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SiteMinder Pay: frequently asked questions
SiteMinder Pay: frequently asked questions

Frequently asked questions about SiteMinder Pay.

Updated this week

What is SiteMinder Pay?

SiteMinder Pay is our fully integrated, secure, payment solution. Process payments, manage your transaction and payout activity, send payment requests, set up automated payments and more. SiteMinder Pay helps save you time by automating some manual tasks, and keeping everything organised in one place.

How do I activate SiteMinder Pay?

To get started and activate SiteMinder Pay:

  1. In Channel Manager, click on Property Settings > Payments tab.

  2. Click Activate SiteMinder Pay.

  3. On the application form, enter your property details (Business details) and Bank account details.

  4. Complete account verification with Stripe — verify your identity by providing a proof of identity document.

  5. Review your information, then click on Submit.

You must be an Admin user to activate SiteMinder Pay.

How much does SiteMinder Pay cost?

With SiteMinder Pay, there are no setup or monthly fees, and fees charged for refunds are returned. We only charge a fee per transaction. Fees vary according to your country, the credit card payment network (MasterCard, Visa, etc), and the type of card (domestic, international, or premium) used for the transaction.

To see which fees are applicable to your property, refer to your SiteMinder Pay activation form.

Please note that international and premium cards may incur a greater transaction fee. Premium cards are as follows (please note that not all cards may be available in your country):

  • American Express

  • China UnionPay

  • Discover & Diners Club

  • Japan Credit Bureau (JCB)

  • Virtual Credit Cards

  • Commercial cards

Does SiteMinder Pay have a point of sale (POS) terminal?

SiteMinder does not currently have a POS terminal for SiteMinder Pay.

How do I update my bank account details for SiteMinder Pay?

To update the bank account used with SiteMinder Pay, please contact our support team (must come from an Admin user) and e-mail through the following details:

  • Registered business name

  • Current bank account number

  • New bank account details

  • Reason for the update

  • Date that the bank account should be updated

Who can access/update my SiteMinder Pay account?

General users with Guest payment details permission can:

  • Process payments and refunds.

  • View credit card details.

Admin users can:

  • Activate SiteMinder Pay

To prevent General users from viewing information about payments, make sure to untick the Guest payment details permission for those users.

Can I process virtual credit cards (VCC) with SiteMinder Pay?

Yes, SiteMinder Pay supports virtual credit cards (VCCs). Each channel has their own policy on when virtual credit cards can be charged.

When can I charge a virtual credit card (VCC)?

VCCs contain an activation date from the channel that determines when the card will be charged. It is usually from the day of check-in, up to 6 months from booking. Please refer to the channel's policy on charging virtual credit cards.

Will payment transaction details be sent to my PMS?

You can sync your SiteMinder Pay reservation transactions from SiteMinder to your property management system (PMS) — a feature only available to participating property management systems that are enabled to handle payments. Syncing your channel reservation transactions, such as your manual and automated payments and refunds, will help save time and reduce the need to manually record and manage payments separately in your PMS.

Transactions processed via the Virtual terminal are not synced: only transactions associated with a channel reservation are supported. To support the payment sync API, the property management system must support the payments feature and must be a participating provider. To find out more, please contact your PMS directly.

How do I take a manual payment?

With SiteMinder Pay, you can take manual payments using the Virtual terminal. The Virtual terminal can be used for reservations or any other payment that needs to be taken, such as for extras. To use the Virtual terminal, go to My Apps > Payments > Virtual terminal.

What do I do if I’ve processed the wrong amount?

If you have processed a payment for the wrong amount:

  • If the payment was too high — you can make a refund.

  • If the payment was too low — you can take a manual payment.

How long do I have to process a payment for a reservation?

You must process a reservation payment within 7 days after check-out. After that time, card details will be permanently deleted in your platform, as required by the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards (PCI DSS).

How do I process a refund via SiteMinder Pay?

  1. Go to My Apps > Payments > Transactions.

  2. Find the payment you would like to refund in the Transaction Summary screen.

  3. Click on the charge to open the Transaction Details screen.

  4. Click the Refund button.

  5. Confirm the amount to refund and click Process Refund.

How can I download my monthly tax invoice for SiteMinder Pay?

To find the total amount of revenue you have received from transactions processed via SiteMinder Pay (for tax, accounting, and budgeting purposes):

  1. Go to My Apps > Payments.

  2. Click on Invoices.

  3. Next to the month you want to generate the invoice for, click on Generate.

  4. The invoice will be sent to the registered e-mail address of your SiteMinder Pay account.

Once I process a payment, how long does it take to arrive in my bank account?

A payout will be sent on the same day that a payment is received.

Your SiteMinder Pay Account balance (which is the sum of all funds received from all guests on the present day, including adjustments but minus refunds) will be paid out to your property’s linked bank account once per day. The payout should take 2–7 business days to arrive in your bank account, depending on your bank and location.

How can I view a summary of transactions?

To view a summary of transactions, go to My Apps > Payments > Transactions tab.

How do I deactivate SiteMinder Pay?

To deactivate SiteMinder Pay, please contact our support team.

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