Implement delayed capture and handle airline merchant category rules in travel payments

Steps

1. Use Stripe's two-step authorize-and-capture flow: create a PaymentIntent with capture_method: 'manual' to authorize the card and hold the funds without charging; capture only when the booking is confirmed by the airline or hotel API.
2. Set the authorization hold window appropriately — Stripe holds authorizations for up to 7 days for most cards; if your booking confirmation can take longer (e.g. group bookings, charter flights), design the flow to re-authorize or switch to immediate capture with a refund fallback.
3. Set statement_descriptor and statement_descriptor_suffix on the PaymentIntent to clearly identify the airline or hotel name — generic descriptors like 'Travel Agency' increase chargeback rates.
4. For airline bookings, Stripe requires the payment to route through a Stripe account with the correct MCC (Merchant Category Code) — airlines use MCC 3000-3299 (airline-specific) or 4511 (air carriers); travel agencies use 4722; using the wrong MCC can cause issuer declines.
5. Implement idempotency keys on PaymentIntent creation — use a booking-session-scoped UUID so that network retries do not create duplicate authorizations.
6. For refunds, use Stripe's refund API referencing the original PaymentIntent or charge id; partial refunds are supported and should be used for penalty-deducted cancellations rather than full-refund-then-recharge.