Book a Taxi for Now: A Card Hold, and Only the Final Cost Is Charged

Someone who needs a taxi right now wants three things: to see roughly what it will cost, to be sure a taxi is really coming, and not to pay more than they should. A taxi company wants bookings that don’t fall through and payment that is secured. Wiiz handles both with a card hold.

How a "Now" booking works

• The passenger enters pickup and destination (or taps "My location") and instantly sees the ride options with prices.
• They tap "Select" — the booking is for now. Scheduling for later is a separate option.
• The estimate plus 10% is held on their card through the secure JCC gateway.
• The company’s drivers are notified and one accepts the ride.
• After the ride the driver confirms the final cost — only that is charged and the rest is released.

Why a hold instead of a charge

A hold (pre-authorization) reserves the amount on the card without charging it. When the ride is completed, only the real cost is captured and the rest is released straight away — no refund that shows up days later. The extra 10% covers small differences such as traffic or a slight detour.

If no driver is available

If no driver accepts the ride within 10 minutes, the hold is released automatically and the passenger sees on their booking page that they were not charged. The company pays no fee for a ride that never happened.

Cancellations and no-shows

• Passenger cancels: the hold is released in full.
• Company cancels: always released in full.
• Passenger doesn’t show up: only the company’s normal deposit (e.g. 20%) is charged; the rest is released.

For the taxi company

Every "now" ride arrives with the money already secured on the card. The driver or owner accepts it in the Wiiz app, the ride lands on the Rides board, and at the end they type in the final cost. The cost for the company is €0.15 per booking, with no monthly fee.