NYC Locksmith Bookings: Why LockAtlas Holds Your Quoted Price

When you book a New York locksmith in the LockAtlas app, we now place a temporary hold for your quoted price on your card. It's not a charge: you pay only when the job is done, and the hold is released if you cancel before your technician arrives.

If your bank app shows a pending LockAtlas amount, that is the hold. Here is why we place it, how it works from booking to payment, and what it does not change.

Why we hold your quoted price

One evening this month, one of our technicians drove across the city for a job and lost about three hours. At the end, the card on the booking was declined: there was no money on it, and nothing could be collected.

Every trip across New York traffic costs a technician time, tolls and fuel. We went through what it costs to send a locksmith to a New York address in an earlier post. The hold is there so the technician who takes your job knows it can be paid before they travel to you. Every booking is treated the same way.

How the hold works, from booking to payment

A temporary hold only sets the amount aside on your card. It is not a charge. Hotels, car rentals and gas pumps work the same way.

1. You book. Right after you book, we place a temporary hold on the card you chose in the app. The hold is exactly the quoted total shown in the app. Nothing is added.
2. Your visit is more than 3 days away. Nothing is held when you book. We place the hold 3 days before your visit, and we let you know before we place it. Make sure the card has enough available funds then.
3. The job is done. Payment is taken when your technician completes the job, for the final price. If the final price is lower than the hold, only the lower amount is taken and the rest is released.
4. The price goes up. A price can go up only if you approve it in the app. Approving places a new hold for the new total. If that hold fails, the change is not applied and the original price stands.
5. You cancel. Cancelling is free until your technician arrives, and the hold is released. After your technician arrives, the service fee shown in your booking is taken from the hold and the rest is released.
6. Your technician cancels. That never costs you anything. The hold stays while another technician is found.
7. Nobody accepts in time. The booking is cancelled automatically and the hold is released.
8. Your card is declined. No technician is sent and nothing is charged. Open the booking and pick another card.

LockAtlas releases a hold at once, but your bank decides when the pending amount disappears, usually within a few business days. On a debit card, the held amount can't be spent until the job is done or the hold is released.

A hold is not upfront payment

A hold is not upfront payment: nothing is taken when you book. Our guide Do You Have to Pay a Locksmith Straight Away? says payment is normally due when the work is finished, and with LockAtlas it still is.

What the hold does not change

• Your price. The hold is your quoted total, and the price goes up only if you approve it in the app. You review the price before you book, and our pricing page explains what goes into it.
• How you pay. You still pay with the card you chose in the app, when the job is done.
• Tips. Tips are separate, optional, and come after the job.

FAQ

These answers are also in our FAQ, from why there is a hold to how long a released hold takes to disappear.

Why is there a hold on my card when I book?

So the technician who takes your job knows it can be paid before they travel to you. Right after you book, we place a temporary hold for your quoted price on the card you chose. It's not a charge: you pay only when the job is done. Hotels, car rentals and gas pumps work the same way.

When am I actually charged?

When your technician completes the job. You pay the final price, and any amount left on the hold is released. If the final price is lower than the hold, you pay the lower amount. A higher price always needs your approval in the app first.

Is a hold the same as paying upfront?

No. A hold only sets the amount aside on your card, and nothing is taken when you book. You pay when the job is done, or only the service fee if you cancel after your technician arrives.

What if I cancel?

Cancelling is free until your technician arrives, and the hold is released. After your technician has arrived, cancelling costs the service fee shown in your booking. That fee is taken from the hold and the rest is released.

What if my card is declined?

We won't send a technician, and nothing is charged. You'll get a notification: open the booking and choose another card.

I booked for a later date. When is the hold placed?

For visits more than 3 days away, we place the hold 3 days before your visit, and we let you know before we place it. Make sure the card has enough available funds then.

How long does a released hold take to disappear?

We release it right away, but your bank decides when the pending amount disappears from your account, usually within a few business days. On a debit card, the held amount can't be spent until it is released or the job is done.

The short version

When you book, we place a temporary hold for your quoted price. It's not a charge, and you pay only when the job is done. You can get the LockAtlas app whenever you are ready.