Virtual Credit Cards (VCCs) are a secure payment method provided by booking channels, such as Booking.com and Expedia Connect, to protect a guest's personal credit card details. When a guest pays for a reservation, the booking channel collects the payment and sends it to you via a VCC.
VCC details appear on the reservation page in your Guesty account just like a standard credit card. Each VCC has a specific activation and expiration date set by the channel, and the card can only be charged within this window.
Note:
This information applies only to VCCs received from Booking.com and Expedia Connect. For VCCs from other channels, Guesty charges the full reservation balance at check-in.
VCCs can't be used for an Authorization Hold.
Charging VCCs from Booking.com and Expedia Connect
Guesty uses the exact loaded amount and activation date provided by the booking channel to process the payment successfully.
For VCCs from these two channels:
Guesty charges the exact amount provided by the channel rather than the reservation balance.
Guesty waits until the activation date to initiate the charge.
Best practices
To ensure a VCC is charged automatically on or after the activation date with the correct amount, use payment automations to process the charge. If you prefer to charge the VCC manually, process the payment at least 24 hours after check-in.
Important:
Charging the VCC before the activation date, after the expiration date, or for a higher amount than the loaded value results in a failed payment or an "Invalid card" error.
Modification limitations
VCC activation dates are static. If a reservation date changes to an earlier stay, the card activation date doesn't automatically sync to the new date.
Follow the steps below to manage a VCC for a modified reservation:
Step by step:
Contact the booking channel directly to obtain the payment details manually.
Advise the channel that the system hasn't recognized the push update for the new activation date.
Manually create a new payment within the reservation using the collected details to process the charge.