Payments

Vanio automatically handles all payment processing for your vacation rental business — from collecting guest payments and security deposits to processing refunds and distributing owner payouts. Everything runs through secure payment processing with built-in fraud protection and automatic reconciliation.

Getting Started

Connect Your Payment Account

1. Go to Settings → Payments
2. Click Connect Payment Account
3. Follow the setup wizard to link your existing payment processor account
4. Verify your bank account details for automatic deposits
5. Set your preferred payout schedule (daily, weekly, or monthly)

[Screenshot: Payment settings page showing connection status and payout schedule options]

Configure Payment Collection

1. In Settings → Payments, choose your payment timing:
   • Full payment at booking — Collect everything upfront
   • Partial payment — Take a deposit, collect remainder before arrival
   • Custom schedule — Set specific payment dates
2. Set security deposit amounts per property
3. Enable automatic payment retries for declined transactions

How It Works

Booking Payments

When guests book through your direct booking website, Vanio automatically:

• Processes their payment using secure tokenization
• Sends payment confirmation emails
• Updates the reservation with payment status
• Schedules any remaining payments based on your settings

You'll see all payment activity in the reservation timeline in your Command Center.

Security Deposits

Security deposits are pre-authorized (not charged) on the guest's card:

• Authorization happens at booking or before arrival
• Funds are held but not withdrawn from guest's account
• Automatically released after checkout if no issues
• Can be converted to actual charges if needed for damages

[Screenshot: Reservation timeline showing security deposit authorization and release]

Owner Payouts

For properties you manage on behalf of owners:

• Revenue splits are calculated automatically based on your settings
• Management fees are deducted before owner payouts
• Expenses can be allocated against owner revenue
• Monthly payout reports are generated for each owner

Key Features

Payment Types

• Booking payments — Full or partial payment collection
• Security deposits — Pre-authorized holds with automatic release
• Upsell charges — Early check-in, late checkout, cleaning add-ons
• Additional charges — Damage fees, extra guest charges, custom fees
• Refunds — Full or partial with reason tracking

Multi-Currency Support

• Accept payments in guests' local currencies
• Automatic currency conversion
• Transparent exchange rate display
• Settlement in your preferred currency

Payment Security

• PCI compliant processing
• Encrypted card storage
• Fraud detection and prevention
• Dispute management with reservation context

Automated Workflows

• Payment retry logic for declined cards
• Automatic receipt generation and delivery
• Payment reminder emails for upcoming charges
• Failed payment notifications with guest communication

Managing Payments

Processing Refunds

1. Open the reservation in your Command Center
2. Scroll to the payment section in the timeline
3. Click Process Refund next to the payment
4. Enter refund amount and reason
5. Click Process — refund appears on guest's statement in 3-5 business days

[Screenshot: Refund dialog showing amount selector and reason dropdown]

Adding Manual Charges

1. In the reservation timeline, click Add Charge
2. Select charge type (damage, extra guest, custom)
3. Enter amount and description
4. Choose to charge immediately or add to checkout
5. Vanio processes the payment and updates the guest

Viewing Payment Reports

Go to Reports → Payments to see:

• Payment overview with key metrics
• Transaction history with filters
• Payment analytics and trends
• Upcoming payments requiring attention

[Screenshot: Payment reports dashboard showing revenue metrics and transaction list]

Tips & Best Practices

Optimize Payment Timing

• Collect full payment for bookings within 30 days of arrival
• Use partial payments for bookings made far in advance
• Set payment due dates 7-14 days before arrival to allow for retries

Security Deposit Strategy

• Set deposits at $200-500 for most properties
• Higher deposits for luxury properties or those with expensive items
• Clearly communicate deposit policies in your booking flow

Handle Payment Issues Proactively

• Set up payment failure notifications to catch issues early
• Keep backup payment methods on file when possible
• Communicate with guests immediately when payments fail

Owner Communication

• Send monthly payout summaries with expense breakdowns
• Set up automatic payout notifications
• Provide year-end tax reporting for owner properties

Common Questions

When do guests get charged? It depends on your payment settings. You can collect full payment at booking, take a deposit with the remainder due before arrival, or set custom payment schedules. Security deposits are pre-authorized (held) but not charged unless converted.

How long do refunds take? Refunds typically appear on the guest's statement within 3-5 business days, though it can take up to 10 business days depending on their bank. The refund status is tracked in the reservation timeline.

What happens if a payment fails? Vanio automatically retries failed payments based on your settings (usually 3 attempts over several days). You'll receive notifications about payment failures, and guests receive emails with instructions to update their payment method.