What it is
A security deposit is an automatic hold on the guest's card, not a charge. The money stays blocked on their card, untouched, for the length of the stay. If there's no damage, it's released on its own; nothing is ever taken unless you actively claim it.
How it works for your guest
During online check-in, the guest saves a card. Depending on how you've set the property up, that step can be required before check-in counts as complete, or it can be optional.
The hold isn't placed the moment the card is saved. It goes on automatically about two days before arrival (right away if the card gets saved later than that). Nothing is charged for a normal stay: the hold is released automatically 48 hours after checkout, and the guest is notified when it clears.
How it works for you
You set a deposit amount per property, in that property's "Deposits" tab, along with whether saving a card is required to finish check-in. Need a different amount for one particular booking? You can override it right from that booking's own page.
Every hold and every capture shows up in your Payments section. If there's damage, you capture, partially or in full, with a reason attached. If a guest disputes a charge with their card issuer, you respond to it directly from that booking, no separate tool required.
The money itself never passes through Checkinea: holds and captures happen on your own Stripe account, and anything captured is paid out straight to your own bank account.
What it costs
- 1.5% (minimum €2.50) + IVA per capture: this only applies when you actually capture a deposit.
- €1 + IVA/month in months where you had holds placed but captured nothing.
- Free in any month you don't use deposits at all.
- Stripe's own card-processing fees on captures are charged to your Stripe account as well.
Getting started
- Go to Settings → Payments, add a support phone number, and hit "Set up payments." Stripe's own verification opens right there in a secure pop-up. It takes a couple of minutes and you can do it from your phone.
- Open any property's "Deposits" tab, turn deposits on, and set an amount.
That's it: new check-ins for that property start collecting the hold automatically from then on.
Learn more
See Your Stripe account for where the money actually lives, or contact us if you have questions.