What a pre-authorization is
When you complete your booking, we place a pre-authorization on your card for your checkout total — your quoted legal fee plus the Off The Record (OTR) service fee. It shows up as a pending charge from OFF THE RECORD on your bank or credit card statement, but it is not a completed transaction. Your bank sets the funds aside while your attorney reviews your case.
The hold lasts up to 7 days. If it is not captured within 7 days, your bank releases it automatically. The hold can also be released earlier — for example, if you cancel your case, or if our support team releases it for you.
💳 The money has not left your account
A pre-authorization only reserves the funds — they stay yours until the hold is either captured as a charge or released. The reserved amount may be unavailable to spend while the hold is active, but it is still in your account.
When the hold becomes a charge
Once your attorney accepts your case, the pre-authorization is captured — it converts from a pending hold into a completed charge, and your case moves forward.
If your case is canceled before an attorney accepts — for example, you cancel within the window described in our cancellation policy, or no attorney is available to take your case — the hold is released and you are never charged. For how a released hold appears on your statement, see when to expect your refund.
If the pre-authorization expires
The 7-day hold can run out before an attorney accepts your case — for example, if your case needs to be reassigned to a new attorney and the extra review time runs past the hold window. If that happens:
- We try to reauthorize your card
If reauthorization succeeds, a new pending hold appears on your statement.
- If we cannot reauthorize automatically
We contact you by email, text, or phone to collect payment.
- If we cannot collect the funds
Your case is canceled.
Seeing 2 pending charges? When we reauthorize your card, the new hold can appear on your statement before your bank finishes removing the expired one. For a few days, both may show as pending. Only the new hold is active — the expired one drops off on its own, and neither means money has left your account.
If your card is declined during reauthorization, contact our support team and we will help you update your payment method and resolve it.
✅ If your case is canceled because the hold expired, you are not charged
The hold was released before it was captured, so no money ever left your account.
If you accept a counter offer
Your attorney may send a counter offer to adjust your legal fee before accepting your case. If you accept it, your total is always the new fee — what varies is how it appears on your statement.
If the new fee is higher, it depends on whether your original hold is still active:
- Your original hold is still active
We capture the original hold and charge the difference separately. You will see 2 transactions on your statement.
- Your original hold has expired
We charge the full new fee in 1 transaction. Because the expired hold was released, you were never charged the original amount.
If the new fee is lower, we refund you the difference after confirming the new fee with your attorney. For timing, see when to expect your refund.
💡 Example
Your quote was $200 and you accept a $300 counter offer. If your $200 hold is still active, we capture it and charge $100 more. If it has expired, we charge $300 in 1 transaction. Either way, your total is $300.
Payment plans work differently
If you book with a payment plan, your payments work in 2 different ways:
- Your down payment is a pre-authorization
It works exactly like paying in full at booking. We place a hold on your card for the down payment amount, and it is captured once an attorney accepts your case. Everything in this article about holds — the 7-day window, expiration, and release if your case is canceled — applies to your down payment too.
- Your remaining installments are charged right away
By the time an installment comes due, your attorney has already accepted your case and is working on it. There is no hold — each installment is charged and captured immediately on its due date, so it will not appear as a pending hold on your statement.
If an installment payment fails, contact our support team as soon as possible. We can help retry the payment or update your payment method before it affects your case.
Questions about a charge?
If a charge or hold on your statement does not look right, contact our support team and we will sort it out. For refund timing and what to look for on your statement, see when to expect your refund.
