What is pre-authorisation?

For each booking, a pre-authorisation check will be made on your selected payment method. This is to ensure there are enough funds to complete the booking. Much like a hold that may be placed on your credit card while checking into a hotel, this is a pending transaction which holds the funds until your booking is ended and the final amount is settled.

The final amount charged to the payment method may be adjusted due to certain conditions. For example, the final amount will be lower if the booking was ended earlier than the scheduled ending time or the final amount can be higher if there are additional fees incurred during the booking. 

When does it get charged?

If you have made a booking far in advance, the pre-authorisation check will only occur within the days leading up to your booking. If the charge fails you will be notified by email to remind you to ensure there are sufficient funds available. Our system will retry the pre-authorisation charge multiple times leading up to your booking and if it is still not successful at least 24 hours before the start of your booking it will be cancelled.

What if I cancel my booking or it expires?

When your booking is cancelled or expires, the pre-authorisation charge is cancelled by our system. You may continue to see this transaction as "Pending" on your bank statement, however this item will disappear from your statement within 3-5 business days, depending on your banking institution. For most banks you will not see a charge and then a refund as you might expect, instead the transaction is removed altogether.