Hotels, venues and accommodation — deposits, incidental holds and payments taken well before arrival.
Hospitality has a structural risk that most retail does not: money is taken weeks or months before the service is delivered. That delay is exactly the window in which cards are cancelled, plans change and disputes are filed. Deposit policy, authorisation holds and cancellation terms are the controls that manage it.
Charge or hold at reservation, with the terms clearly accepted at the time.
Place a hold at check-in and capture the final folio at departure.
Where supported, connect payments to the PMS so folios and settlements match.
Charge under a stated policy, with the acceptance record attached to the booking.
A cancellation policy buried in a footer is not a policy you can defend.
Capture the moment the guest agreed, with a timestamp.
A reminder before a no-show or cancellation charge prevents a large share of disputes.
Typically several days, but it varies by card issuer and platform. Confirm the window before relying on it.
If it is disclosed and accepted at booking, and you can evidence that. Without the record, expect to lose the dispute.
Yes. A long gap between payment and service delivery affects how a processor views the account, and can affect reserve requirements.
Send a recent statement, or your monthly volume and average ticket. You get a written breakdown back — no commitment.
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