AbeBooks is focused on the health and safety of our employees, and based on regional regulations and social distancing requirements this has resulted in longer than usual response times from Customer Support. Please be patient.
If you have a specific question about an order, we recommend contacting the seller directly. This is often the fastest way to obtain order information. View instructions.
Due to Covid-19, delivery times may be longer than normal in your area. Learn more
Many other questions can be answered by visiting our help center.
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What is a credit card pre-authorization?
What is a pre-authorization hold?
When you place an order on AbeBooks, our payment service provider immediately sends a “pre-authorization” request to your credit card to determine whether the charge will be successful. This holds the funds, but does not charge your card. Pre-authorizing allows us notify you as quickly as possible if a credit card charge will be unsuccessful so that any issues can be resolved.
When am I charged?
We only complete the credit card charge when the seller indicates they will ship the order.
Have I been double-charged?
Depending on how your credit card issuer displays pre-authorizations and completed charges to you, this may sometimes look like an additional charge. However you have not been double-charged for your order(s). If you would like confirmation, or if the pre-authorization is still reflected by your next monthly statement, we encourage you to reach out to your credit card provider for more details.