WooCommerce · Stripe
Stripe security deposits, built into WooCommerce.
SecureHold WP uses Stripe authorization holds to reserve a deposit on your customer's card at checkout. Nothing is charged. From the WooCommerce order screen you capture what you need, or release the hold when the rental comes back intact.
The order payment is separate from the deposit authorization.
The short answer
Can you take a security deposit with Stripe?
Yes. Stripe supports authorization holds on eligible cards. SecureHold builds on that mechanism with deposit rules, timing, capture and release controls, and status tracking inside WooCommerce.
An authorization asks the customer's bank to set aside an amount and hold it. Their available balance drops, the amount may appear as pending on their statement, and no money reaches your Stripe balance. You decide later what happens to it: capture some or all of it, or release it.
SecureHold WP creates those authorizations as Stripe PaymentIntents with manual capture, attaches them to the WooCommerce order, and gives your team the controls to resolve them without leaving WordPress.
Authorized≠Charged
At checkout
Funds are reserved
The bank sets aside €250.00 and reduces the available balance. Nothing is transferred.
While the hold is open
Your balance is unchanged
The funds remain reserved on the customer’s card and have not been transferred to your Stripe balance.
€250.00 held · not capturedWhen you decide
Capture or release
Take part of it, take all of it, or cancel the authorization entirely.
At checkout
Funds are transferred
The €250.00 payment is captured and moves into Stripe’s settlement process.
Afterwards
The money is yours to hold
The captured payment appears in your Stripe balance, subject to Stripe’s settlement and payout timing.
To give it back
You issue a refund
A separate operation, with its own delay before the customer sees the money again.
How the pieces stack
Stripe provides the payment infrastructure. Your store still needs the workflow.
WooCommerce order
Where your team actually works
SecureHold
Security-deposit workflow
Stripe
Payment infrastructure
Stripe enables the hold. SecureHold makes it operational inside WooCommerce.
Architecture
How WooCommerce, SecureHold and Stripe fit together
The order payment and the security deposit are two separate operations on the same checkout. The customer pays for the rental. Separately, SecureHold asks Stripe to authorize the deposit. The deposit uses payment details supplied through the gateway, while remaining a separate authorization.
PaymentIntents with manual capture
The deposit is created as a Stripe PaymentIntent set to capture_method: manual, so authorization and capture stay separate steps.
Signed webhooks
SecureHold verifies incoming Stripe webhook signatures before processing the event and updating the deposit status.
Alongside the WooCommerce Stripe Gateway
SecureHold does not take over the checkout payment. Your existing gateway keeps handling the order total.
SecureHold WP is an independent WooCommerce extension that uses the Stripe API. It is not affiliated with Stripe, Inc.
Two separate operations
Signed webhook
In practice
What a Stripe security deposit looks like in practice
-
01
The customer orders
They check out as usual and pay for the rental. The deposit is shown separately, as an authorization.
Rental total€120.00Deposit€250.00 authorized -
02
SecureHold authorizes the deposit
A PaymentIntent with manual capture is created and attached to the order. Nothing is charged.
pi_••••Xa2 -
03
The funds stay reserved
The customer's available balance is reduced for the length of the authorization window. Your balance is untouched.
€250.00 held · not captured -
04
You capture or you release
Something broke? Capture the amount it cost. Everything came back fine? Release the hold; the bank determines when the available balance updates.
Capture €40.00Release
Features
What SecureHold adds on top of Stripe
Deposit amounts by rule
Set the deposit once and let it resolve per order, instead of asking your team to remember the right figure for each product.
Hold timing you control
Free includes immediate and manual authorization. Pro adds delayed, scheduled and order-status timing for placing the hold.
Capture in full or in part
Take only what the damage or the overage actually cost, up to the authorized amount. The remainder is released.
Release, manually or on a schedule
Free includes manual release and automatic release after a configured delay. Automatic release relies on WordPress scheduled tasks; it does not extend Stripe’s authorization window.
Status your team and your customer can read
Free includes order status, the customer’s My Account deposits page, and customer and admin email notifications. Pro adds email branding.
Built to be verified before it goes live
Test mode is included in Free. Verify authorization, capture and release on separate test holds. Pro also includes a rule simulator.
Free and Pro availability differs per capability. See the comparison below, or the full breakdown on the pricing page.
