Pre-Authorize Guest’s Credit Card Before Check-In

Stay is enhanced to allow users to pre-authorize the guest’s credit card associated with the reservation before check-in. This helps the users to determine the validity of the credit card provided. In case the pre-authorization fails, users can determine the next course of action, such as, contacting the guest, or cancelling the reservation.

Feature Setting

The following new feature setting has been introduced to support this feature:

  • Name: Validate Credit Card

  • Value: Must be enabled

  • Comments: License is not required

Permission

The following new permission has been introduced to allow users to pre-authorize the credit cards:

  • Stay_ValidateCC

This feature is applicable to the following gateways:

  • FreedomPay

  • Shift4

  • Elavon

  • 3C

  • Eigen

  • Adyen

When the feature setting is enabled, users with the new permission can perform $0 authorizations to validate the guest’s credit card associated with the reservation by selecting the required reservations and clicking the Perform Pre-Auth option under More in the Check-In tab of the Batch Operations screen.

When clicked, the Pre-Authorize pop-up screen appears from which users can choose the Perform Pre-Auth for $0 option to perform $0 authorization. When the authorization is completed, the status is updated in the Pre-Auth Status column.

When the $0 authorization fails, a $1 authorization is performed for the reservations automatically and the following actions are performed:

  • When $0 auth is successful, the authorization details are updated in the reservation folio.

  • When $1 auth is successful, the authorization details and the authorized amount is updated for the reservation.

  • When both $0 and $1 authorizations are unsuccessful, then the status is marked as Failed, and the next authorization is not attempted until triggered manually by the user. 

The Pre-Authorization for $0 option can be performed only for reservations associated with a credit card. The following message is displayed when users try to perform pre-authorization for reservations associated with other payment methods: Unable to perform Pre Auth since no cards are associated with the reservation.

Users cannot perform pre-authorization again for reservations for which the Pre-Authorization for $0 was already successful. Pre-authorization can be performed again only for reservations for which $0 and $1 authorizations failed.

To support this enhancement, the following changes have been made:

  • A new option, Perform Pre-Auth for $0, has been added to the Pre-Authorize pop-up screen that appears when users select the Perform Pre-Auth option under More in the Check-In tab of the Batch Operations screen. This option allows users to perform $0 and $1 authorizations for the guest’s credit cards.

  • A new column, Pre-Auth Status, has been added to the Check-In tab of the Batch Operations screen. This column displays the following status for the reservations:

    • When pre-authorization is not performed, the status column is left blank.

    • When pre-authorization is successful, the status is updated as Success.

    • When pre-authorization fails, the status is updated as Failed.

    • This column can be sorted.

    • Users can filter records using this column.