How do I collect payment for a direct booking?
Three ways owners collect direct-booking payments compared, plus how to take a deposit up front and let the balance collect itself before check-in.
Take a deposit of 25-50% by secure card link when the guest books, then schedule the balance to charge automatically 14-30 days before check-in. Card processing runs about 2.9% + $0.30 per charge with no commission on the booking, it works for international guests right away, and the reminders and receipts happen on their own.
- A card payment link is the only method that scales, because it records the payment for you and works for a guest anywhere in the world.
- Charge a deposit of 25-50% at booking to hold the dates, then set the balance to collect automatically before arrival.
- Scheduling the balance 14-30 days out means a failed card gets caught with time to fix it, not at the door.
- Card processing is roughly 2.9% + $0.30 per charge and there's no commission taken out of the booking itself.
- Venmo only works between people in the US, and a bank transfer or mailed check is slow and awkward for a guest paying from abroad.
What are my options for collecting the money?
Once a guest says yes to your dates, you need to get paid. Most owners I talk to reach for whatever's already on their phone. That usually means Venmo, or asking for a bank transfer or a check in the mail. Both can work. Both also break down the moment the booking is anything other than simple.
Venmo is quick if the guest is another American with the app. It won't help you at all with someone booking from Toronto or London, because Venmo only moves money between people in the US. A bank transfer or a mailed check crosses borders, but it's slow, and it puts the guest in the position of figuring out routing numbers and wire fees for a place they haven't stayed at yet. I've had that conversation. It's not the note you want to be trading the week before someone's vacation.
A secure card payment link is the one that holds up. The guest sees a normal checkout page, the kind they use every day. Their card is protected. And the payment records itself, so you're not writing down in a notebook who paid what.
| Method | Works internationally? | Records itself? | Cost | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cash app (Venmo) | No, US only | No, you track it | Free | A quick payment between two people in the US |
| Bank transfer or mailed check | Yes, but slow | No, you track it | Wire fees vary | Guests who insist, when there's plenty of lead time |
| Secure card payment link | Yes, instantly | Yes | About 2.9% + $0.30 per charge, no booking commission | Every booking, and the only one that scales |
How much should I take up front, and when do I get the rest?
Split the payment in two. Take a deposit when the guest books to hold the dates, then collect the balance before they arrive.
A deposit of 25-50% is the normal range. It's enough that the guest is committed and you can turn away other requests for that week with a clear conscience. Set the balance to collect automatically 14-30 days before check-in. I use 14 days for my Cape place. That leaves room for the card to go through, and if it fails, I hear about it with two weeks to sort it out instead of finding out when the guest is standing in the driveway.
- 1Agree on the dates and the totalConfirm the week and the full price with the guest so the deposit and balance add up to the right number.
- 2Send the deposit linkCharge 25-50% of the total. This is what actually holds the dates, so nothing is reserved until it clears.
- 3Schedule the balanceSet the remaining amount to collect automatically 14-30 days before check-in, on the card the guest already used.
- 4Let the reminders runThe guest gets notified before the balance is charged, so there's no surprise and no email from you chasing them.
A worked example. Say a week rents for $2,400 and you take a 30% deposit. That's $720 at booking and $1,680 before arrival. Card processing on the deposit is about $21 (2.9% of $720, plus $0.30), and about $49 on the balance. Roughly $70 in fees on the whole booking, and no commission skimmed off the top. On a platform, the owner's cut alone is about 3%, or $72 on that same $2,400, and the guest also pays about 14% more, so their $2,400 stay shows up closer to $2,736 before they ever book direct with you.
What does the whole thing look like start to finish?
From the guest's side it's four moments, and after the first one you barely touch it.
- Booking confirmedDates agreed, total set
- Deposit charged25-50% collected, dates held
- Balance charged automaticallyAbout 14 days before arrival
- Guest checks inFully paid, nothing owed at the door
Why bother with a card link instead of what I already use?
One or two bookings a year, and any method is fine. You'll remember who paid. The trouble shows up when you're running a full season and juggling a Venmo here, a check that hasn't arrived there, and a guest overseas who can't use either.
The card link takes the tracking off your plate. Payments log themselves. Reminders go out on their own. A failed card gets flagged early. You stop being the accounts department for your own house.
A card link would have saved us the hours we spent on the phone and emailing back and forth just to figure out how a guest could send us the money.
That's the part that sold me. Not the fee math, though that holds up too. It's that I no longer spend an evening working out how someone in another country is going to pay me.
Frequently asked questions
Is it safe to ask a guest for their credit card?
You don't handle the card yourself. The guest pays on a secure checkout page, the same kind of page they use for any online purchase, and their card details never reach you. You just see that the payment cleared.
What does it cost me to take a card payment?
About 2.9% + $0.30 per charge. There's no commission taken out of the booking on top of that. On a $2,400 week split into a deposit and a balance, that comes to roughly $70 in processing fees across both charges.
Can an international guest pay me this way?
Yes, right away. A card link works the same for a guest in Canada or the UK as it does for one down the road. That's the main reason it beats Venmo, which only moves money between people in the US, and a bank transfer, which is slow and awkward for someone paying from abroad.
What if the balance card fails before check-in?
You find out early. Because the balance is scheduled 14-30 days before arrival, a declined card gets flagged with time to fix it. The guest can update their card and the charge retries, so it's handled well before anyone shows up.
How big should the deposit be?
Somewhere between 25% and 50% of the total. That's enough that the guest is committed to the week and you can comfortably stop taking other requests for those dates. The rest collects automatically before they arrive.
Collect your first direct payment.
Downwind sends the payment link, blocks the calendar, and collects the balance for you. $20/month flat, with no cut of your bookings.
Get Started