Verticals
Who runs Stripe security deposits
Equipment and gear rental
Cameras, tools, bikes, ski equipment. The item leaves your premises and comes back, or comes back damaged. The deposit covers the gap without charging a customer who did nothing wrong.
Short-term rentals and accommodation
Direct bookings without a platform holding the deposit for you. Authorize before arrival, and resolve it after checkout once the property has been inspected.
Event and service bookings
No-shows and late cancellations have a real cost. A hold gives the commitment weight without taking money from customers who turn up as agreed.
WooCommerce agencies
You need a deposit mechanism you can hand over to a client's staff, verify in test mode, and support later without maintaining custom Stripe code.
Plan the authorization close enough to the rental or booking to stay within its validity window.
Compatibility
What you need to run this
WordPress
An up-to-date WordPress installation. SecureHold creates its own deposit and log tables during installation.
WooCommerce
Deposits attach to WooCommerce orders and appear on the order edit screen.
WooCommerce Stripe Gateway
SecureHold works alongside it. Your checkout payment flow stays as it is.
Stripe account
Your own Stripe account and API keys. SecureHold creates the deposit authorization in that account.
Test and live mode
Verify authorization, capture and release using separate test holds. Align the SecureHold and gateway modes before going live.
HPOS
Compatible with High-Performance Order Storage as well as legacy post-based orders.
Guest checkout
Deposits work for guest orders. A customer account is not required to authorize a hold.
Authorization windows are time-limited.
Authorization windows vary depending on the payment method, card network and Stripe rules. Capture or release as soon as your workflow allows.
Design your deposit process around a finite window rather than a fixed number of days, and use scheduled release to make sure holds do not sit open unattended.
Plans
Start free, upgrade when the rules get complicated
| Capability | Free | Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Deposit rules | Global rule | Global, product and category rules |
| Full / partial capture and manual release | Included | Included |
| Automatic release after a delay | Included | Included |
| Authorization timing | Immediate / manual | Also delayed, scheduled / by status |
| My Account deposits and email notifications | Included | Also email branding |
| Test mode / rule simulator | Test mode | Test mode and rule simulator |
A condensed view. The pricing page carries the complete feature matrix and the current plan terms.
FAQ
Questions about Stripe deposits
Can Stripe be used for security deposits?
Yes. Stripe supports authorization holds on eligible cards. SecureHold builds on that mechanism with deposit rules, timing, capture and release controls, and status tracking inside WooCommerce.
How does a Stripe authorization hold work?
SecureHold creates a Stripe PaymentIntent with manual capture. The customer's bank reserves the amount and reduces their available balance, but no money moves to your Stripe account. You then capture the intent to take the funds, or cancel it to release the hold.
Can WooCommerce take a security deposit on its own?
WooCommerce needs a payment integration to authorize card payments. The WooCommerce Stripe Gateway can authorize and capture the order payment. SecureHold adds a separate security-deposit authorization with its own rules, status and capture or release controls.
Does SecureHold charge the customer immediately?
The security deposit is authorized, not charged. It is charged only if you capture it. The WooCommerce order payment is a separate operation and can still be charged at checkout.
Can the deposit be released?
Yes. Releasing cancels the Stripe authorization and the reserved funds return to the customer's available balance. Because nothing was ever captured, this is not a refund.
Can the merchant capture the deposit later, and only part of it?
Yes. While the authorization is valid, you can capture the full amount or a smaller amount from the WooCommerce order screen, including in Free. A partial capture releases the remainder. Each SecureHold hold supports one capture or one release.
How long does a Stripe authorization stay valid?
Authorization windows vary depending on the payment method, card network and Stripe rules. Capture or release as soon as your workflow allows. SecureHold does not extend the authorization window.
Does SecureHold work with the WooCommerce Stripe Gateway?
Yes. SecureHold works alongside the WooCommerce Stripe Gateway and does not replace your checkout payment flow. The order payment and the deposit authorization remain two separate operations.
Is SecureHold a Stripe App?
No. SecureHold WP is an independent WooCommerce extension that uses the Stripe API. It is not currently a Stripe App.
Run your first Stripe security deposit this week.
Install the free plugin, connect Stripe with the Setup Wizard, and run the full flow in test mode before a single customer sees it.
Free plan available Test mode included No transaction fee from SecureHold
SecureHold WP is an independent WooCommerce extension. Not affiliated with Stripe Inc. or Automattic Inc. Stripe is a trademark of Stripe, Inc.
