Deposit now, balance later
Set the product’s payment to Deposit now, balance on unlock. The cart charges the deposit only. When the deal unlocks, each buyer gets a balance order with a payment link and a due date, and their order waits On hold until the balance is paid, then moves to Processing. If the balance is overdue, the buyer is reminded and the store gets a note. Deals with tiers ask for the balance when the deal ends, so it is based on the final price. If the deal fails, the deposit is refunded.
Card charged on unlock
With the WooCommerce Stripe Gateway, Authorize now, charge on unlock only holds the card at checkout. The order joins the group; when the deal unlocks and the order moves to Processing, Stripe takes the payment. If the deal fails, the order is cancelled and the hold released, so nothing needs a refund. Card holds expire after about 7 days, so deals longer than the limit you set take payment now instead.
