--- title: "Cancel a transaction" slug: "cancel-a-transaction" description: "Learn how to cancel pending, processing, or authorized Frisbii transactions, release reserved funds, and handle payments that cannot be canceled." updated: 2026-10-26T11:44:20Z published: 2026-10-26T11:44:20Z canonical: "help.frisbii.com/cancel-a-transaction" --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.frisbii.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Cancel a transaction ## Overview Cancelling a transaction stops a payment that has not been completed yet. For an authorized payment, cancelling releases the amount that is reserved on your customer's account. Use this article to understand when a transaction can be canceled, why some transactions stay authorized instead of being settled immediately, and what to do when cancelling is not possible. **Limitations** - You can only cancel transactions in the state **Pending**, **Processing** or **Authorized**. A settled transaction cannot be canceled. Refund it instead. - Once the full authorized amount has been settled, the cancel option is no longer available. - Cancelling the remaining authorization after a partial settle is only supported for selected payment methods. See [Restrictions on cancelling a transaction](/docs/cancel-a-transaction#restrictions). - Some payment methods do not allow cancelling a transaction while it is processing, for example SEPA Direct Debit via EBICS, and PayPal. --- ## Cancel a transaction 1. In the navigation bar, click on **Payments → Invoices**. 2. Search for and click on the invoice that contains the transaction. 3. In the transaction list on the invoice, find the transaction with the state **Pending**, **Processing** or **Authorized**. 4. Click on **Cancel**. 5. Confirm the cancellation. ![](https://cdn.document360.io/b84e1b5d-2ba6-4465-8c62-fb45a2f31314/Images/Documentation/image-8HOUJ3GW.png?sv=2026-02-06&spr=https&st=2026-10-26T17%3A56%3A33Z&se=2026-10-26T18%3A56%3A33Z&sr=c&sp=r&sig=Lty9Ox7qLUqQwA%2BJNuLZSKLSeQZi%2B4mxmqSpnULAUkc%3D) The transaction state changes to **Canceled**. For an authorized transaction, Frisbii asks the payment provider to release the reserved amount. If the authorization is canceled, the **Settle** option is no longer shown on the invoice. **Note** Frisbii sends the release request to the payment provider immediately. When the money is actually available again on your customer's account depends on your customer's bank or card issuer and can take a few days. You can also cancel a transaction via the API. See the [Frisbii API documentation](https://docs.frisbii.com). --- ## Why cancel a transaction? Cancelling is the clean way to stop a payment before money has actually moved. Typical reasons are: - **The order is canceled before delivery.** Your customer cancels the order, or you cannot deliver it, for example because an item is out of stock. Instead of settling and then refunding, you cancel the authorization and no money is ever withdrawn. - **You release reserved funds for your customer.** As long as an authorization is open, the amount is blocked on your customer's card or account. Cancelling releases this reservation, so your customer can use the money again. - **You only deliver part of the order.** If you settle a smaller amount than authorized, you can cancel the remaining authorization so the rest of the reserved amount is released (supported payment methods only). - **The amount or payment is wrong.** If a transaction was created with the wrong amount or by mistake, cancelling avoids a settlement followed by a refund, which would result in two bookings on your customer's statement. - **A pending or processing payment blocks a new attempt.** For example, an offline payment on an invoice in dunning. When your customer adds a new payment method, processing offline transactions on the dunning invoice are canceled automatically so the new payment method can be charged. --- ## Why are some transactions only authorized and not settled immediately? A payment can be handled in one or two steps: - **Instant settle (one step):** The amount is authorized and settled at the same time. The money is withdrawn right away. - **Authorize first, settle later (two steps):** The amount is only reserved on your customer's account. The transaction stays **Authorized** until you settle it. Only then is the money withdrawn and transferred to you. Whether a payment is settled instantly depends on how the charge is created in your integration or checkout. Two-step payments are common because: - **You should only charge for what you deliver.** In e-commerce, card scheme rules generally expect you to settle when the goods are shipped, not when the order is placed. - **The final amount may change.** If an order is split, partly out of stock or adjusted, you settle only the actual amount. - **The funds are guaranteed in the meantime.** The reservation ensures the money is available when you settle. **Note** An authorization does not stay valid forever. Depending on the card type, the amount is reserved on your customer's account for around 7–30 days, and some acquirers let authorizations expire automatically. The longer you wait to settle, the higher the risk that the settle fails. For details, see [Authorization lifetime/Reservation on bank account](https://help.frisbii.com/docs/en/authorization-lifetimereservation-on-bank-account). --- ## Restrictions on cancelling a transaction If the cancel option is not available or cancelling fails, one of the following reasons usually applies. | Reason | Description | | --- | --- | | The transaction is already settled | Once money has been withdrawn, there is nothing to cancel. To pay money back to your customer, refund the invoice instead. See [Settle an invoice](https://help.frisbii.com/docs/en/settled-invoice). | | The full authorized amount has been settled | If the complete authorized amount has been settled, no reservation is left to release. The cancel option is hidden. | | The payment method does not support cancelling the remaining authorization | After a partial settle, you can cancel the remaining authorization only for payment methods that support it: - Cards - Klarna - Vipps MobilePay - Vipps MobilePay Recurring – partial capture must be enabled for your sales unit (MSN) by Vipps MobilePay. Request this directly from Vipps MobilePay. - PayPal For other payment methods, the remaining reserved amount is released automatically when the authorization expires at the payment provider. For Vipps MobilePay, this is by default after 14 days. | | The payment method does not allow cancelling a processing transaction | Some payment methods hand the transaction over to the bank as soon as it is processing. Once that happens, Frisbii can no longer stop it. In this case, you see the error *Transaction payment method does not allow cancel of processing*. This applies, for example, to SEPA Direct Debit via EBICS. Contact [support@frisbii.com](mailto:support@frisbii.com) if you need help with such a transaction. | | The transaction has already failed or been canceled | Failed and canceled transactions are final. There is no open payment to cancel. | ---