Bambora support several different types of transactions. The three most common types are 'Purchase', 'Auth' and 'Capture'.
A 'Purchase' transaction will immediately debit funds from a customer's account. Those funds will then be settled or disbursed into the merchant's account.
An authorisation or 'Auth' is a type of transaction which will place a temporary hold on funds on a customer's card. It is used to verify the availability of funds on that card. The funds are not settled or disbursed to the merchant.
A 'Capture' transaction is used to confirm the authorisation processed on a card. You are able to capture the funds as fully authorised or a partial amount from the customer's card in a similar way to a purchase transaction. The funds will then be settled or disbursed to the merchant.
If an 'Auth' is performed, but no 'Capture' is performed, then around 3-5 business days the funds will be returned to the customer's account. Note that the time it takes for the funds to be returned may vary significantly as it is determined by the customer's bank.