Balance Transfer to Future Reservation

It's not uncommon for a guest to need to cancel their current reservation and move their balance (such as a deposit) to a future reservation. With these instructions, you'll be able to successfully set up payments at your hotel so you can move a guest's balance to a reservation in the future. You only need to perform steps 1 through 5 once (i.e., configuring the balance transfer in Settings).

Note: This action is actually different than moving charges between two in-house guests or any open account. All house account postings are always guest ledger postings. To transfer a balance from a house account to a deposit ledger, you can do so by transferring it to a future reservation.

Step 1. Configure Payment Method

In Stayntouch PMS, navigate to Settings > Financials > Payment Methods.

Step 2. Create a New Payment Method

On the Settings > Financials > Payment Methods page, click + ADD NEW.
Create a Balance Transfer payment method with the following details:
- DESCRIPTION: Balance Transfer
- CODE: Enter a unique code for this payment method.
Make sure to click SAVE CHANGES.

Step 3. Toggle On

Make sure the Balance Transfer payment method is turned ON (toggle is green and right facing).

Step 4. Set Up Charge Code

Now, navigate to Financials > Charge Codes.

Step 5. Add New Charge Code

On the Charge Codes page, click + ADD NEW.
Create a charge code with the following details:
- CHARGE CODE: This code is unique to your property.
- DESCRIPTION: Balance Transfer
- CHARGE GROUP: Payment
- CHARGE CODE TYPE: Payment
- PAYMENT TYPE: Balance Transfer
- FEES: Ignore asterisk; this is optional. (You don't need to make a selection here.)
Make sure to click SAVE CHANGES before navigating away.

Step 6. Open the Original Reservation (or Account)

Choose the reservation with the original balance attached to it.
- This is your starting point; where the guest's payment information is currently stored.
Open the Guest Bill page (or the Transactions tab for an account).

Step 7. Select the Wallet Icon

Click the green wallet icon to edit a charge.

Step 8. Refund Balance

From the options in the pop-up window, enter the following:
- PAYMENT TYPE: Balance Transfer
- AMOUNT TO PAY: Enter the negative amount you are transferring to the new reservation (e.g., -60.00).
- REFERENCE: Include a note that makes it clear you are transferring the current balance to another reservation (e.g., Moving balance to reservation #106513).
Lastly, select the REFUND button.

Step 9. Retrieve Future Reservation

At this point, you will want to make sure you have created a new reservation in which to move the guest's balance. If you have not created the new reservation, please do so at this time.
- Retrieve the guest's future reservation (i.e., the reservation you just created for the guest).
- Proceed to the Guest Bill page.
- Select the green wallet icon.

Step 10. Update Payment

From the options in the popup window, enter the following:
- PAYMENT TYPE: Balance Transfer
- AMOUNT TO PAY: Enter the negative amount you are transferring to the new reservation (e.g., -60.00).
- REFERENCE: Include a note that makes it clear you are transferring the current balance to another reservation (e.g., Moving balance to reservation #106513).
Lastly, select the MAKE PAYMENT button.

Step 11. Ensure an Accurate Balance Transfer

This balance transfer should always appear as a ZERO balance in the Journal.
- To verify this, navigate to Financials > Journal.
- Select PAYMENTS from the tabs at the top right of the page.
- Choose the date you performed the balance transfer on (e.g., October 13).
- Scroll to the BALANCE TRANSFER field with the corresponding payment details.
- Make sure a zero appears in the Amount field (this indicates a successful balance transfer).

Step 12. Success!

You are all done once you reach this step. Great job!
If you need further assistance, submit a ticket to Customer Support.