sheet 3·money and payments
Collecting the balance without chasing guests
The balance arrives by itself once three things are fixed: a due date the guest sees when booking, a payment link instead of a bank account number, and two reminders that go out without you, two weeks and a few days before the date. What is still open after that is so little that you can look at each guest: call them or send an overdue notice.
When should the balance be due?
Pick a fixed period before the start and state it on the activity page and in the confirmation. Two to four weeks before the start works for most lessons, courses and camps. That leaves time to call when the money does not arrive and to resell the place when a guest drops out.
When someone books later than that period, ask for everything at once. That avoids a due date that has already passed on the day they book.
Why does a payment link beat a bank account number?
With a bank transfer the guest copies an IBAN, the amount and a reference. You then search your bank statement for which payment belongs to which booking. A payment link removes both steps. The guest clicks and pays by card, iDEAL or Bancontact. The payment sits on the right booking straight away.
A payment link also works on a phone, where most guests read their email. It helps most with guests who put off paying until they are back at their laptop.
How do you ask for payment politely?
A reminder before the due date is service. Name the activity, the date and the amount, put the payment button at the top and keep it short.
The second reminder, a few days before the date, can be more businesslike. Give the date and include the button again.
When do you send an overdue notice?
Only after the due date, and only when you decide to. A guest who has surfed with you for ten years and forgets once deserves a phone call rather than a standard letter. A new guest gets a short notice with a new date, about a week later. Write down in your terms what happens when that date passes as well, for example that the booking is cancelled under your cancellation terms.
What about a guest who books online and never pays?
Often something just went wrong: the banking app froze or the phone rang. Within a few hours, send one email with a button to finish the payment. Hold the place for a few days and then release it, so a full class does not stay half empty because of a booking that never gets paid.
What Superota does for you
Superota sends the reminders and leaves the decisions to you.
| Moment | What happens |
|---|---|
| Guest does not finish the online payment | after 90 minutes they get one email with a button to finish |
| 72 hours after booking, still unpaid | the place is released and the booking expires by itself |
| 14 days before the due date | reminder with a button to pay online |
| 3 days before the due date | second reminder |
| 3 days after the due date | an overdue notice is ready as a draft; you send it, adjust it or dismiss it |
When you want to call the guest yourself first, mark the booking as contacted and the 90-minute email stays back. For a one-off payment you create a payment link from the booking for any amount up to what is still open, with its own pay-by date. With your IBAN in the settings, the reminder also gives the details for a bank transfer. Everything runs through your own Stripe account.
Questions and answers
- What is a payment link?
- A link to a payment page for one fixed amount. The guest clicks, picks a method such as a card, iDEAL or Bancontact, and pays. The payment lands on the right booking straight away, so you never match bank transfers by hand.
- When should I send a payment reminder?
- Twice before the due date works well, for example 14 days and 3 days before. A reminder before the date feels like service; a message after it is an overdue notice.
- What if a guest has not paid after the due date?
- Look at who it is first. Call a regular guest; send a new guest an overdue notice with a new date about a week later. Write down in your terms what happens when that date passes too.
- How long should I hold a place for a guest who books online but does not pay?
- Briefly. A few days is enough; after that, release the place for someone else. Within a few hours, send one friendly email with a button to finish the payment, because often something just went wrong on the payment page.