When recording a payment in Guesty, it's important to know how this action impacts existing payments automation on the reservation. Once a payment or refund is recorded, payments automation stops updating automatically. This means they will be charged as is, unless they are manually adjusted or canceled.
Scenario
For a $1000 reservation, you are set to collect $500 at confirmation and $500 two days before check-in.
Before the first payment is charged, the guest sends a $500 bank transfer (Instead of the first payment).
You should edit the first payment automation and transform it into a recorded payment.
Impact
The second scheduled $500 payment automation will still process as planned.
By properly editing the first payment (instead of creating a new recorded payment), the guest will be charged the correct total of $1,000.
Important:
If the reservation total changes after recording a payment (e.g., adding services, changing dates), the payments automation will not update automatically to reflect the new total. They remain fixed at their original amounts until manually adjusted.
Example of payout changes
If a guest adds services worth $200 after you've recorded their initial payment, the payment automation amount will not automatically adjust to include this additional $200. You will need to manually update the payment schedule (either change the amount of the second scheduled payment, or add a new payment) to ensure the complete amount is collected.
Key rule
Any action involving a payment line (e.g., recording, adding, or editing payments) will freeze payments automation updates. From that point, payments will only process as they are entered in the system.
Best practices
Review payments after recording any actions, ensure the payment schedule reflects the correct state.
Manually adjust any overlapping auto payments to prevent duplicates or overcharges.
Confirm the total payout on the reservation matches the intended amount.
Review and update payment amounts after any change to the reservation total if needed.
By carefully managing payment actions, you can avoid overcharging or undercharging guests. Always double-check payment lines after making changes.