Guest payments can be collected in one of the following ways:
- Hotel collect: You are responsible for charging the payment. Collect a credit card from the guest and set up auto payments, or collect the payment manually. You can also charge via cash or use an external payment processor, and record the payment in Guesty.
- Channel collect: The booking channel handles the payment and sends the hosts their payouts directly, usually via bank transfer, on a monthly basis.
- Virtual Credit Cards (VCCs): VCCs are a form of payment that adds an extra layer of security for a guest. The booking channel collects the payment from the guest and sends you the payment via a virtual credit card, instead of the guest's credit card details.
How payments are collected determines the merchant of record - the function which processes payments and taxes, ensures compliance, and issues refunds and chargebacks. If the channel collects the payment, it is the merchant of record.
Virtual Credit Cards (VCCs)
VCC details appear on the reservation page similarly to any other credit card.
VCCs are activated by the booking channel, and the specific activation time varies per channel. Each VCC has an activation and expiration date, and the card can only be charged between these dates.
We recommend using auto payments to charge the VCC. If you have auto payment rules set up in Guesty, the VCC will be automatically charged either on the day of or the day after check-in for 100% of the total reservation payout (even if your rules are set up to collect partial payment at check-in). If you choose to charge the VCC manually, it's best to process the charge at least 24 hours after check-in, as this is when the VCC is certain to be active.
Charging the VCC before the activation date, after the expiration date, or charging a higher amount than the amount on VCC will result in a failed payment or an invalid card error.
Note:
VCCs cannot be used for an Authorization Hold.
Payment collection options for booking channels
Follow the steps below to edit your booking channels payment collection.
Step by step:
- Sign in to your Guesty account.
- In the top navigation bar, click the mode selector and select Growth mode.
- Select the relevant listing.
- Click Pricing & Policies and select Channel Payment Settings.
- To the right of the “Channel Payment Settings” window, click Edit.
- Edit the channel payment settings and click Save.
Step by step:
- Sign in to your Guesty account.
- In the top navigation bar, click Listings.
- Select the relevant listing.
- Click Pricing & policies and select Reservation policies.
- To the right of the “Booking options” window, click Edit.
- Edit the booking options and click Save.
Some channels offer multiple payment collection options.
| Booking Channel | Hotel Collect | Channel collect | VCC |
|---|---|---|---|
| Airbnb | ✓ | ||
| Agoda | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Booking.com | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| BookingPal | ✓ | ||
| Booking engine | ✓ | ||
| Booking engine API | ✓ | ||
| Channels connected through Siteminder | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Expedia | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Feratel | ✓ | ||
| Glamping Hub | ✓ | ||
| Google (Bookings happen in PMCs Booking Engine) | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Holidu | ✓ | ||
| HVMB (aka Marriot) | ✓ | ||
|
HomeToGo - UE properties |
✓ | ||
|
HomeToGo - non-UE properties |
✓ | ||
| Hopper | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Misterb&b | ✓ | ||
| Plum Guide | ✓ | ||
| Reconline CIH | ✓ | ||
| Rentals United | ✓ | ||
| Smiling House | ✓ | ||
| Travelstaytion | ✓ | ||
| Trip.com | ✓ | ||
| Whimstay | ✓ | ||
| Vrbo | ✓ |
| Booking Channel | Hotel Collect | Channel collect | VCC |
|---|---|---|---|
| Airbnb | ✓ | ||
| Booking.com | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Booking Website | ✓ | ||
| Vrbo | ✓ |
Booking.com
You can collect your Booking.com reservation payments though Guesty, or use one of Booking.com's payment solutions. With both options, the reservation's total amount and payment breakdown in Guesty are based on Booking.com.
Learn about your different payment collecting and processing options below.
Use Guesty to collect payments
Use a payment processor supported by Guesty to process credit card transactions. If you’re not using one of Guesty’s supported payment processors, you need to collect your guests' credit card details from the Booking.com Extranet and charge your guests independently, then record the payments in Guesty. See how to find your guest's credit card details on the Extranet.
Charge your guests via Booking.com
Booking.com offers two payment services: Payments by Booking.com (bank transfer) and online payments (VCC). Both options are subject to Booking.com approval. Check your eligibility and sign up via your Extranet’s finance page. Note that Booking.com charges a commission for these services. If you're using Payments by Booking.com with a Full Sync, manage the security deposit, authorization hold, additional fees, and price adjustments in Guesty.
When choosing Booking.com to charge your guests, reservation payments - including security deposits and authorization holds - won't be collected or synced to Guesty, and the guest's credit card details will not be imported into Guesty. The payment collected by Booking.com will be synced to Guesty and you will need to confirm it in order for the reservation to be marked as paid in Guesty.
Pilot users: Payments collected by Booking.com will automatically be marked as partially/fully paid once booking.com transfers you the money. The payout frequency is based on your contract with Booking.com.
Price adjustments you set in Guesty won't sync to Booking.com, including additional fees. Additional fees set in Guesty will still appear in Guesty's guest folio, despite not being collected by Booking.com. Set your additional fees in the Booking.com Extranet to be collected.
Learn more about the two methods below.
Booking.com will charge your guest’s credit card, and the accommodation fare, cleaning fee, and taxes will be collected by Booking.com as well. If you added additional fees via the Extranet, they will also be collected.
You will be paid via bank transfer once a month, with the channel commission already deducted for each reservation (the processing fee is 1.1% - 3.1% of the total payout). Reservations will be received in Guesty once they're paid ("pre-paid" reservations). If you notice a discrepancy between the Guesty invoice and Booking.com's, it is most likely due to the processing fee.
