When you sign a new contract with Booking.com and publish properties, a temporary restriction may be placed on your account. This is a security mechanism designed to help Booking.com validate new partners, prevent fraud, and protect guests.
The restriction affects how you set payment methods and prepayment policies both in Booking.com and Guesty.
What is restricted
While your account is under review, the following limitations apply:
- Prepayment policies: You cannot set prepayment policies, such as "pay before arrival."
- Credit card access: Guest credit card details may not be visible or shared with you in Guesty or Booking.com until the property verification process is complete.
- Property visibility: Your property will not be visible in Booking.com search results and will not receive reservations until you change your prepayment policy directly in Booking.com. [Image: A screenshot of the Booking.com extranet showing where to adjust prepayment policies.]
Managing payments during the restriction period
Because of these security measures, you must adapt your operations until the restriction is lifted:
- No-prepayment policies: You may be limited to "pay at property" policies during this stage.
- Manual verification: Credit card verification and access to CVC or card details might not be possible for your first few reservations. Access is typically only granted in cases of a no-show or when a cancellation fee applies to a canceled reservation.
- Policy updates: You must update your prepayment policy directly in the Booking.com extranet to ensure your listings are live and bookable. [GIF: A short demonstration of navigating to the "Policies" section in the Booking.com extranet.]
Removing the restriction
The temporary restriction is lifted once your property meets Booking.com’s verification criteria. This process generally includes a combination of successfully completed stays, guest reviews, and a consistent compliance history.
Once the restriction is removed, you can resume charging guests before arrival and will have full access to guest credit card information within Guesty.