Understand when travellers are charged for accommodation and car rental bookings (v3.2), and how to use payment timing data to build accurate checkout experiences.
- Payment timing concepts.
- When payments are taken.
- Payment timing values.
- Retrieving payment timings via API.
- UI implementation guidance.
- Integration rules and validation.
Payment timing defines when a traveller is charged during the booking lifecycle.
A single booking can include multiple payment events (schedules) depending on:
- Supplier or property policies.
- Product type (accommodation or car rental)
- Payment method and partner configuration.
Use payment timing data to:
✓ Show what is paid now vs later.
✓ Accurately reflect all charges across the booking lifecycle.
✓ Avoid unexpected charges at check-in or pickup.
Payments can occur at four key moments:
- At booking time.
- Before the free cancellation period ends.
- At service delivery (check-in or pick-up).
- Split between booking and service delivery.
The Demand API returns both timing and amounts, enabling you to reconstruct the full payment schedule..
Use this table to understand each timing and when the traveller is charged.
Timing | When the traveller is charged | Travel service | Behaviour |
|---|---|---|---|
pay_at_the_property | At checkin. | Accommodation | May include prepayment instalments before arrival, depending on policy. |
pay_online_later | Before the free cancellation period ends (policy-dependent). | Accommodation | Deferred full charge before cancellation deadline. Not supported for CC MOTO, CC SCA, CC Riskified, or Credit Cards. |
pay_online_now | At booking time. | Accommodation and Car rental | Full amount charged immediately. |
pay_at_pickup | At vehicle collection. | Car rental | Amount is paid at the rental desk. |
pay_partial_online | Split between booking and pick-up. | Car rental | Partial upfront payment + remaining balance at pick-up. |
unknown | Not determined in search stage. | Car rental | Cannot be used to create orders. |
The availability of payment timings depends on:
- Partner agreement configuration.
- Supported payment methods.
- Supplier or property settings.
For example:
pay_online_nowandpay_online_laterrequire enabled online payments for accommodation.- Certain card flows restrict specific timings.
Use these endpoints to access payment timing data:
Endpoints | What it returns |
|---|---|
| /search | Payment timing per product in search results. |
| /availability | Available payment timings for each product. |
| /orders/preview | Final payment timing and detailed payment schedule for the selected products. |
When implementing payment logic:
- Always use
timingas the source of truth. - Do not hardcode payment behaviour.
- Always display both:
- Amounts charged online.
- Amounts due at property or pickup.
- Always process all
datesentries in /orders/preview.
Ensure that:
- At least one
datesentry exists for every payment timing. - All payment events are reflected in the UI.
- No hidden or unprocessed charges remain at checkout.
Failure to do so may result in incorrect pricing display or incomplete checkout flows.