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Direct charge for last-minute security deposits

Feature requests

Problem
For same-day and next-day reservations, the deposit flow still routes guests through the portal to complete a card check. There isn't enough time for guests to actually finish it, so deposits sit in Awaiting billing details or Retrying right through check-in.

Current workaround
Hosts manually chase guests to open the portal and pay. Meanwhile, scheduled check-in messages are paused because the deposit isn't secured, so arrival info and smart lock codes get held up too.

Impact

  1. Deposits are uncollected or late on last-minute bookings.

  2. Check-in messaging is delayed, breaking the arrival experience.

  3. Please review the risk, as the first host-guest interaction becomes a payment chase.

Proposed solution
Add a configurable window (e.g., within 2 days of check-in) during which Hospitable attempts an immediate hold or charge on the card available for the booking, rather than routing to the portal. Fall back to the portal flow only if the attempt fails.

Why it matters
This fixes the exact bookings where the current flow fails most, removes manual chasing, and keeps check-in messaging on time. For hosts with heavy last-minute Airbnb volume, it's the single biggest friction point in the deposit product today.

1 comment

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Comments1

  • Teal Ox

    •

    Oct 22

    Adding host feedback from a real dispute case that reinforces this request:

    A guest booked last-minute, provided a card with no available funds, completed check-in, collected the keys, and then bounced. Because the deposit was never secured in time, the host had no way to collect after the fact.

    The host proposed two concrete mechanics to consider:

    1. Within ~2 days of check-in, skip the $1 authentication step and attempt an immediate block/hold for the full deposit amount directly on the card.

    2. If the authentication step stays, tighten the window between the authentication and the hold to under 5 minutes, so the card state (funds, validity) can't change in between.

    Open question for engineering: is the $1 pre-auth a PSP/Stripe requirement, or a Hospitable product choice? That answer determines whether option 1 is feasible.