Switching your payout method from Payments by Booking.com to using Virtual Credit Cards (VCCs) processed through GuestyPay provides you with a fully integrated, secure, and cost-efficient payment solution.
This guide walks you through the steps to switch to VCC payouts and assign them to GuestyPay.
Understanding the operational limitations of Payments by Booking.com
Booking.com offers a payout method called Payments by Booking.com, where Booking.com acts as the Merchant of Record (MOR). Under this model, Booking.com collects the guest’s payment directly and then issues a payout to you according to their schedule.
While this option can work for some partners, it is important to understand the operational implications of this setup.
Booking.com is the MOR
When Payments by Booking.com is enabled, Booking.com processes the guest’s payment directly. Because the card never enters Guesty:
- Guesty can't store the guest’s payment method for any future usage, such as a return guest who is now booking with you directly
- You can't charge or reuse the card in Guesty
- You lose the ability to apply deposits, upsells, add-ons, damage fees, or post-booking charges
- Automated financial workflows, like auto payments, auto refunds, scheduled fees, can't run against that Booking.com reservation
This reduces the amount of control you have over the financial lifecycle of the stay.
Disputes and documentation
Booking.com states that, in the event of a dispute or chargeback, partners may need to provide proof of stay or relevant documentation, even though they were not the ones who processed the payment. This process happens outside Guesty and follows Booking.com's policies and timelines.
Payout timing and reconciliation follow Booking.com’s schedule
Under Payments by Booking.com:
- Payout dates are governed by Booking.com rules
- The payout may include multiple reservations
- Reconciliation happens through Booking.com’s Extranet, not Guesty’s payout tools
This may create a multi-platform workflow rather than a single consolidated process inside Guesty.
Benefits of GuestyPay for Booking.com
GuestyPay was designed specifically for property managers, with a focus on security, speed, and transparency. Using GuestyPay to process Booking.com VCCs offers several key advantages:
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Advanced security: Benefit from 3D Secure (3DS) protection and built-in fraud prevention, which is proven to reduce chargebacks
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Cost efficiency: Access highly competitive processing rates and lock in current pricing
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Integrated experience: See all revenue streams and payouts in one place within Guesty's reporting and financial tools
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Payout control: Use Guesty Cards and ACH payouts for owners, giving you more control over expenses and financial transparency
Note:
GuestyPay is only available if your business is registered in the United States (US), United Kingdom (UK), Canada, or the European Union (EU). If your business is registered in these locations, but your listings are located abroad, please contact us for more information on applying.
Step 1: Apply to GuestyPay
Before starting, review the required documents and information you will need to upload to complete the application process.
Step by step:
- Sign in to your Guesty account.
- In the top navigation bar, click
.
- From the dropdown, select Guesty Marketplace.
- On the left hand side, open the Financials dropdown menu.
- Mark the Payment Processing checkbox.
- Locate GuestyPay, then click Connect.
- Fill in the relevant information.
- In the top-right corner, click Next.
- Enter your details, upload the required documents, and click Save & Continue.
- Fill out all of the mandatory and relevant information, and click Apply.
It can take up to three days for us to approve your application. Once approved, the primary contact you provided in the application form will receive an email from us, and users in the account who have an account admin role will get a notification in their Guesty dashboard.
Step 2: Switch to VCC payouts in Booking.com
Change your Booking.com payout method from Payments by Booking.com to VCC payouts. This ensures Booking.com will issue a Virtual Credit Card (VCC) for each reservation, which you will process securely through GuestyPay.
Follow Booking.com's official instructions to switch your payout method.
Important:
This change will only apply to new reservations booked after the transition is complete. Reservations confirmed before the switch will still be processed according to the original method.
Step 3: Assign listings to GuestyPay
After GuestyPay is approved, assign the relevant listings to the processor. This ensures all VCCs and any other guest payments are routed through GuestyPay.
Step by step:
- Sign in to your Guesty account.
- In the top navigation bar, click the mode selector and select Financials mode.
- Click Payment processing.
- In "GuestyPay," click Assign listings in the upper-right-hand corner.
- In the pop-up, click the Assigned to default tab above the search bar and find the listings you want to assign to the account.
- Check the boxes for the relevant listings.
- Click Assign.
Step 4: Start charging Booking.com VCCs through GuestyPay
Once enabled, all new reservations from Booking.com will be processed via GuestyPay with full fraud protection, 3DS, dispute support, and payout visibility.