Managing payment automations

Schedule payments in advance to streamline collection throughout the reservation life cycle. Use payment automations to create a payment flow for reservations, based on the conditions you choose. Once you activate an automation, payments automatically apply to relevant reservations as they are created.

Each automation applies to reservations that meet your chosen conditions, such as property and booking source. A listing can have multiple automations, so you can meet unique payment requirements for different platforms or direct bookings.

Payment automation limitations

When setting up payment automations, you can combine percentage-based and fixed-fee payments in the same template. Keep these key limitations in mind:

• 100% coverage required: Your payment rules must cover the entire reservation amount.
• Authorization holds are part of the total: You cannot add authorization holds on top of collecting 100% of the reservation upfront. Holds must be included within the overall payout.

For example, if you want to collect 100% at confirmation, do not add an additional hold. Instead, consider collecting a portion upfront, then holding or collecting the balance later in the flow.

See more information about specific limitations for Vrbo and how to address them.

Follow the steps below to set up or manage payment automations.

Create a payment automation

Use a template or create a custom automation to tailor payments for your business. Create automations that cover all your types of reservations.

Categorize reservation types that require unique payment schedules and align them with your cancellation policies. This reduces guest complaints and chargeback risks. For example:

• If a booking source has a strict cancellation policy, set an automation to collect 100% at confirmation for that source.
• If listings A, B, and C allow extended stays, create an automation to collect several installment payments after check-in, with set time periods between each.

Understanding sources and conditions

Sources: You can target automations by specific booking sources, not just broad channels. For example, differentiate between direct website bookings and manual reservations.

Length of stay: "Length of stay" conditions work for all sources. Create automations that distinguish between short-term and long-term stays, such as:

• Automation A: Stays under 28 nights
• Automation B: Stays 28 nights or longer

This supports more flexible payment flows and prevents overlap.

Step by step:

1. Sign in to your Guesty account.
2. In the side navigation menu, click Guest payments to open the dropdown menu.
3. Under General, select Payment automation.
4. In the top-right corner, click Add payment automation.
5. Click Add on the relevant template or Create custom automation in the top-right.
6. Under "Reservation conditions," set which reservations should follow this payment schedule:
   1. Properties: Select All or choose specific properties. Exclude properties if needed.

   2. Sources: Select All sources to apply to every booking source, or pick specific sources such as OTA, direct, or your Booking Engine.

      Tip:

      If you select All sources, Guesty will automatically include new sources you add in the future. If you select specific sources, new sources will not be added automatically—you will need to update the automation if you want to include them.

   3. Advance notice: (Optional) Set how far in advance a reservation must be confirmed before check-in to qualify for this payment schedule.
   4. Length of stay: Set payment conditions based on the number of nights booked, such as different automation for stays longer than 28 nights.
7. Click Add payment to build your payment schedule. For each payment:
   1. Select Collect payment or Hold payment.
   2. Set when to collect or hold during the reservation life cycle.
   3. Set the amount as a percentage or fixed value. For final payments, select Collect the remaining balance to avoid undercharging.
   4. If using a hold, choose when to charge or release, and set the number of days.
8. Click Save to add the payment.
9. In the bottom-right, click Save to save your automation setup.
10. In the pop-up, name your payment automation, review the settings, and click Add payment automation.
11. Choose whether to apply the automation to only future reservations or include existing reservations that:
    1. Meet your defined conditions
    2. Have no existing charges, including recorded payments
    3. Have not checked in yet

Activate a payment automation

In the payment automations page, toggle on the automation to activate.

Update or deactivate a payment automation

Update or deactivate a payment automation at any time. Existing reservations will keep the deactivated payment schedule, but make sure there is a payment automation to cover new reservations.

Step by step:

1. Sign in to your Guesty account.
2. In the side navigation menu, click Guest payments to open the dropdown menu.
3. Under General, select Payment automation.
4. To the right of the payment automation you want to update, click .
5. Select Edit.
6. Click De-activate or update as needed, then click Save.
7. In the pop-up, click Continue to deactivate, or Add payment automation to update.
8. Choose whether to apply the update to only future reservations or include existing reservations that:
   1. Meet the automation's conditions
   2. Have no existing charges, including recorded payments
   3. Haven't checked in yet

Delete a payment automation

Once an automation is deleted, it won't be triggered for future reservations and will be removed permanently.

Step by step:

1. Sign in to your Guesty account.
2. In the side navigation menu, click Guest payments to open the dropdown menu.
3. Under General, select Payment automation.
4. To the right of the payment automation you want to update, click .
5. Select Delete.
6. In the pop-up, click Delete.
7. Choose whether to delete the automation from existing reservations or only from future ones.