--- title: "Start a Tab FAQs (World Pay) | SpotOn Restaurant FOH" canonical: "https://help.spoton.com/space/SK/3402891265/Start%20a%20Tab%20FAQs%20(World%20Pay)%20%7C%20SpotOn%20Restaurant%20FOH" format: markdown --- ## **Overview** Start a Tab allows restaurant staff to pre-authorize a guest's credit or debit card when opening a tab, confirming the card is valid and has sufficient funds. This feature helps eliminate unpaid walkouts, reduce chargebacks, and process card-present transactions with lower fees. It supports Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and American Express across supported Stations, Edge, Ledge, Handhelds (RPOS Mobile), and GFD devices. Staff access can be controlled by job position, and tabs can be renamed, transferred, split, or finalized flexibly for different service scenarios. --- **Quick Links** > Macro (toc) --- ### What are the benefits of using Start a Tab?   | **Benefit** | **Details** | | --- | --- | | Eliminating total unpaid walkouts | Eliminating total unpaid walkouts | | Avoiding credit card fraud and chargebacks | Avoiding credit card fraud and chargebacks by securely starting a tab with a credit card insert instead of a swipe | | Providing peace of mind and a better guest experience | Providing peace of mind and a better guest experience by returning the guest’s card after opening a tab | | Contactless capabilities | Contactless capabilities - providing an intuitive solution to starting a closing a tab successfully via tap methods (including digital wallets) | --- ### How does Start a Tab work?   With Start a Tab, you’ll be able to pre-authorize cards to confirm they are valid and have sufficient funds. A preset pre-authorization limit is set in the Back of House, then each time a tab is opened, the card will be pre-authorized for that *preset limit* **or** the initial *order total* - whichever is greater.  The final authorization occurs when finalizing the tab.  A pre-authorization will show up as a pending transaction on the cardholder’s mobile app or online banking portal for a few days until consolidated into a final posted transaction with tip included. Exact length of time depends on the bank or credit card provider.   A manually removed pre-authorization will fall off a cardholder’s mobile app or online banking portal in a few business days --- ### Is there a charge or fee associated with Start a Tab?   There is no cost to enable Start a Tab; however, you will be charged additional card-present basis points for each pre-authorization. The maximum basis point charges will not exceed 2 attempts per tab. The costs recouped from reduced unpaid walkouts, chargeback disputes and/or card-not-present transactions leveraging *Attach a Card* should help make up for this expense.  --- ### How do I start using Start a Tab?   For instructions on using Start a Tab, please visit [this link](https://help.spoton.com/space/SK/2589261985/Start+a+Tab+Functions+%7C+SpotOn+Restaurant+FOH). --- ### Does Start a Tab work with all card providers?   Start a Tab works with Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and American Express. --- ### Why do you require EMV (chip) payment readers for Start a Tab?   By using an EMV (chip) reader instead of an MSR (magnetic stripe reader), you’re more protected against chargebacks - helping save time and money.  Additionally MSRs strictly run card-not-present transactions which charge the clients (or SpotOn) additional basis points + fees per transaction.  --- ### What’s the difference between using the “Attach a Card” option on the Restaurant POS vs using the Start a Tab feature?   | **Option** | **Explanation** | | --- | --- | | Attach a Card | With the Attach a Card feature, the POS simply saves the card information but does not confirm the card was valid or that there are sufficient funds available. | | Attach a Card (fees) | Attach a Card also processes as a card-not-present transaction. This means the client (or SpotOn) are charged additional basis points + fees per transaction. | | Start a Tab | Start a Tab will save the cardholder information, validate the card and fund availability - helping protect against total unpaid walkouts and additionally performing a card-present transaction where there are less overall fees charged to the client (or SpotOn). | --- ### Can I control which staff members can start tabs and who can’t?   Yes, you can determine which job positions have access to start tabs and which do not under “Job Positions” in the Back of House.  --- ### What products support Start a Tab today?   Supported: | **Product** | **Supported** | | --- | --- | | Stations + Edge | Stations + Edge | | Stations + Ledge | Stations + Ledge | | Handhelds (RPOS Mobile) | Handhelds (RPOS Mobile) | | Stations + GFD | Stations + GFD | Not Supported: | **Product** | **Supported** | | --- | --- | | Handhelds (SpotOn Serve) | Handhelds (SpotOn Serve) | --- ### Can a tip be added if the guest walks out?   Yes, you can add a tip after closing out a check and before End of Day if the guest walks out without paying. Payment has to processed first before a tip can be added. We recommend signage that notifies guests of this process.  --- ### How long does it take for the authorizations to disappear from the guest's card statement?   Pre-authorizations will show up on the cardholder’s mobile app or online banking portal for a few days, depending on the bank, until it is consolidated into one transaction.  --- ### Can we Start a Tab with one card and close out with another?   Yes but does require a physical card to be present to close out with. --- ### Can tabs be renamed based on the Cardholder's name?  Yes, you have a few options for renaming tabs that can be set up in the Back of House:  | **Option** | **Details** | | --- | --- | | Auto-fill renaming tabs automatically | Auto-fill renaming tabs automatically | | Auto-fill detail | When starting a tab with a contactless (NCF) payment, a prompt will appear automatically since with contactless payments the names do not carry over automatically. | | Rename tab prompt to appear for adjustments | Rename tab prompt to appear for adjustments | | Rename prompt detail | When starting a tab, regardless of entry method, a prompt will appear automatically | | Prefer not to rename tabs based on cardholder name | Prefer not to rename tabs based on cardholder name | --- ### Is starting tabs with NFC (contactless) accepted?  Yes; however, when starting a tab with a contactless (NCF) payment, a prompt will appear automatically since with contactless payments the names do not carry over automatically.  --- ### Can I remove a card authorization and replace it with another?  Yes, you can. To do so, you must start the process over again after removing the first card.  --- ### Can a guest pay for part of the tab with the card on file?   Yes, you can manually finalize a tab for a lower amount than the order balance and pay the rest of the balance with another payment. If split into checks, the card on file can pay for one or multiple checks while using another payment type for the remaining checks. It’s important to note that you can only finalize a tab once using that initial authorization --- ### If I pay a tab with another card, will the pre-authorization drop from the customer's bank app or do I physically have to remove the authorization?   It will drop automatically.  --- ### Can I transfer an open tab/auth to another order?  Yes. Leveraging the “move to table” or “combine orders” work flows will allow tab transfers.