AutoCollect was launched in May 2025. It is a secure, automated charging system designed to help hotels protect and maximise revenue from high-risk Postpay bookings.
How AutoCollect Works: Pre-Authorisation and Payment Charge.
- Pre-Authorisation
What it is: This process automatically verifies the guest's credit card once the reservation is made, ensuring that the card is valid and has sufficient funds. The card is not charged, but the full amount of the booking is then held by our payment gateway systems, and reduces the cardholder’s available credit.
Why it matters: Pre-authorising a credit card for a postpay booking confirmed that the card is valid and funded. It also helps detect potential fraud and protects against cancellations and no-shows. - Payment Charge
What it is: A card has been charged when the amount has been successfully deducted from the account. When a Postpay booking enters the non-refundable period, AutoCollect automatically charges the amount that is due to the pre-authorised credit card. If a no-show occurs and has not been charged yet, AutoCollect will charge the amount due.
Why it matters: Charging the full amount due to the guest’s verified credit card once the cancellation policy period begins reduces late cancellations and no-shows, and secures revenue for the property.
How AutoCollect Charges Payments
AutoCollect verifies the guest's credit card through the Pre-Authorisation process. Once verified, it automatically charges the full amount to the card, depending on the booking type—Non-Refundable or Free Cancellation.
To better understand how the AutoCollect verifies and charges the guest payment, refer to the flow charts below:
A Non-Refundable (NRF) Booking:
Scenario 1: Non-Refundable Booking
On April 29, a guest booked a Non-Refundable room, scheduled to arrive at the property on June 10.
- Pre-Authorisation and Payment Charge processes are completed after the reservation is successfully made with a valid credit card.
- A green credit card icon on the traveller folio indicates that the payment for the amount which was due has been successfully collected.
A Flexible Cancellation Booking:
Scenario 2: Flexible Cancellation Booking
On April 29, a guest booked a room with a flexible cancellation policy that allows cancellations up to 3 days before check-in, scheduled to check in on June 11.
- The Pre-Authorisation process validates the credit card as soon as the booking is made. If the credit card is valid and has sufficient funds to cover the booking amount, the amount is held but does not get charged - this reduces the available balance on the guest's card. If the credit card is not valid or does not have sufficient funds, the guest will be requested to provide new and valid credit card details*.
*If the guest provides invalid credit card details the 2nd time, the booking will be cancelled. - If the credit card has been successfully verified, a grey credit card icon will appear on the traveller folio.
- Since the cancellation policy of this booking is “free cancellation up to 3 days before check-in”, AutoCollect will automatically charge the full amount on June 9.
Pre-Authorisation verifies the guest’s credit card and the guest is expected to arrive at the property | Pre-Authorisation verifies the guest’s credit card but the guest cancels the booking | Pre-Authorisation cannot verify the guest’s credit card and the guest fails to update the credit card | |
| Before June 9 (free cancellation period) | The credit card icon in the traveller folio: | If the card is successfully pre-authorised but the guest cancels their booking: The held funds will be released and no charges will be made. The credit card icon in the traveller folio:
AutoCollect will not charge the pre-authorised credit card when the booking is cancelled by the guest. The credit card icon in the traveller folio will remain grey,
indicating that no payment has been collected. | The credit card icon in the traveller folio:
indicating that the guest credit card cannot be verified. Guests will be asked to update the credit card. If it is still invalid, AutoCollect will automatically cancel the booking. |
| 9 June and/or after June 9 (cancellation period ends) | The credit card icon in the traveller folio: | If the card is successfully pre-authorised but the guest cancels their booking: The full amount will already have been charged to the guest's credit card on June 9. The credit card icon in the traveller folio:
|
*The credit card icons are only visible on bookings where the channel is Booking.comScheduledPay. For other xxxPostpay channels, users must check the booking notes, Traveller Folio balance and Traveller Folio notes.
FAQ:
Q: How do I activate AutoCollect for my property?
All hotels are automatically opted into the AutoCollect. If your hotel wishes to opt out, please reach out to the ZUZU Team via email or through your Telegram group.
Q: Is AutoCollect free?
Yes, AutoCollect is free; there are no administration or set up fees. The only associated cost is a 5% transaction fee which will apply to each successful charge.
Q: Are all hotels eligible to use this system?
All hotels except “Cash Only” properties are eligible since AutoCollect validates and charges guest credit cards automatically.
Q: How to identify Postpay bookings processed by AutoCollect?
Postpay bookings that went through the Pre-Authorisation and Payment Charge processes can be identified as follows:
If the booking was made via Booking.com:
- Channel: The booking channel will appear as "xxxScheduledPay" (e.g. Booking.comScheduledPay), indicating that it is a Postpay booking pre-authorised by AutoCollect.
- Traveller folio: A credit card icon will be shown in gray, dark green, or red, indicating the payment status—whether the Pre-Authorisation was successful or not, or whether the payment has been collected.
If the booking was made on other OTA channels (eg. Agoda, Ctrip, Expedia, Traveloka), hotels should check the following on the booking card:
- Booking Notes: The logs in the booking notes will show whether a pre-authorisation attempt was successful or failed.
- Traveller Folio Balance: This indicates the outstanding amount due from the guest for the booking. If this is 0.00, it means that the booking has been fully paid.
- Traveller Folio Notes: If the amount that is due has been successfully charged, a traveller folio balance will show 0.00, along with the following information:
- Description: Traveller Paid
- Charge Type: Pay In - Credit Card
- Traveller Folio notes, indicates that the charge to the card was successful by ZUZU Support Team.
Q: What happens if the guest provides a credit card that cannot be verified or has insufficient funds?
AutoCollect will automatically request updated card details from the guest. If the second credit card provided is also invalid, the booking will be cancelled - except for same day bookings. In those cases, the booking remains active, and the hotel must either manually mark it as a no-show in HMS within 48 hours of check-in, or collect the payment directly from the guest if they show up at the property.
Q: What if my hotel does not want the bookings to be cancelled even if the credit card is invalid?
Hotels that are willing to accept the risk of late cancellations and no-shows can choose not to cancel these bookings. Please contact your Account Manager to discuss a setup that suits your hotel’s preferences.
Q: How does AutoCollect apply to same-day bookings?
AutoCollect still applies to same-day bookings, but with a few exceptions:
- Late Cancellations: If a guest cancels at the last minute, the booking will not be auto-cancelled in HMS or in the OTA extranet. Hotels must manually mark it as a no-show within 48 hours of the arrival date.
- Pre-Authorisation Fails: If the card can’t be pre-authorised, the booking stays active. The guest must pay at the property. Be sure to collect payment if the HMS Booking Card shows payment is due at check-in (i.e., credit card icon is not dark green).
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