How does card authorisation work?

To guarantee payment to tutors, we carry out a card authorisation check before your lesson. This confirms that sufficient funds are available on your card to cover the lesson cost.

A card authorisation check is not a charge. No money is taken from your account at this stage. Depending on your bank, the authorisation may appear as a pending transaction on your statement.

The authorisation check usually takes place 72 hours before the lesson start time. If you book a lesson less than 72 hours before it starts, the check is carried out as soon as the lesson is confirmed.

If there are insufficient funds available, your booking may fail or be cancelled, depending on when the check takes place. You can read more in our FAQ: What happens if I fail a card authorisation check?

The timeline below explains what happens when you book, cancel, or reschedule a lesson at different times.

If you make changes to a booking after an authorisation check has already taken place, a second authorisation may appear on your account.

For example, this can happen if you reschedule a lesson at short notice. Whether a second authorisation is required depends on when the lesson was changed and when the rescheduled lesson is due to take place.

Different banks display card authorisations differently. Some banks show them as pending transactions like the example from Natwest below, which can make it appear as though you've already been charged.

Because a card authorisation is not a charge, the pending transaction will either disappear automatically or be shown as released by your bank. The exact wording and timing depend on your bank.