What is a Preauthorization Hold?

When you place an order, we apply a temporary hold on your card in advance, corresponding to the value of the proposed item until the transaction has been finalized and shipped. You’ll see it as a pending amount on the account of your payment method used for that purchase. This is a common practice among retailers to confirm that your payment method has sufficient funds.

Many customers confuse this preauthorization with a charge. It is not a charge.

You are only charged when your items ship (or are picked up in-store). If your order ships in multiple packages, you'll see separate charges for each shipment.

If your order is canceled before shipping, the temporary hold will usually disappear within 7–10 business days. If it doesn’t, please contact your financial institution. 

Credit card adjustments might not show until your next statement.

Gift/Reward Cards: Any unused funds are returned to the original card. If you no longer have it, let us know—we can issue a replacement.  (Email support@booksamillon.com). 

PayPal: Holds can take up to 30 days to clear. Please contact PayPal directly if it takes longer.

Affirm: If your order wasn't processed, your down payment wasn’t either. You might see a temporary hold, which usually disappears within 7–10 business days. Since the charge never went through, there’s no refund—just a release of the hold.

• If you have an issue with a confirmed refund from Affirm that hasn’t shown up on your account, please click get a refund
• To contact Affirm, please click here
• To check out the Affirm Help Center here.