support it
- Dojo (hospitality-specific tab and pre-auth features)
- Stripe (full pre-auth API in Stripe Terminal SDK)
- Adyen (enterprise-grade pre-auth)
- Worldpay (legacy hospitality contracts often include pre-auth)
UK acquirers that don't (or with limits)
- SumUp, Zettle, Square (basic; no full pre-auth or tab support as of April 2026)
How it works
Pre-auth: terminal places a hold on the customer's card for an estimated amount. The hold is captured (charged) at final amount, or released. Bar tabs: card is added to a tab in the PoS, charges accumulate, tab is closed and total charged at the end.
Watch outs
- Pre-auth holds expire (typically 7-30 days depending on issuer); plan around this for long stays.
- Hold release timing varies by issuer; some take days to release the unused portion.
- PCI compliance for stored card data is more rigorous on tab / pre-auth flows.
Get a quote
Open quote form →Founder & Managing Director, Muswell Rose, MerchantHQ
Adam is the founder and managing director of Muswell Rose and a founder of Best Business Loans Ltd, the company behind MerchantHQ. His career runs through insurance, mortgages, commercial finance and fintech lending, including payments and merchant services. He writes the MerchantHQ library.
Last reviewed: 26 April 2026