Auto Payment rules in Guesty won't apply to this method.
You can view the VCC details on the Booking.com Extranet. Learn more here.
Booking.com will collect the accommodation fare, cleaning fee, and taxes. If you added additional fees via the Extranet, they will also be collected. If you need to collect additional fees from the guest after charging the VCC, obtain the guest's personal credit card details since the VCC will be empty.
Expedia (Pro users only)
Expedia has three business models for collecting payments from guests:
- Expedia collect
- Hotel collect
- Expedia traveler preference, which combines the two models above
Information about these models can be seen in the Expedia group documentation.
Expedia collects the payment from the guest and sends it to Guesty as a VCC, called Expedia Virtual Card (EVC). A new EVC is assigned to each reservation and is deactivated six months after check-out.
If an Expedia reservation is altered, in most cases, the EVC number will remain the same. Card parameters may be adjusted to reflect the new rate and check-in or check-out dates. In rare cases, the EVC number may be changed.
If the reservation has been altered at any time, the updated price won't sync to Guesty, so in order to match the financial data between the two platforms, you'll need to update the financials on Guesty before proceeding to charge the EVC.
You are responsible for collecting the payment manually and recording it. This method is also known as "Pay Later" and is sometimes referred to as "HC", "Agency", or "Property Collect". This business model allows travelers to book same-day and next-day reservations on Expedia sites without a credit card and add a credit card after the reservation is made.
Hopper (Pro users only)
For Hopper reservations, you can collect payments automatically using auto payments or charge the VCC manually. If you don’t have auto payments set up, contact Hopper directly to obtain the relevant VCC details as they will not sync to Guesty automatically.
The amount on the VCC won't include any deposits or additional fees, so you are responsible for collecting these directly from the guest.
Vrbo
Guesty Lite users:
If you connected Vrbo after 19 Feb 2024, payment is collected in Vrbo. If you started connecting prior to this date, follow the instructions below.
When collecting payments for Vrbo reservations, you can give your guests multiple payment options.
If you select this as the only payment method, the guest will be required to enter their credit card details when they book the reservation on Vrbo. The payments for their reservation will be automatically collected via your payment processor according to the auto payment rules set up on the listing.
Under "Invoice payment" there are four possible payment options:
- Credit card
- Cash
- Check
- Debit card
If you select at least one of these options, the guest will not be required to enter the details of any payment method when they book the reservation on Vrbo. They will be informed of the payment method(s) offered by you, and the payment for their reservation will be automatically recorded in Guesty according to the auto payment rules set up on the listing. You will need to contact the guest to retrieve their payment method and collect the payment outside of Guesty.
If you select both "Payment processor" and at least one of the options under "Invoice payment" payment methods, the guest will be able to choose how they want to be charged when they book the reservation - based on the explanation provided above for each option.
The payment methods can be updated at any time by following the instructions below or watching our video.
Note:
Vrbo requires payments to be collected via Stripe if you are located in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region. Collecting payments via other methods is not currently supported by Vrbo in this region.
Pro users can change the payment method per listing or on the account level. The Vrbo account's settings will not be affected by a change made to a listing's payment method.
Step by Step:
- Sign in to your Guesty account.
- In the top navigation bar, click the mode selector and select Growth mode.
- Click Distribution.
- Click the HomeAway/Vrbo thumbnail.
- Next to the relevant account, click the
icon. - Under "Payment Methods", edit the relevant details.
- Click Save.
Step by step:
- Sign in to your Guesty account.
- In the top navigation bar, click, the mode selector and select Growth mode.
- Click Distribution.
- Click the Vrbo thumbnail.
- Click the relevant Vrbo account.
- Click the relevant listing:
- For a multi-unit, each sub-unit should be updated individually by accessing the sub-unit's settings.
- In the left-side menu, click Pricing & Policies.
- In the dropdown, click Channel payment settings.
- In the Vrbo section on the right-hand side, click Edit.
- If already turned on, turn the "Use your account's default settings" toggle off.
- Edit the relevant information.
- Click Save.
Payment collection for direct booking integrations
For reservations received via the Guesty Booking Engine (Booking Website for Lite uses) or via the Booking Engine API (Pro users only), process payments either via Guesty or outside of Guesty.
Processing payments via Guesty
To collect guest payments through Guesty, connect a payment processor. This option will allow you to approve reservations automatically. Set auto payments or collect payments manually.
Processing payments outside of Guesty
Outside of Guesty, you can collect guest payments via bank transfer, cash payment, or other methods. Send your guests payment instructions and track each payment. We recommend recording the payments as paid outside of Guesty, marking reservations as "paid manually" in the reservation page financial section. Otherwise, reservations will remain "unpaid" in Guesty reports.
If you manage payments outside of Guesty, reservations will be made as requests to book and auto payments cannot be used.
Booking Engine API (Pro users only)
When you create or edit a Booking Engine API instance, choose between three payment options:
- Guesty invoice (for request to book): Use Guesty's guest invoice to collect the payment.
- Stripe through Guesty: Setting up Stripe Checkout to process the payment directly on the Booking Engine API and pass the token to Guesty via the API. You can set up auto payments with this payment option.
- External payment processors: Outside of Guesty, you can collect guest payments via bank transfer, cash payment, or other methods. Send your guests payment instructions and track each payment, then record the payment in Guesty.
Note:
If you choose the Only inquiries booking option, you can only collect payments using the Guesty invoice. If you choose Only instant booking, all three of the above options will be available to you.