---
title: "Manage orders and payments"
slug: "manage-orders-and-payments"
updated: 2026-10-23T13:41:50Z
published: 2026-10-23T13:41:50Z
canonical: "api-docs.blinkpayment.co.uk/manage-orders-and-payments"
---

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://api-docs.blinkpayment.co.uk/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Manage orders and payments

Blink sends a notification to your store when a payment's status changes, and the plugin updates the matching WooCommerce order. You can refund from WooCommerce, and capture pre-authorised payments later.

### How order updates work

Updates happen automatically, so there is nothing to set up. If a firewall, caching rule or security plugin blocks messages from Blink, orders can stay on “Pending payment” even though the customer paid. If you see this, check [Troubleshooting](https://api-docs.blinkpayment.co.uk/docs/troubleshooting-woocommerce).

| Blink payment status | WooCommerce order status |
| --- | --- |
| Captured, settled, paid or approved | Processing (or Completed, following WooCommerce's normal rules for the products) |
| Card pre-authorised, with pre-authorisation on | On hold, until you capture it |
| Direct Debit pending or authorised | On hold |
| Declined or any other status | Failed |
| Refunded in full from WooCommerce | Refunded |

If a failed payment is retried and succeeds, the order updates to the successful status.

### Refund an order

1. Open the order in **WooCommerce → Orders**.
2. Click **Refund**, enter the amount, and confirm.
3. Check the refund in the Blink Portal under your transactions.

A partial refund adds an order note but leaves the order status unchanged. Refunds and reruns made in the Blink Portal do not change the WooCommerce order. If you refund or rerun a payment in the portal, update the order status in WooCommerce yourself.

### Pre-authorise and capture

Turn on **Preauthorise Payments** under Payment Options to reserve the money at checkout instead of taking it. This works for card payments only, so other methods are switched off while it is on.

1. The customer's card is authorised and the order is placed **On hold**, with a note on the order.
2. When you are ready to take payment, either open the order and choose **Capture Blink pre-authorisation** from the order actions, or change the order status to **Processing**.
3. Once the capture succeeds, the order moves to **Processing**.

A few things to know:

- You can't refund a pre-authorised order until it has been captured.
- If you cancel the order instead, the pre-authorisation is removed.
- Authorisations are held for a limited time, so capture before they expire. Contact Blink support if you need the exact period for your account.
- If Blink hasn't confirmed a capture yet, the plugin blocks a second attempt until it hears back, to avoid capturing twice.

See also [transactions](https://api-docs.blinkpayment.co.uk/docs/transactions).

### Find a payment in Blink

Every payment from your store is recorded in the Blink Portal. The transaction reference is `WC-` followed by the WooCommerce order number, for example `WC-1234`, so you can match a Blink transaction to an order.