Authorization Payment | All Workflows

Deposit and balance

Your customer pays a deposit by card before loading, and the rest of the freight charge is held on the same card. You capture the balance at the point you agreed, normally after delivery, within 7 days of the deposit.

Use this workflow
Cash for the run

What is a deposit and balance freight payment?

The freight charge is split into two amounts on one payment request: a deposit paid before loading and a balance held on the card until you capture it.

Diesel, tolls and the driver's expenses are paid while the truck is on the road, long before a single payment after delivery would arrive. The deposit covers that part before loading.

The balance hold lasts 7 days from the deposit. CargoPay does not link the capture to the delivery: you can capture the balance at any time while the hold is valid, so when to capture is part of what you agree with your customer.

Deposit

Paid by card before loading and taken straight away

Balance

Held on the same card, taken when you capture it

Deposit paid before loading, balance held on the card until captured

When to use deposit and balance

When the run has real costs before delivery and the balance can be captured within 7 days of the deposit.

Cross-border runs

Long runs where diesel and tolls are a large share of the price. The deposit covers them before loading, and the balance follows within the 7-day hold.

Loads with several stops

One payment request covers the whole load: one deposit and one balance, whatever the number of stops.

Customers new to you

Neither side wants full prepayment, but you need part of the price before committing a truck and a driver.

Cash for the run

Part of the price arrives before the truck leaves, instead of being financed by invoice factoring or short-term borrowing.

How deposit and balance works

Six steps, from the payment request to the invoices.

  • Create the payment request

    Choose deposit and balance as the workflow and enter the shipment reference, the deposit amount, the balance amount and the billing details of the customer who pays.

  • Your customer receives it by email

    They open the request from the email and see both amounts before paying.

  • Your customer pays the deposit

    They pay the deposit by card. It is taken straight away, and the card is saved for the balance.

  • The balance is held on the same card

    Once the deposit is paid, CargoPay authorises the balance on the saved card: the amount is held, not taken. If the card asks for authentication, your customer receives an email with a link to approve it.

  • You capture the balance, normally after delivery

    You capture it from the payment request while the hold is valid, which is 7 days from the deposit. CargoPay does not link the capture to the delivery, so when to capture is part of what you agree with your customer.

  • An invoice for each payment

    The deposit and the balance each get their own invoice, and the CargoPay fee of 1% applies to each amount taken.

Example: Valencia to Gdańsk with a deposit and a balance
Example

Valencia to Gdańsk,
a deposit before loading

A Romanian carrier takes a full load from Valencia to Gdańsk, about 3,000 km through France, Germany and Poland. Diesel and tolls are paid along the way, long before the shipper's usual 45-day terms would pay anything.

They agree on deposit and balance: 40% as a deposit before loading and 60% as the balance. The shipper pays the deposit by card, the balance is held on the same card, and the carrier captures it after delivery in Gdańsk, inside the 7-day hold.

40%

Deposit, paid before loading

60%

Balance, held on the card

7 days

Balance hold, from the deposit

Outcome: part of the price is paid before the truck leaves, and the rest is taken from the card when the carrier captures it.

What it means for your cash

What the deposit changes

A deposit paid before loading covers the fuel and the driver at the start of the job, the part that would otherwise be financed by invoice factoring or short-term borrowing.

1%

CargoPay fee per payment

Before loading

Deposit paid

A deposit before loading, the balance held on the card

Register, complete verification, and choose deposit and balance on your next payment request.

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