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Pre-Authorize the Deposit. Never Charge a Guest Upfront.
Security deposit pre-authorization holds the funds on any card instead of charging it, so hotels and vacation rentals stay protected while guests book with confidence.
Trusted by the top vacation rentals & hotels
The Smarter Way to Protect Every Booking
Schedule the Deposit Hold Once, It Runs Itself From There
Choose when you want the hold to happen, at booking, before check-in, or on a specific date, and ChargeAutomation triggers it automatically. No manual reminders, no chasing guests for a card.
Accept Payments Confidently, Without Absorbing Fraud Losses
Real-time transaction monitoring, guest ID verification, and chargeback dispute management run on every payment, so hotels and vacation rentals stop treating fraud prevention as a trade-off against a smooth guest experience.
Stop Paying Fees on Deposits You'll Never Actually Charge
Card charges cost you a 3% processing fee, even on deposits you end up refunding. Pre-authorization holds skip that entirely, you only pay when a transaction actually goes through, across every connected gateway.
Automated Deposit Notifications and Guest Payment Reminders
Get real-time alerts by email, SMS, or in-app the instant a deposit is processed, authorized, or fails. If a guest's payment is overdue or a hold doesn't go through, they get reminded automatically, no manual follow-up on your end.
Works With the Gateway, PMS, and Booking Source You Already Have
Connect through Stripe, MercadoPago, Razorpay, or any of our 100+ gateways, covering hotels worldwide, from LATAM to India and Asia. Whatever your PMS, OTA, or booking channel, pre-authorization runs the same everywhere.
Easily Collect Security Deposits with Our Solution
Connect your payment gateway (e.g., Stripe), generate an authorization link, and share it via SMS, WhatsApp, email, or other channels for a simple and secure way to collect security deposits
Why Choose Our Authorization Solution?
No Website/Page Needed
Just create a link and send it, no site or app required.
Payments Made Easy
Guests pay in one tap, no account setup.
Share via any platform
WhatsApp, SMS, email, or any messaging app.
Zero Fraud Guarantee
Fraud and disputes covered automatically.
Go International
Accept holds from guests anywhere in the world.
No Extra Charges
Send unlimited links, pay only on successful transactions.
Save Transaction Fee
Skip the ~3% processing fee card charges carry.
Receive Notification
Know the moment a deposit comes through.
Why hosts like you trust ChargeAutomation
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Up to $160Upsell revenue per booking
Offer personalized upsells during check-in
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75%Less queues
Reduce guest queues by using online check-in
-
30minTime savings
Speed up check-in & booking processes
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90%Guest satisfaction
Saving guest time & money will make them happy
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100%Document handling
Collect guest documents & signatures online
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100%Eliminate cash-handling
Collect payments & security deposit during check-in
Pre-authorization payment hold
Collect security & damage deposits for your hotel or vacation rental using pre-authorization payment holds on credit & debit cards.
What Can you Do with Pre-Authorization Hold?
Release Authorization Hold
Extend Authorization Hold
Send Auto Reminders
Capture Partial or Full Amount
Client testimonial
“What ChargeAutomation customers are saying about us”
UpStay Read More
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.
CozySuites Read More
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.
LifeSuites Read More
Contactless check-in from ChargeAutomation saves so much time for our administrators and we noticed how guest satisfaction improved. 100% recommendation.
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Automated security deposit collection that integrates with your current system
Our damage deposit software integrates with a wide range of hospitality software ensuring that you can access guest data needed and automatically update your PMS, OTA & payment gateway.
FAQ’s
Check answers to the most common questions about ChargeAutomation
A pre-authorization hold, also called an incidental hold, reserves the deposit amount on the guest’s card without charging it. ChargeAutomation places the hold automatically and releases it after checkout, or captures it if there is damage.
Standard card holds usually expire within about 7 days, depending on the card issuer. With STRPay, holds can last up to 31 days on Visa for lodging businesses and 30 days on Mastercard, and ChargeAutomation can extend a hold for longer stays.
An authorization hold only reserves funds on the card, while a charge moves the money to your account. Because nothing is charged until you capture, you avoid paying processing fees on deposits you would otherwise charge and refund.
Yes. Instead of collecting card numbers on a paper or PDF form, the guest enters their card on a secure, PCI-compliant authorization page, and the hold is placed automatically.
Set a deposit rule in ChargeAutomation and the hold is requested automatically for direct bookings and channels that allow off-platform payment. For Airbnb reservations, follow Airbnb’s Off-Platform Policy, which does not allow charging guests outside the platform.
You choose when the hold happens: at booking, before check-in or on a specific date. Auto-release rules return the hold after checkout without manual work.
Yes. You can capture the full amount or only part of it, and release the rest back to the guest.
ChargeAutomation alerts you by email, SMS or in-app and sends the guest automatic reminders to add a valid card. You can also resend the authorization link at any time.
Yes. Guests can switch from a security deposit hold to a damage waiver, so you stay protected and earn waiver revenue while the guest avoids a card hold.
ChargeAutomation supports deposit holds on 130+ payment gateways, including Stripe, STRPay, Mercado Pago and Razorpay. You do not need a Stripe account to collect security deposits.
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