Pre-Auth Protocol: Pre-Approved Card Charges for Emergency Infrastructure Renewals

A guide proposes a 'Pre-Auth' protocol that lets agencies and managed service providers charge a client's saved card for capped, emergency infrastructure renewals when the client cannot be reached. The approach is a client's advance contractual permission for off-session merchant-initiated transactions, distinct from a traditional card authorization hold. The article covers how to design the policy, protect it contractually, and implement it technically. It also addresses limits of the model, such as Indian-issued cards, EU cards requiring re-authentication, and vendors that rarely need emergency payments. Common emergency triggers include expired domains and lapsed TLS certificates, which can take sites offline well before a domain is actually lost.