Overview
Security Deposits let you place a temporary hold on a customer’s credit card without actually charging them. The amount is reserved (authorized) but not deducted. After the service is completed — a hotel stay, car rental return, or equipment inspection — you can either capture (charge) all or part of the hold, or release it back to the customer.How It Works
Security Deposits use your connected payment provider, such as Stripe, Mollie, or PayPal, to create authorization holds on supported cards:- Customer pays → Credit card amount is temporarily held (not charged)
- You inspect → Check the property, vehicle, or equipment after use
- You decide → Capture the hold (charge for damages) or release it (no charge)
Key Features
- Authorization Hold: Amount reserved on card, not charged
- Full or Partial Capture: Charge the exact amount needed for damages
- Release Hold: Return the full amount with one click
- Hold Duration: Configurable from 1 to 28 days (the bank’s window is the hard ceiling — see hold durations per PSP)
- Customer Status Page: Branded page where customers can track their deposit
- Progress Tracking: Visual countdown showing remaining hold days
- Capture History: Full audit trail of all captures
- Email Notifications: Automatic confirmation when deposit is authorized
Creating a Deposit Product
Step 1: Create a New Product
Navigate to Products in your dashboard and click New Product.- In the product type step, select Security Deposit
- Give your product a descriptive name (e.g., “Airbnb Deposit”, “Car Rental Borg”)
Step 2: Configure Deposit Settings
In the pricing step, configure the deposit-specific settings: Hold Duration (Required)- How many days the authorization hold remains active
- Options: 1 to 28 days
- After this period, unreleased holds automatically expire
- Recommended: 7 days for short stays, 14-28 days for longer rentals
- Enable to charge only part of the deposit
- Example: €500 deposit, charge €75 for a broken item
- When disabled, you can only capture the full amount
- Custom instructions shown to customers
- Explain what the deposit covers
- Example: “This deposit covers potential damages during your stay”
The deposit amount is set as the regular product price. Set it to the maximum amount you want to hold (e.g., €500 for a hotel deposit).
Step 3: Save and Share
After saving your deposit product, you can share it via:- Smart Links (recommended) — Create a branded payment link
- Payment Page — Send customers directly to your payment page
Using Deposits with Smart Links
The recommended way to collect security deposits is through Smart Links. This gives you a branded URL, analytics tracking, and a centralized management interface. You can also open Security Deposits → Create Deposit Link in the dashboard. A deposit collected through a payment link is managed in the same Security Deposits list, even when it has no linked product.Creating a Deposit Smart Link
- Go to Payment Page → Smart Links tab
- Click Create Smart Link
- Select Product Link as the type
- Choose your deposit product
- Give it a descriptive name (e.g., “Airbnb Borg 2025”)
- Optionally add a description explaining the deposit
- Click Create
Managing Deposits in Smart Links
All deposits collected through a smart link appear in the Deposits tab on the smart link detail page. For each deposit, you can see: Deposit Information:- Customer name and email
- Amount held
- Authorization status with colored badge
- Authorization date
- Mollie payment ID
- Customer-facing status page URL
- Visual progress bar showing elapsed vs. remaining time
- Days remaining counter
- Start and end dates
- Turns red when nearing expiration (2 days or less)
- Table of all captures with amounts
- Capture status (Succeeded/Failed)
- Timestamps and descriptions
Find a Deposit and Capture an Amount
1
Open Security Deposits
Sign in to the business account that collected the deposit and open Security Deposits in the dashboard sidebar. You do not need to open Customers first.
2
Open the customer's deposit
Search by customer name, email, or booking reference. Click the underlined customer name, or View in the Actions column on the right. On a narrow screen, scroll the table horizontally to reach Actions.
3
Check the reservation
Funds reserved means the card authorization has been confirmed. Check the capture deadline. A waiting, processing, failed, or expired authorization cannot be captured.
4
Choose full or partial capture
At the top of the detail page, select Capture Full Amount or Partial Capture. Partial Capture appears when partial capture is enabled in the deposit’s product or payment-link settings. Enter the amount to charge and optionally describe the reason.
5
Review and confirm
For Stripe deposits, the confirmation shows the amount charged, the amount released, the PayRequest platform fee, and the notice about separate Stripe fees. Opening this window does not charge the customer. The final Capture button charges the displayed amount.
One final capture with Stripe
For example, from a €350 Stripe deposit:
After a successful partial Stripe capture, the deposit is marked Captured. The detail page explains the charged and released amounts, the Captures tab records the charge, and the capture buttons disappear. Captured means the capture is complete; it does not necessarily mean the original deposit was charged in full.
Stripe Multicapture is not enabled in PayRequest. It would require Stripe eligibility and approval for the merchant’s business and use case, as well as integration support. It cannot restore funds already released from an existing deposit. Other providers have their own capture restrictions; do not assume that enabling partial capture also enables multiple captures.
