Important to know:
The Automated payments feature can only be used with the Little Hotelier Payments gateway
To access Automated payments, go to My apps > Payments > Automated payments
What is Automated payments and how does it work?
Automated payments is a feature that allows you to set up payment rules to charge guests automatically at different times in their booking journey.
Multiple rules can be set up and applied to various reservations.
Example:
Create a rule that is triggered if a reservation is from the following channel:
Direct Booking channel
Configure the rule to take an automatic charge:
On the check-in day for the outstanding amount
Which booking sources are supported by Automated payments?
Automated payments can be used for reservations from the following booking sources:
Direct booking
Booking.com
Expedia
Little Hotelier (reservations created via the Front Desk or using the mobile app)
Little Hotelier Booking Engine
What regions are supported by Automated payments?
All regions/countries where Little Hotelier Pay is available.
How many payments can be scheduled using an Automated payment rule?
One payment can be scheduled for every reservation that meets the Automated payment rule criteria.
Can a payment rule be applied to multiple rate plans?
A payment rule is applied to a specific channel, it can then be configured to apply to multiple channels.
What happens if no rule matches a reservation?
If a reservation does not meet an Automated payment rule criteria, payment will not be processed. The payment will need to be manually processed.
Note: Automated payments only supports some online booking channels and only applies to standard credit cards and not virtual credit cards. Reservations received through other channels will need to be manually processed.
What payment types can be configured?
Outstanding payments.
When can payments be charged?
These are the options for when to charge a payment:
Prior to check-in: charged a number of days before the check-in date. You can configure the number of days, and the time of day to make the charge.
Check-in day: charged on the date of check-in at a specific time of day.
Check-out day: charged on the date of check-out at a specific time of day.
What is card validation?
Card validation is the process of checking that a card has not expired and the details are correct. When a payment is scheduled to be processed by Automated payments, the guest’s credit card will be automatically validated after the reservation has been made.
Notes:
Only payments that are processed by Automated payments will have card validation applied
If authentication is required for cards from EU guests that have Strong Customer Authentication (SCA) requirements, you will be notified by e-mail, that a payment failed because SCA was required/3DS.
What happens if a card fails validation?
If a credit card does not pass card validation:
Automated payments will not be scheduled;
You will need to contact the guest to request a different card, and process the payment manually, or send a Payment request
How will I know if a card fails validation?
If a card fails validation you will be notified by e-mail.
Can Automated payments pre-authorise charges?
No, Automated payments cannot pre-authorise charges.
When I create a new rule, are previous reservations processed?
No, a new rule does not apply to past reservations even if they match the rule. Rules are only triggered by new reservations that match the conditions of the rule.
Can multiple rules apply to a single reservation?
At this stage multiple rules cannot apply to a single reservation.
What happens if a reservation is modified?
When a reservation is modified, it will be handled according to the payment status:
If no payments have been scheduled: the modified reservation will be treated as a new reservation. It can trigger a rule like a normal reservation.
If payments have been scheduled: these payments will be cancelled. The modified reservation will be treated as a new reservation.
If the rule has been archived the rule will not trigger for the modified reservation.
What happens if a reservation is cancelled?
If a reservation is cancelled, all related payments will be handled in the same way as when a reservation is modified. In addition, the reservation will not be able to trigger any more rules. An e-mail will be sent to review the reservation and check whether a refund is required if a payment has already been taken.
What happens if a rule is archived?
If a rule is archived, all scheduled payments will remain and will be charged at the scheduled time. You can cancel any scheduled payments if they are no longer required. An archived rule won’t be triggered for any new reservations.
What e-mail notifications will I receive from Automated payments?
Automated payments will process most payments automatically. However, you will receive an e-mail notifications regarding:
If a card has failed validation
If a payment has failed
If a reservation is modified prior to the payment being processed
If a reservation has been cancelled prior or after payment has been processed
When a payment has been processed
Guests will also receive a payment confirmation email once an Automated payment has been processed.
All emails will be sent to the registered business email address for your Little Hotelier Payments account. To update the email address (except guest facing emails) go to My Apps > Payments > Automated payments > Settings.
You can update the email address where emails are sent to (except the guest facing emails) by going to My Apps > Payments > Automated payments > Settings.
Can a rule be edited?
The configuration of a rule cannot be edited. Instead, the rule should be archived, and a new rule created.
Can a rule be deleted?
No, Automated payments rules cannot be deleted, but can be archived.
What do I do if a payment fails?
If a payment fails, you should retry the payment.
Go to My Apps > Payments > Automated payments
Click on Failed > search for the payment using the filters > Search
Locate the payment and click View
Retry the failed payment
If retrying the payment fails, then you will need to manually process this payment, consider sending a Payment request.
Can a scheduled payment be cancelled?
Yes, a scheduled payment can be cancelled before it has been processed.
Go to My Apps > Payments > Automated payments
Click on Scheduled > search for the payment using the filters > Search
Locate the payment and click View
Cancel the scheduled payment
Can a payment be rescheduled?
Yes, a payment can be rescheduled to a new date.
Go to My Apps > Payments > Automated payments
Click on Scheduled > search for the scheduled payment using the filters > Search
Locate the payment and click View
Click Reschedule > change the date of scheduled payment
Are tax inclusive or tax exclusive amounts prioritised?
Automated payments prioritises tax inclusive amounts. This occurs when reservations include both tax inclusive and tax exclusive amounts.
Can I apply credit card surcharges?
Yes, you can opt-in to apply credit card surcharges to be applied when an Automated payment is processed.
How do I check if a reservation has an automated payment scheduled?
You can check by opening a reservation in the Front Desk, in the Details tab there will be a yellow box in the Booking Summary saying “A payment is scheduled for total outstanding amount”. If you click on this you will see the scheduled payment details.
Where can I view and manage my Automated payments?
Go to My Apps > Payments > Automated payments to create and manage Automated payment rules and settings and view and manage all scheduled and failed payments.
Create a rule: configure a new Automated payment rule
Manage rules: archive rules
Settings: update the email notification settings
Scheduled: list of all scheduled payments
Failed#: list of all failed payments
What happens when a refund is performed on a reservation and there is now an outstanding balance?
Automated payments will not schedule a new payment to process the outstanding balance. If there was a payment that was previously scheduled for the reservation, it will now be cancelled.