Invalid credit card on a Booking.com booking: what should your B&B do?

Short answer: if a Booking.com guest's credit card is declined, mark the card as invalid in the Booking.com extranet. The guest is notified and has 24 hours to add a new, valid card. If they don't, you can cancel the booking through the extranet. Never just cancel it yourself without that step: as long as the card hasn't been reported as invalid, Booking.com treats the booking as valid.

This article is about bookings where you receive and charge the guest's card details yourself, for example for a deposit, a non-refundable rate or payment on arrival. If Booking.com gives you a virtual card (VCC), it works differently: see the Booking.com virtual credit card.

Why a card gets declined

A declined card doesn't always mean the guest won't pay. The most common causes:

• Not enough balance or credit limit. Especially for a large amount, such as a week's stay charged in one go.
• Expired card. The booking was made months ago and the card has since been replaced.
• Extra verification by the bank. For a payment without the cardholder present, the bank sometimes blocks it as a precaution.
• A debit or prepaid card that doesn't allow payments without the cardholder present.
• A typo or wrong card number. Less common, but it happens.

So try once more first, and check that you're charging the right amount on the right date under your own terms. A card that fails today may work tomorrow. If it keeps failing, follow the procedure below.

Step by step: reporting a card as invalid

1. Open the booking in the Booking.com extranet and find the guest's card details.
2. Mark the card as invalid. Booking.com then sends the guest a request to update their card details.
3. Wait 24 hours. That's how long the guest has to add a new card. If arrival is very close, check in the extranet which deadline applies to that booking.
4. New card received? Charge the amount again, under your terms.
5. No new card? You can then cancel the booking through the extranet. That frees up your room.

The extranet doesn't always let you mark a card as invalid. If you don't see the option, contact Booking.com partner support rather than cancelling the booking yourself.

What not to do

• Ask the guest to send their card number by email or WhatsApp. Card details don't belong in an ordinary email or chat. Let the guest update them through Booking.com.
• Cancel yourself without reporting the card. Booking.com then sees it as a cancellation by you, with all the consequences for your score and any costs.
• Sell the room elsewhere straight away. Until the booking is officially cancelled, it stands. If you sell the room anyway, you risk an overbooking if the guest pays after all.
• Wait until the day of arrival. The later you check the card, the less time you have to resell the room.

How to prevent it next time

The best remedy is knowing early where you stand.

• Charge at a fixed moment. On a non-refundable rate, charge shortly after booking; on a flexible rate, after the free cancellation period ends. That way you spot a problem in time. More in cancellation policies for your B&B.
• Track outstanding payments per booking, instead of searching your inbox for which guest has already paid.
• Send a pre-arrival message with the practical details and a reminder of what is still to be paid.
• Push direct bookings. On your own website you decide how the guest pays, and the money comes in straight away. See online payment for direct bookings.

An invalid card you only discover on arrival often ends as a no-show without compensation. If you check the card a few weeks ahead, you can still sell the room.

How BedFlow PMS helps

In BedFlow PMS your Booking.com bookings, your other channels and your direct bookings come together in one calendar, with what has been paid and what is still outstanding per booking. So you see straight away which guest you still need to follow up. Reporting the card itself happens in the Booking.com extranet, as described above. If you then cancel the booking, the cancellation comes in through the channel manager and the room is immediately open again on all your channels, so you can resell the freed-up nights.

On your own booking widget you take the payment or deposit online straight away, so for direct bookings there's no card to check afterwards. See the pricing or read the documentation.

Want to try it with your own rooms? Start your free 30-day trial at bedflow.eu. No credit card required.