Payment Processing - Frequently Asked Questions

Mariia Korostashevych

Updated October 02, 2024 16:03

Setting up a payment gateway is completely optional, you can always accept payments locally offline and track them using payments in the folio.

If you already have an account with one of the supported payment processors, you will be able to connect it to Cloudbeds PMS. If you do not, you will need to contact one of the supported payment processors and sign up for an account.

Cloudbeds believes every lodging business is unique. We have tools for every size and budget to establish and grow. Reach out to our Support Team for more information on each available package.

If you are not yet a Cloudbeds customer, click here to access our Pricing Guide and schedule a Demo.

In November 2020, we introduced Cloudbeds Payments — our integrated payment solution. More information: Cloudbeds Payments - Everything you need to know

Frequently Asked Questions

How does this feature work and how do I use it?

For a non-technical explanation: Our system provides a secure desk at your property for your payment processing company to work from. Check out our Payment Processing Setup for further details.

Can I accept card payments in installments through payment processor?

At this time we do not support this feature.

Where does the money go after a payment is received?

It depends on the payment processing company you have signed up with. It is most often deposited into the bank account you have linked with your payment processor.

If you need help with this, contact your payment gateway provider's support team.

I can't find a payment processor that supports my country!

Some countries are unfortunately not supported by most large payment processing companies. For example, it is not allowed for Cloudbeds Payments to receive your payouts through cross-boarder transactions. The bank account must be opened in the same country as a property and legal entity. Check this article to see Payment Processing Gateways Currently Supported if you can find the right one for your country.

How do I set up my payment processor, ________?

You can find the answers to most of these by contacting your payment gateway's support team.

Here are the links to some of the most commonly requested connection guides: Payment Processing

I have setup my payment gateway, how do I test that it is working?

While many payment gateways do have a test feature, it's often easier to just try running a small transaction on a live account to make sure it appears in your transaction history. You can then refund the payment to also confirm that is working.

How do refunds work with payment gateways?

Visit the following article to learn how to process a refund: How to Process Refund Through Payment Gateway

If you are using Cloudbeds Payments, check out this article: Cloudbeds Payments - How to Process Refunds

Partial Refunds

For a payment processor to issue a refund, there needs to be an existing transaction ID. It is possible to make a partial refund which is less than the previously processed amount.

Most gateways support refunding partial amounts through our system, however, a small amount of gateways may not allow this feature. This is because some gateways only identify a transaction's ID and not the amount charged. Contact your gateway support for more details.

Check the following article to learn How to Process Refund Through Payment Gateway

How long does it take a refund to process?

We send the refund request immediately, but sometimes it can take a few days to process depending on the payment processor and the bank being used and their transaction policies.

This isn't something we can change as it has to do with those companies' internal operating practices.

If I have a payment gateway connected and I canceled the reservation in Cloudbeds PMS, will it be automatically refunded?

No. The act of canceling a reservation does not affect anything on posted transactions in the folio. Meaning that the posted transactions will remain there. If you want to make a refund, you need to do it manually.

Here is the article describing the process of making a refund: How to Process Refund Through Payment Gateway

I received a chargeback, payment dispute, or fraud report. Who do I contact?

Issues involving payment disputes, chargebacks, or fraud reports need to be handled directly by your payment processing company and the guest's credit card provider.

Our system is not actually involved in charging or refunding cards since those transactions are handled entirely by your payment processor. Cloudbeds cannot facilitate any arbitration between those two parties.

If you are using Cloudbeds Payments, check out the following article: Cloudbeds Payments - How to Handle a Retrieval or Chargeback

How do I use a payment processor to take deposit through the Booking Engine, but upon arrival collect the remaining balance with a physical credit card machine?

Step 1: Configure the amount of deposit you would like to charge the guest at the time of booking. Follow steps in this article: How to set up a deposit policy.

Step 2: Configure the Payment Processing Method for the Booking Engine to Process the payment for the amount of deposit > Perform this action immediately.

Step 3: Collect the remaining balance with a credit card terminal and record the payment in the folio.

Once the booking is created, search for the reservation and follow the steps below:

Go to the Folio tab
Click on Add/ Refund Payment > Add Payment

[Demo] Tessa Swier Hotel - Reservations - Google Chrome

Under payment type, choose credit card and fill out the remaining balance that was charged using the terminal
Select Record Previous Payment

This will record the payment only. The credit card will not be charged using this payment method.

Note: When adding a direct/walk-in reservation, do not select the Authorize card (1) or Process card (2) options as these tell the system to use your payment processor.

Instead, you can select Record Existing Payment & Confirm (3) as shown below.

Does the Booking Engine validate the expiry of the credit card?

The system does not allow you to input expired cards, but it does not validate whether the card expires prior to arrival.

The booking engine does not allow the guest to use an expired credit card at the time of the booking.
Example: The guest can not make a reservation for March 2019 using a card that expired in February 2019.

However, the booking engine does not validate future dates of staying against the card expiration.
Example: The guest makes a reservation in March 2019 for December 2019, and the card expires in November 2019.

What happens if a guest's credit card is declined by our payment processor?

Make sure that you have a payment gateway connected to your Cloudbeds PMS. Access the Payment Processing Report to check the reason of the decline.

If you are using Cloudbeds Payments, check the following article: Cloudbeds Payments Decline Codes.

For questions regarding why a card was declined by a non-connected gateway, contact your payment gateway's support team directly.

For the Booking Engine reservations

Make sure that you have one of the following settings under the Processing Methods:

Authorize credit card for amount of deposit, but do not collect the payment or
Process the payment for amount of deposit selected for the Booking Engine Reservations

If one of these options has been selected, the system will connect with your payment gateway for approval on the credit card that the guest has entered. If it is declined, the guest will be notified that the card was not accepted and to enter a valid credit card.

In this case, the reservation will not be confirmed until a valid credit card is entered and authorized.

If you're using Stripe or Cloudbeds Payments as your payment gateway, the credit card could be declined due to 3D Secure reasons. Check further information here: 3D Secure User Guide - Everything you need to know

For third-party reservations (OTAs)

Distribution channels are responsible for confirming and verifying reservations made through their system. Most of the channels (OTAs) take the credit card info as part of the booking process before confirming the reservation.

Once we receive the reservation with the data, it can then be processed.

In this case, our system only charges the card and if the credit card cannot be processed, you will receive a notification email. Since the reservation itself has already been confirmed by the channel, our system cannot refuse it even if the credit card is declined.

For matters regarding card payments for an OTA reservation, you will need to contact the channel and inform them that the credit card data is incorrect and then decide whether to cancel the reservation from inside of their system.

Can I automate the system to process the deposit at the time of booking and the outstanding balance on a later date?

No. Currently, the system doesn't allow you to automate more than one payment process.

Example: It is not possible to set up the payment gateway to take 20% deposit at the moment of the reservation and the outstanding 80% balance to be paid 1 day prior check in.

Can I connect my credit card terminal to Cloudbeds PMS to process a transaction?

You can only connect to a terminal (credit card machine) if you have Cloudbeds Payments enabled as your payment processor. This option is not available for other payment gateways.

How can I process Interac debit cards?

Interac debit cards can only be processed by using the Cloudbeds Payments Terminal. You must have Cloudbeds Payments enabled as your payment processor.