Guest Payments: Frequently Asked Questions – Hostaway

1. Getting Started & Basic Operations

Q: What are my options to charge a guest in Hostaway?

A: You have two primary methods:
1. Manual Payments: Add a single transaction directly within the reservation's details page.
2. Auto-Payments: Set up automated rules that schedule charges based on reservation events. Note that auto-payment templates only apply to new reservations created after the rule is saved, not existing ones.

Q: How can I collect my guest's credit card information securely?

A: You can send the unique Guest Portal Link to your guests. This allows them to securely enter their credit card details under the "Payment" section, which will instantly sync with your connected payment processor (such as Stripe) for future scheduled charges.

Q: Why is the cardholder's name not showing on my Hostaway dashboard?

A: This is expected behavior due to strict PCI compliance security standards. Sensitive cardholder details are restricted between Hostaway and your payment service provider (PSP). You can typically view the cardholder's full name by logging directly into your connected Stripe or Authorize.net account.

Q: Why does an offline automatic payment show as "Paid" immediately?

A: When an automatic offline payment (like Cash or Bank Transfer) is scheduled to trigger at reservation creation, the system automatically marks it as Paid right away. This is designed to ensure that the invoice status instantly reflects the scheduled offline agreement, even though you collect the funds physically outside of Hostaway.

Q: How do credit cards and payments work for Airbnb reservations?

A: Airbnb collects and manages all payments for you. No action is required on your side in Hostaway, and you do not need to process any cards. Any payout adjustments must be handled directly on the Airbnb platform.

Q: How do I handle payments for Booking.com reservations?

A: It depends on three distinct scenarios:
1. Payments by Booking.com: Booking.com manages the payment process. They charge the guest and transfer the funds to your account. No payment action is needed from your side.
2. Virtual Credit Cards (VCC): Booking.com sends you a VCC that is only chargeable after the activation date (typically the check-in date or 1 day after).
3. Guest Credit Card: Booking.com passes you the guest's real card details. You must have Auto-payments set up to process the charge on your connected payment gateway. Note on CVC: By default, Booking.com accounts may not require guests to provide CVC codes. If this is disabled, the card will arrive in Hostaway with the CVC showing as "000". To require CVC codes, you must log into your Booking.com Extranet and request this change through your Extranet inbox.

Q: How do credit cards work for Vrbo reservations?

A: Vrbo sends the guest's credit card details directly to Hostaway. You act as the Merchant of Record and must charge the card using your connected payment processor (Stripe or Authorize.net) and Auto-payment rules.

Q: When can I charge virtual credit cards from Expedia?

A: If Expedia sends you a Virtual Credit Card, it is only chargeable after check-out. If they send you the guest's real credit card, you can charge it normally according to your scheduled rules.

Q: Can I process credit cards for iCal reservations?

A: No. iCal connections only sync basic calendar availability and dates. They do not support credit card details or any financial data.

Q: Why does my European guest see a "0 €" authorization in their bank app?

A: This is a Setup Intent required under European regulations (SCA/3D Secure). Stripe authorizes the card with 0 € first to securely save and verify the card details. The actual payment charge follows immediately after.

Q: I enabled Klarna or Pix in Stripe, but my guest can't see it at checkout. Why?

A: Alternative payment methods (APMs) are loaded dynamically by Stripe's "Intelligent Display" logic. They will only show if the currency matches (e.g., EUR for iDeal, BRL for Pix) and if the guest's location/device is eligible according to Stripe's rules.

Q: Why was the payment not charged to the guest's new card after I set it as default?

A: Setting a different credit card as "default" on the reservation only affects newly created charges. Existing "Due" or "Failed" charges remain tied to the card profile that was active when they were created. To charge the new card, edit the specific charge to update its payment profile, or select Retry Now on the failed line after the new card is saved.

Q: What does the error "No payment profile available" mean?

A: This occurs when you try to charge a saved card, but there is no card securely saved or connected to the guest's profile in Stripe. To resolve this, copy the Guest Portal Link from the upper right corner of the reservation and send it to the guest. Once they enter their card details in the portal, the profile is created, and you can process the manual charge.

Q: Why can't I see the "Cancel" or "Refund" buttons for a charge?

A: First, verify that the reservation is not in Edit Mode (save or discard changes at the top banner). Additionally, remember that you can only Cancel unpaid charges (Due, Failed, or Paused status), and you can only Refund charges that have already been marked as Paid.

Q: Why did an auto-charge fail with the error "Amount invalid or exceeds allowed sum"?

A: Hostaway has an automated safety layer that prevents the system from overcharging guests. If your manual charges or previous payments already cover the total reservation price, the system will block any auto-payment rule that would exceed that total reservation amount.

Q: How do I refund a guest if they cancel or the price decreases?

A: Locate the Paid charge in the Guest Payments section of the reservation, click the three dots (...), and select Refund. You can process full or partial refunds directly from your Hostaway dashboard without logging into Stripe.

Q: If a guest modifies their reservation and the price increases, does Hostaway charge the difference automatically?

A: No. Hostaway will not automatically charge a guest's card for a price increase after a modification. This prevents unauthorized transactions. You must manually add a new charge to collect the difference, or rely on a pending automatic "Remaining Balance" rule, which will recalculate the final payment automatically.