Give guests the choice at check-in: a refundable security deposit or a non-refundable damage waiver, both handled automatically from start to finish.
Every deposit goes through the same fraud protection as a regular payment, real-time monitoring, ID verification, and dispute management, so you accept payments without absorbing losses. Protection is required at check-in, so no guest gets access codes until they're covered.
Get real-time alerts by email, SMS, or in-app every time a deposit is processed or updated. Guests are reminded automatically when a payment is overdue, and if a card is declined, they're prompted instantly for a new one, no stalled check-ins, nobody on your team chasing it.
Trigger the hold at booking, a set number of hours before check-in, or on a custom date, guests add their card anytime before arrival, and it fires automatically, no manual follow-up.
A charge-and-refund cycle costs you around 3% in processing fees, even when nothing was wrong. A pre-authorization hold costs nothing, across every connected gateway, whether the deposit is released or claimed.
Every deposit and waiver rule lives in one place, tagged by property, portfolio, or booking source, no manual overrides. Set a different amount, timing, and schedule per property or channel, whether it's direct, OTA, or your PMS.
Integrates with 130+ gateways worldwide, including Stripe, MercadoPago, and Razorpay, plus any PMS, OTA, or direct booking source. One setup, protection everywhere you operate.
Give guests the choice that works for them while keeping your property fully covered. Automated, flexible, and built to work across any booking channel.
Offer personalized upsells during check-in
Reduce guest queues by using online check-in
Speed up check-in & booking processes
Saving guest time & money will make them happy
Collect guest documents & signatures online
Collect payments & security deposit during check-in
Offer automated security deposits and damage waivers at check-in. Give guests flexibility while securing your assets across all booking channels.
Collect partial or full security deposit, or a flat damage waiver fee upfront
Release or extend the pre-authorisation hold at any time, or keep waiver funds immediately as profit
Void a security deposit or a damage waiver independently, without affecting the other
Switch a booking from security deposit to damage waiver, even after authorisation
Our software integrates with a wide range of hospitality tools, ensuring you can access the guest data you need and automatically update your PMS, OTA and payment gateway – for both security deposits and damage waivers.
Check answers to the most common questions about ChargeAutomation
Security deposit is collected in a form of authorization (hold). The maximum holding period for Stripe users is 28 days for Visa and 30 days for Discover/MasterCard/Amex or 7 days for other cards.
Once a booking ended, the Security deposit is automatically released 3 days after check out.
In ChargeAutomation, there are 3 ways of collecting security deposit
By manually sending authorization request link to your customer.
By creating a re-usable authorization link and sharing it to anyone.
By creating auto payment rule for automatic collection.
Our superior detection eliminates fraudulent chargebacks entirely. Zero fraud guaranteed.
Short-term rental companies that use upselling software from ChargeAutomation include CozySuites, PMI, UpStay & Carzi Contactless and many more.
You can define rules, schedule dates and the amount of security deposit authorization for each property or booking channel.
A damage waiver is a small, non-refundable flat fee collected from the guest at check-in. Unlike a security deposit, no hold is placed on the guest’s card. The fee is collected upfront, covering the host against potential damages without tying up the guest’s available credit.
Yes. With ChargeAutomation, you can offer both options at check-in and let guests select their preferred method. This reduces drop-offs at the payment step and ensures your property is protected regardless of which option the guest chooses.
No. The damage waiver fee is non-refundable. Once collected, the funds are immediately available to the host and do not require any release or capture process.
If you detect any damage to the property once the guest has left, you may opt to capture funds from the security deposit authorization. This can be initiated directly through ChargeAutomation.
You can capture the whole amount or a partial amount and leave a brief description for your records.
Security deposit authorizations are automatically returned 3 days after check out.
ChargeAutomation will continue to send automatic notifications to the guest, reminding them of the requirement to provide valid credit card details.
ChargeAutomation is GDPR and PCI-compliant solution. Personal data security is the cornerstone of our operations.
With security deposit authorizations by ChargeAutomation you save on processing fees from your payment gateway. Only a fraction of those fees for using ChargeAutomation’s security deposit software.
Yes. You set your own waiver amount per property or per booking. If the fee exceeds your actual coverage costs, the difference is yours to keep as profit.
Go to your Auto Payments settings at the global or property level, locate the Security Deposit settings, and toggle the Damage Waiver option to ON. From there you can define the waiver amount, coverage limit, and pricing model per stay or per night.
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