Set up and manage the Convenience fee

Mariia Korostashevych

Updated July 03, 2026 12:44

Convenience fee temporarily unavailable for new activations

Due to unexpected conflicts and system issues, the convenience fee feature is currently unavailable for new activations. If your property already has the convenience fee active, your existing setup remains in place and continues to work. Contact Support if you have questions about your current setup.

Purpose	Explains how to set up, configure, and manage the convenience fee in Cloudbeds PMS - an optional charge that can be applied automatically to card transactions to help offset payment processing costs.
Best for	Property owners and admins who use Cloudbeds Payments and want to recover a portion of card processing costs
Use this when	You want to add a fee to card transactions automatically, or you need to waive the fee for a specific guest payment
You need	An active Cloudbeds Payments account. Owner or admin access to Cloudbeds PMS settings.
Expected result	The convenience fee is created and automatically posted to the guest folio as a line item whenever a card payment is processed through Cloudbeds Payments.
Important limit	This feature is only available to properties using Cloudbeds Payments. It is currently unavailable for new activations. Properties already using it are not affected.

The convenience fee is an optional charge you can configure to apply automatically to card transactions processed through Cloudbeds Payments. When active, the fee is posted as a separate line item on the guest folio whenever a card payment is made, making the charge transparent to both your team and your guests.

Legal compliance is your responsibility. The convenience fee is optional and hotels are responsible for complying with local laws and regulations regarding additional card charges. In some regions, offsetting card processing fees by charging guests extra is restricted or prohibited. Seek professional legal advice to confirm compliance with your country's regulations before activating this feature.

How the convenience fee works

The fee is disabled by default and must be created and configured before it takes effect
Once active, it is automatically added to card transactions on the guest folio as a line item
The fee amount can be set as a percentage or a fixed amount per payment method
The display name is customizable - you can change it to match your property's guest communication preferences
Users with the appropriate permission can waive the fee on a per-payment basis

Set up the convenience fee

Go to Account > Settings > Finance > Taxes and Fees
Click + New tax or fee
Select Payment fee as the type
Enter a Title - this is the name guests will see on their folio and invoice. The default is "Convenience fee" but you can customize it.
Set the calculation method:
- Exclusive - the fee is added on top of the payment amount
- Inclusive - the fee is included within the payment amount
In the Rule field, select Percentage per payment method
Enter the Amount as a percentage (for example, 2.00000% per credit card transaction)
Click Save

Once saved, the convenience fee will be listed on your Taxes and Fees page. You can edit or disable it at any time by clicking the three dots next to it.

How the fee appears in the folio

When a card payment is processed successfully through Cloudbeds Payments, the convenience fee is automatically posted to the reservation folio as a separate line item alongside the payment. Both the room charge and the convenience fee will be visible in the folio transaction list.

Waive the convenience fee for a specific payment

Users with the appropriate permission can waive the convenience fee on a per-payment basis at the time of processing. This allows your team to apply the fee by default while giving flexibility for specific guest situations.

Open the reservation and go to the Folio tab
Click Add/Refund Payment
Enter the payment amount and select the payment type
In the payment summary, locate the Convenience fee line and click Waive
Complete the payment as normal

Refunding a payment that includes a convenience fee

If you need to refund a payment that had a convenience fee applied, adjust the convenience fee charge on the folio before issuing the refund. Issuing the refund first without adjusting the fee may cause a balance discrepancy on the folio.