Payment FAQs
Find answers to the most common questions regarding payment methods, timings, and more.
Payment methods
What does "method_required" in the Orders/preview response mean?
The field method_required under general_policies in the Orders/preview response identifies whether a payment method is needed in the order.
The method_required can be:
- True -- This means that a payment method (such as a credit card) is mandatory.
- False -- The product does not require a credit card for booking.
Refer to the Payment use cases for orders/preview response examples.
Strong Customer Authentication (SCA)
Does Strong Customer Authentication (SCA) cover all countries?
Strong Customer Authentication (SCA) is a requirement for online payments within the European Economic Area (EEA) and the United Kingdom (UK) only.SCA tokens are used to authenticate transactions securely.
Refer to the Credit card + Strong Customer Authentication (SCA) section for an in-depth description.
What should I do if the SCA token is rejected?
If an SCA token is rejected, it means that something went wrong in the chain of authentication.
- This could be due to an external cause, like the Credit Card being blocked, expired and/or invalidated.
- It can also be an internal reason, where the token cannot be validated in time.
Depending on the error returned, you can either try again, or go back to the traveller and request them to authenticate again, and use a new token to retry.
Do I need to sign any additional addendums to use a Credit card with a SCA token?
Yes, there is an additional addendum to sign to get access to this online payment method. Contact your Account Manager for more details.Check the pre-requisites disclosed in the dedicated Credit card + Strong Customer Authentication (SCA) use case.
Do I need to obtain a new SCA token if my credit card is marked as invalid?
The SCA token is valid only for the user who authenticated themselves during the transaction, which includes the use of the credit card.Therefore if the credit card is marked as invalid, the SCA token is no longer tied to a valid transactional context and will need to be reissued.
Does Booking.com send SCA tokens along with credit cards to properties for charging?
No, Booking.com handles payments on your behalf.As such, PCI-compliant data is only transmitted through Booking.com to the chosen payment partner, never directly to the property.
Virtual credit card (VCC)
Where can I find the Virtual credit card (VCC) ID for payment instructions?
The VCC card ID can be found in the [/accommodations/details](/demand/docs/open-api/demand-api/accommodations/accommodations/details) response, under `payment.methods.cards.virtual_cards`.Refer to the dedicated payment instructions guide for more details on how to set the order.
Can I use AirPlus as VCC provider for payments?
Yes, AirPlus is a supported payment method for both "pay_online_now" and "pay_at_the_property". However, it requires additional parameters and a connection with AirPlus before it can be used.Refer to the dedicated use case for pre-requisites, details and examples.
When should I use the authorisation form?
The authorisation form is used for "pay at the property" bookings where Corporate Partners pay on behalf of their employees using Virtual Credit Cards (VCC).
- The form helps the property understand how to charge the partner's VCC when the guest arrives.
- This is what we call “payment instructions”
Find all details on how to use the authorisation form in the Corporate Partner use case.
Payment timings
Where can I see the payment timings?
You can find the payment timings in the accommodation/details response, under the field payment.payment.timings. It includes:
- "pay_at_the_property"
- "pay_online_later"
- "pay_online_now"
For block-level payment timings, refer to the policies.payment.timings in the /availability endpoint for each block.
What does “securing the reservation” mean?
For "pay online now" or "pay later" bookings, securing the reservation means making the payment at the time of booking.
For “pay at the property”, securing the reservation involves providing credit card details to confirm the booking, but no payment is taken until the traveller arrives at the property. This helps properties track cancellation rates and manage no-show fees.
For products with the "pay later online" payment timing, where can I find the date of payment?
In the /orders/preview response, each payment timing object (pay_at_the_property, pay_online_now, pay_online_later) contains a date object.
- This object specifies when the total price of the booking must be paid.
- The dates object will contain 2 or 3 items, each showing the date when a portion of the total price must be paid.
Note: In some countries, certain charges, such as tourist taxes, must be paid at the property, by law. These charges cannot be collected in advance through "pay_online_now" or "pay_online_later" timings and will be listed separately in the payment schedule.
Find different schedule examples in the timings guide.
Commissions
Why is the commission not returned in V3 sometimes?
There are two possible reasons for this:
- Commission is not enabled for that partner.
- If an order is cancelled, commission will be returned as null.
Why are the fields `actual_amount` and `actual_percentage` in the commission section returned as null in V3?
These fields are only populated once the guest has checked out of the property. Wait until this happens and then use orders/details endpoint to look at the list of orders you are interested to check commissions.Endpoints
Which endpoint should I use to retrieve `direct_payment_info`?
In V2, the
direct_payment_infofield was available under /orders/details/accommodations.However in V3, you can find this information in the orders/details endpoint, under the 'data[].payment' object.
Is there a `prepayment_required` field?
Yes, in the accommodation/availability response, under policies.payment.payment_required, you will find whether prepayment is required for the block.
This is equivalent to the deposit_required field in V2.
Where can I find the booker information?
Booker information can be accessed through the orders/details endpoint response.
Testing
What credit card should I use when testing online payments?
When testing online payments in either Sandbox or Production environments, you must use a real credit card with actual funds available.
While it’s a test booking, the charge is real. However, every Monday following a test booking, we will automatically refund the charge to the used credit card.
Check the recommendations for testing in the Payments quick guide.
Do not use fake credit cards as they will fail and return errors.
Demand API V2/V3 differences
Are there rates with "Deposit required" in V3.1?
In V3.1, the equivalent of the "Deposit Required" field is prepayment_required.
This indicates whether a prepayment is needed, usually for pay online timings.
Is "CVV suppression" possible via the AID in V3.1?
CVV suppression is not supported in V3.
However, there is a cvc_required field under the 'payment' object, in the /accommodations/details response.
This field indicates whether the CVV is required for the defined accommodation.
Where can I find commission euro_fee and fee_percentage in V3?
In V2, the "Commission" section included euro_fee and fee_percentage, however in V3 there are some equivalencies:
- fee_percentage -- Find the equivalent under
commission.actual_percentage. - euro_fee -- This is either under
actual_amountorestimated_amount, depending on the timing of the request.
What are the equivalents to "payable" and "bookable" flags in V3.1?
In V2.10, there were "payable" and "bookable" flags, however in V3 there are some equivalencies:
The payable flag in V3.1 can be found in the orders/details endpoint (static data), indicating the available methods for paying at the property timing.
The bookable flag in V3.1 can be found in the orders/preview endpoint, indicating the available methods for paying online.