What Are Partial Payments?
Partial payments let guests confirm a direct booking by paying a deposit at checkout instead of paying the full amount upfront. SympleHost then tracks the remaining balance so your team can follow up before check-in.
Use this when you want to:
- Make direct bookings easier for guests to confirm
- Collect a booking deposit upfront
- Set a clear balance due date before check-in
- Manage payment status from the reservation instead of a spreadsheet
Partial payments apply to direct bookings. OTA bookings such as Airbnb or Booking.com usually follow the payment rules of that OTA.
Before You Start
Make sure you have:
- Connected a payment gateway from the top-right profile menu under Settings → Payment Gateway.
- Reviewed your cancellation policy, fees, taxes, and direct booking settings.
- Confirmed the listing is ready for direct bookings.
If no payment gateway is active, guests will not be able to complete online payment through SympleHost.
Set the Account Deposit Rule
The account deposit rule is the default for direct bookings across your account.
- Click your profile photo or name in the top right.
- Choose Settings.
- Under Direct Bookings, open Deposits.
- Click Edit on Deposit & Payment Schedule.
- Turn on Offer a deposit at checkout.
- Choose the Deposit type:
- Percentage of total — guests pay a percentage of the booking total at checkout.
- Fixed amount — guests pay a fixed amount in your account currency.
- Enter the deposit value.
- Enter Balance due (days) — how many days before check-in the remaining balance is due.
- Click Save.
For percentage deposits, the value must be between 1% and 99%. For fixed deposits, the amount must be greater than zero. The balance due setting can be 0–365 days before check-in.
Override Deposits for One Listing
Some properties may need a different payment schedule. For example, a high-value villa may need a larger upfront deposit, while a last-minute city apartment may require full payment.
- Open Listings.
- Select the property you want to update.
- Open the Property Settings tab.
- Find Deposit & Payment Schedule.
- Choose one of the available options:
- Inherit account default — use the account-wide deposit rule.
- Custom rule for this listing — set a different deposit type, value, and balance due date.
- No deposit for this listing — guests pay the full amount at checkout.
- Click Save Changes.
Use listing overrides when one property has different risk, seasonality, booking value, or owner requirements from the rest of your portfolio.
What Guests See at Checkout
When a valid deposit rule applies, the checkout page shows payment options:
- Pay in full — the guest pays the total amount now.
- Pay deposit now — the guest pays the deposit today, and SympleHost shows the remaining balance and due date.
For example, if the booking total is $1,000 and the deposit rule is 30%, the guest can pay $300 now. The remaining $700 is shown as the balance due by the configured date.
If the deposit rule would not create a valid split, SympleHost hides the deposit option and asks the guest to pay in full. This can happen if a fixed deposit is greater than or too close to the booking total.
How to Manage the Remaining Balance
After a guest pays a deposit, review the reservation payment status.
- Open Reservations or the booking from Calendars.
- Open the reservation detail page.
- Check the Payment Summary.
- If there is a balance due, use the reservation actions to collect the remaining payment or send a payment link.
- If the guest pays outside SympleHost, record the payment manually so the reservation status stays accurate.
Payment status may show as Paid, Partially Paid, Pending, or Failed depending on what has been received.
Do not treat a partially paid booking as fully paid until the remaining balance has been collected or recorded.
Best Practices
- Keep the default account rule simple, then override only the listings that need special handling.
- Use a percentage deposit for most stays so the deposit scales with booking value.
- Use a fixed deposit only when you have a clear minimum amount you always want upfront.
- Set the balance due date early enough for your team to follow up before check-in.
- Test the guest checkout flow after changing deposit rules.
- Make sure your cancellation policy explains what happens to deposits if a guest cancels.
Troubleshooting
Guests only see “Pay in full”
Check that deposits are enabled, the listing is inheriting or using an active deposit rule, and the deposit amount is lower than the booking total.
The balance due date is today
If the configured due date would be in the past, SympleHost shows the due date as today. For last-minute bookings, consider requiring full payment.
A listing should not offer deposits
Open the listing’s Deposit & Payment Schedule and choose No deposit for this listing.
The guest says they paid but the reservation still shows pending
Check the payment provider dashboard and the reservation activity. If the guest paid outside SympleHost, record the payment manually.