💡 Automated payments is only available with SiteMinder Pay.
To set up Automated payment rules, go to Payments > Automated payments tab.
About Automated payments
Automated payments is a SiteMinder Pay feature that lets you set up payment rules to charge guests automatically at different times in their booking journey.
Two automatic charges can be set up, adding up to the full cost of the booking. For standard credit cards, these charges can add up to the full cost of the booking. For virtual credit cards (VCCs), Automated payments will take a single charge for the full VCC balance, which may be different to the total reservation amount.
Automated payment rule conditions
You can set up multiple Automated payment rules to apply to different reservations. Each rule can be based on:
Card type: Standard credit cards or Virtual credit cards
Rate plan: Specific rate plans and channels
➕ For example, you can set up a rule for OTA collect reservations that use virtual credit cards, applied only to your "Standard" and "Breakfast included" rate plans.
Supported channels and payment methods accepted
Automated payments can be used for reservations made through the following channels:
Channel | Payment types and notes |
Agoda | Includes virtual credit cards (VCCs |
Booking.com | Includes virtual credit cards (VCCs) |
Expedia | Includes virtual credit cards (VCCs) |
Hotelbeds | Includes virtual credit cards (VCCs). Note: Not supported in Luxembourg, Slovenia, or Slovakia. |
Direct booking | All accepted cards |
Channels Plus | Includes virtual credit cards (VCCs) |
How credit cards and virtual credit cards (VCCs) are processed with Automated payments
The way a card is processed depends on the card type:
Standard credit cards are validated at the time of booking. If a card cannot be validated, the Automated payment will fail and you will need to request a different card from the guest and process the payment manually.
Virtual credit cards (VCCs) are pre‑validated by the booking channel and can only be charged once. When a reservation is paid by VCC and matches an Automated payment rule, the rule will automatically charge the full VCC balance on or after the card’s activation date. In some cases, the VCC balance may be lower than the total reservation amount, so any remaining balance must be collected manually from the guest using another accepted payment method.
When Automated payments cannot be used
Automated payments cannot be used with some direct booking rate configurations. A rule will not apply if the direct booking rate:
Already has the Deposit setting enabled
Has been set to "Pre-payment not needed to secure booking"
Has been set to "Pre-payment needed if guest intends to check-in after"
Set up an Automated payment rule
To set up an Automated payment rule:
Go to Payments > Automated payments tab.
Click on the Create a rule + button.
Add conditions that apply to the rule, including the Card type, Rate plan and channels, and the Payment rule.
Add a Rule name and description.
Review and activate the rule.
View and manage Automated payment rules
To view and manage all of your Automated payment rules, go to Payments > Automated payments tab.
You can filter by status, and click on the arrow icon next to any rule to open a detailed summary, including the date it was created, conditions, payment actions, and any secondary actions you set.
Edit or archive an Automated payment rule
Click on the ellipsis button (three dots button) to the right of any rule to:
Edit rule — edit the rule name or description (The rule’s conditions are fixed)
Archive rule — use this to permanently archive your rule (They will be archived so you have a record of all previous rules, but will not be deleted)