Glossary
Void (reversal)
A void, also called a reversal, cancels an authorisation that has not been captured: the acquirer tells the issuer to release the hold, the cardholder's available balance is restored, and no clearing takes place. It costs nothing beyond the authorisation fee and leaves no debit to refund. After capture a void is no longer possible: the money is returned by a refund, which takes days and keeps the acquirer's fee.
When voids happen
An order cancelled before shipping, a two-step payment the merchant decides not to collect, a payment approved at one acquirer after a cascade had already succeeded elsewhere, a technical duplicate. A platform also voids when an authorisation succeeded but a later step of the same payment failed, so the payer is not left with a hold on a payment that did not complete.
Why speed matters
A hold the payer sees in their banking app for days after a failed checkout is a support ticket and a lost customer; schemes expect merchants to reverse unused authorisations promptly, and some acquirers charge for holds that simply expire. Voiding within the session is part of a correct cascade.
On the platform
A void goes through the provider that holds the authorisation, where its interface allows it; Tranzify records the reversal the provider reports in the journal and the trace and leaves the ledger untouched because no capture took place.
Updated: 2026-11-08