Fees on Stripe deposit captures
PayRequest charges 0% platform fees on Stripe security-deposit captures. Stripe processing fees remain separate and are deducted from the captured amount. Their exact amount depends on the card and your Stripe pricing. If you capture €100, the PayRequest platform fee is €0. Your net payout is €100 minus Stripe’s fees. The capture window does not promise a net payout or automatically increase the charge to cover processing costs. Your Business subscription price is separate from these payment-processing fees.Releasing a Deposit
When no charges are needed (e.g., property returned in perfect condition):- Open the deposit detail page and click Release Hold
- Confirm the release action
- The hold is removed and funds become available to the customer
Customer Status Page
Every deposit has a unique, branded status page that customers can visit to check their deposit status. The URL is automatically generated and looks like:What Customers See
The status page matches your payment page branding (avatar, business name, tagline) and shows:- Status Badge — Color-coded indicator in the top-right corner (Hold Active, Partially Charged, Released, etc.)
- Smart Link Title & Description — Your custom title and description from the smart link
- Amount — The held amount with a status-appropriate icon
- Details — Booking reference, authorization date, hold expiry with countdown
- Hold Duration Progress Bar — Visual indicator of remaining hold time
- Capture History — All captures with amounts, descriptions, and timestamps
- Info Callout — Status-specific explanation of what happens next
The status page updates automatically every 15 seconds. Customers don’t need to refresh to see status changes.
Status States
Dashboard Statuses and Next Steps
The dashboard uses clear authorization labels instead of a single Pending label. Use the matching filters in the Security Deposits list to find deposits that need attention.Authorization attempt expired and Expired are different: the first means the checkout attempt never produced a confirmed hold; the second means an existing hold expired. Creating or opening a link alone does not reserve money. Stripe attempt status is updated from provider-confirmed information, not simply from the age of the deposit.
Use Cases
Hotel / Airbnb Deposit
Car Rental Deposit
Equipment Rental
Event Venue Deposit
Email Notifications
When a customer’s deposit is authorized, they automatically receive a confirmation email containing:- Business name and branding
- Deposit amount
- Hold duration
- What to expect next
- Link to the deposit status page
Best Practices
Setting Hold Duration
- Short stays (1-2 nights): 7 days
- Weekly rentals: 14 days
- Monthly rentals: 28 days
- Equipment rental: 3-7 days depending on rental period
- Always add a few buffer days beyond the expected return date
Communication
- Use the Deposit Instructions field to clearly explain what the deposit covers
- Add a descriptive Smart Link description so customers understand the purpose
- When capturing, always add a description explaining the charge reason
Amount Guidelines
- Set deposits proportional to potential damage costs
- Don’t set deposits unreasonably high — it ties up customer funds
- Consider your industry standards and customer expectations
Frequently Asked Questions
Why can customers only pay with credit card?
Why can customers only pay with credit card?
Security deposits require a payment method that supports authorization holds. The deposit checkout uses supported cards; payment methods such as iDEAL and SEPA do not provide this card-authorization flow.
What happens if I don't capture or release before the hold expires?
What happens if I don't capture or release before the hold expires?
The authorization hold automatically expires after the configured hold duration. The customer’s funds are released by their bank. You cannot capture an expired hold — the deposit status changes to “Expired”.
Can I capture more than the original hold amount?
Can I capture more than the original hold amount?
No. You can only capture up to the original authorized amount. If damage costs exceed the deposit, you’ll need to invoice the customer separately for the difference.
How quickly do released funds appear in the customer's account?
How quickly do released funds appear in the customer's account?
This depends on the customer’s bank. Most banks release held funds within 1-3 business days after release. Some banks may take up to 7 business days.
Can I make multiple partial captures?
Can I make multiple partial captures?
Not with the current Stripe deposit flow. A €150 capture from a €350 deposit releases the remaining €200, so you cannot capture another €50 later. Partial capture means choosing a smaller amount for the final capture, not splitting the authorization into multiple charges. Other providers have their own restrictions.
How much does PayRequest charge if I capture €100 with Stripe?
How much does PayRequest charge if I capture €100 with Stripe?
The PayRequest platform fee for a Stripe security-deposit capture is €0 (0%). Stripe’s own processing fees still apply, so the net payout depends on the card and your Stripe pricing.
Is there a minimum capture amount?
Is there a minimum capture amount?
The capture amount must be greater than zero. There is no other minimum — you can capture as little as €0.01 if needed.
Can customers see their deposit status?
Can customers see their deposit status?
Yes. Every deposit has a unique status page URL that customers can visit to see the current status, amount held, hold duration progress, and capture history. The URL is visible in the smart link deposits tab.
What's the maximum hold duration?
What's the maximum hold duration?
You can configure hold durations from 1 to 28 days on the product. The actual maximum the bank enforces depends on the PSP and card brand — anywhere from 7 days (Visa via Stripe blended pricing) to 180 days (Vipps via Mollie). See Deposit Hold Duration for the full per-PSP and per-network breakdown.
Do I need a Business plan for security deposits?
Do I need a Business plan for security deposits?
Free and Premium include 3 new security deposits per calendar month, with at most 1 active deposit at a time. Business (€20/month) and Growth include unlimited security deposits. Payment-provider fees remain separate. Existing eligible Premium subscriptions retain unlimited access while that same subscription remains active. These limits apply to creating new deposits; you can still manage, capture, and release existing deposits.
Need Help?
Smart Links
Create branded payment links for deposits
Creating Products
Learn about all product types
Payment Methods
Understanding payment methods
Handling Chargebacks
Managing payment disputes