For hotels and vacation rentals, ChargeAutomation places the authorization hold on the guest's card before arrival and releases it after checkout. Nothing is charged unless there is damage, and placing the hold costs you nothing.
An authorization hold reserves an amount on the guest's card without moving it. The bank sets it aside and reduces their available credit, and nothing is charged unless you capture it. ChargeAutomation runs the whole hotel credit card authorization automatically, for security deposits and incidental charges at hotels and vacation rentals.
Take a deposit as a charge and you pay a processing fee on money you always meant to return, then the guest waits 5 to 10 business days for the refund. A hold does neither: nothing moves, nothing costs.
“We no longer spent time physically collecting documents or contacting guest for payments. CA is doing that for us without lifting a finger.”
Ramiro FerrandoUnion Square Hotel“We've been using contactless check-in for quite some time already and are really satisfied with how they combined id check, payment collection, terms & conditions and upsells into a single flow. It was easy to implement and guests love the experience.”
JohnCozySuites“We use CA for about 2 years for our 50+ properties and are very happy so far.”
Igor OxProperty manager · Latvia“Automating the check in and payment process was the best thing that happened to my rental business! … all on a single link!”
MajaVacation rental host · Japan“It has helped us generate additional revenue while keeping everything streamlined and easy to manage.”
Aotearoa Airbnb ManagementShort-term rentals · New Zealand“Chargebacks are no longer an issue for me. … So, it was a 180-degree change for our operation.”
Commercial DirectorBoutique hotel, 50–74 rooms · Buenos Aires“They were responsive, communicated clearly, and even followed up on my issue on their own accord.”
Randle TaylorCanada“Other tools claimed they did it with Chargeback protection but the only one that truly did it was ChargeAutomation. … Since then my chargebacks went down to 0.”
Ore SupastaHost · Canada“I can confidently say that this solution has all I needed to make my business more profitable, from guidebooks to selling more of our add ons.”
KimVacation rental host · Norway“wonderful Cathy !”
Eric TrouvinFrance“Advanced product that solved many of our hotel's needs at once and increased our RevPar, % of direct bookings, and TrevPar.”
Director of SalesCity center hotel, 100–199 rooms · Kyiv“Very useful app! Amazing support!”
Wilhelm CazimiroviciRomania“With the money generated by upsells, the tool actually pays for itself.”
Krzysztof ZbudniewekHost“Contactless check-in from ChargeAutomation saves so much time for our administrators and we noticed how guest satisfaction improved. 100% recommendation.”
ErinLifeSuites“ChargeAutomation is easy to use and user friendly, you can surely use the system even if you are a beginner. and the support team are prompt at responding to queries and very informative.”
AndrewUpStay“It really helped me get quick access to the door code and pay my security deposit. … It was all right there in the guidebook.”
Sodiq FowosereGuest · Canada“As an owner of Popcorn Hostel in Bucharest, I can say this app is the best tool that I found on the internet.”
Popcorn HostelHostel · Bucharest“We use ChargeAutomation to collect security deposits, rental agreements, and some payments from guests when they book on various platforms. It's very nice to have a unified and automated system to handle this and allow guests to self service.”
RyanHost · United States“When I wanted to pay for the reservation it actually did something like an otp with my bank so it ensured it was me.”
Christianah FashGuest · Canada“ChargeAutomation is amazing! It can do so much and I often recommend ChargeAutomation to my clients.”
Kana G.Verified user“Supported by Dixie, really helpful help.”
Abobakr ElwakeelCustomer“This whole system is so great for us and our customers.”
Josh StockCustomer“Seamless, takes away a lot of the back and forth I had to deal with when processing credit cards and verifying ID. Highly recommended!”
AjCanada“I checked in, paid a security deposit, booked early check-in and received my access instructions - all via the same link.”
Kasia KugaudoGuest · Poland“The upsells have increased my add ons as the guest can pay via a card.”
DirectorCity center hotel, 50–74 rooms · San Jose“The platform itself is very powerful for automating guest communication, check-in processes, and operational workflows, which saves a huge amount of time once set up correctly.”
Peter MeszarosUnited KingdomThe complaint is almost never the hold. It is the deposit or hotel incidental hold that stayed on the card a week after checkout because someone forgot. ChargeAutomation releases it on a schedule, automatically.
31 on Visa with STRPay
Placed before arrival, released after checkout, captured only when something breaks. Swipe through what's included.
The whole cycle runs on the booking, with nobody opening a terminal.
Take part of the hold, and the rest returns to the guest automatically.
Amount, timing and method by property, channel or length of stay.
Alerts when a hold fails, is captured or needs a decision.
Holds run across 130+ gateways, or on STRPay up to 31 days on Visa.
Offer a hold or a waiver at check-in, so fewer guests drop off.
Verified identity and a signed agreement sit behind every capture.
Learn more about chargeback protection
They see a reservation on their card, not a payment they have to chase.
hold window
in fees to place a hold
payment gateways connected
PMS platforms synced
A pre-authorization hold reserves money on a guest's card without taking it. The bank sets the amount aside and reduces the guest's available credit, but no money moves until you capture it. ChargeAutomation uses pre-authorization holds for security deposits and incidentals at hotels and vacation rentals, so nothing is charged unless something goes wrong.
No. A charge moves money and costs you a processing fee, and refunding it costs the guest a wait of 5 to 10 business days. A hold only reserves the amount, so you pay nothing to place it and the guest sees their credit freed as soon as it is released.
In ChargeAutomation a hold can last up to 30 days, which covers most stays. On STRPay the card network limits apply: 31 days on Visa and 30 days on Mastercard. After that the hold drops off automatically and the funds return to the guest, whether or not the stay has ended.
Yes, and it is the point. ChargeAutomation places the hold on the schedule you set, at booking, a set number of days before arrival or at online check-in, and releases it automatically after checkout, so the front desk never has to ask a guest for a card at the counter.
Set the rule once and let the booking trigger it. In ChargeAutomation you choose the amount, the timing and the booking sources it applies to, per property or portfolio, and the hold is placed and released without anyone opening a terminal.
Incidentals are the extras a guest might add during a stay, such as the minibar, room service or damage. Most hotels cover them with a pre-authorization hold rather than a charge. ChargeAutomation places that hold before arrival during online check-in and releases it after checkout.
You do not have to. ChargeAutomation releases the hold automatically on the schedule you set after checkout, which is the step most properties forget and most guests complain about. You can also release it manually at any time.
Capture the hold instead of releasing it. In ChargeAutomation you capture all of it or only part, and whatever you do not capture is released back to the guest automatically.
The funds return to the guest and the property is unprotected for the rest of the stay, usually with no notification. For stays longer than the authorization window, use a charged deposit or offer the Damage Waiver instead, which ChargeAutomation can apply automatically by length of stay.
Most Airbnb hosts cannot, because Airbnb's Off-Platform Policy does not allow charging guests outside Airbnb and AirCover covers damage instead. Use pre-authorization holds in ChargeAutomation for direct bookings and channels that permit them.
ChargeAutomation connects 130+ payment gateways, and holds are supported across the major ones including Stripe, Adyen, Airwallex and Authorize.net. STRPay, ChargeAutomation's own processing, supports holds up to 31 days on Visa and 30 on Mastercard.
Yes. Charging a deposit and refunding it means paying a processing fee on money you always intended to give back, plus the refund wait. A hold costs nothing to place, which is why most properties that switch never go back.
Turn on automatic authorization holds and let every one release itself. Holds run up to 30 days, and placing one costs you nothing.
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