Using the payment integration, you can add a card or payment rule to Booking Options.
This allows restaurants to set up Booking Options with a prepayment amount for a specified offer which can be used for set options you may require to be booked in advance, for example; a pre-paid afternoon tea offer or a private ticketed paid event.
Booking Options can be edited and disabled at any time, any existing bookings in the system that have an edited/disabled option will remain with the original option in place.
Only one card/payment rule can be applied to an individual option and it must have a due date set up.
As with bookings that require a card/payment rule, you can monitor Booking Option card/payments in reports here and view the live cancellations being made from the Managers Day Book.
How to set up a card/payment rule on an option?
After creating the Booking Option and adding the booking availability, click the £ icon to 'manage payment'. This will redirect you to the card/payment setting here.
Booking options can have an advanced booking time set, to allow enough time between booking and arrival for any card/payment requirements to be met by the customer.
Important: Please ensure you clearly list in the booking offer description the payment price required and details of what the option is for. Hyperlinks to menus can be added to the description. Online customers are not made aware of the specific option price until they proceed to confirm the booking details which are outlined in the blue customer messages box. Please also list any cancellation fees in your Terms & Conditions.
In the card/payment setting, select which method requirement you wish to add and select the "Specific Booking Option" check box. Here you can select the Booking Option you created from the drop box and then proceed to outline the rule requirements.
Once the rule requirement is created, you will be able to see this listed as enabled in the settings section and this requirement will also be listed under the specific option in the Booking Option setting.
The card/payment rule 'due date' for Booking Options follows the same process as outlined here for the card/payment booking requirements.
How does this work when customers book a selectable booking option?
For online widget bookings, the Booking Options are only selectable to the customer at the set availability and covers. When the customer selects the option to apply to their booking, the card/payment requirement is outlined to the customer when completing the booking details. Customers will be enforced to supply the selected options card/payment requirement in order to complete and confirm the booking. The selected booking option is listed on the customer's confirmation email.
For phone bookings, you can add a Booking Option to a customer booking, at the time of booking, which will allow the customer to make the offer card/payment via the secure email link. For phone bookings, the 'due date' requirement will follow the specified rule as outlined here in this article.
If an option is added to an existing booking that requires a card/payment for the selected option, this will need to be manually taken via your payment provider. Alternatively, you could cancel and rebook the customer in your simpleERB diary.
You can also add a Booking Option to a phone booking that is not normally available for the booking time slot/covers. Booking Options that are not normally available will be listed under the 'not available' title. These offers will require a 'managers authorisation' override and apply to the booking.
Helpful tip: Our Future Booking Specification Export can help surface an exported report the upcoming bookings for certain Booking Options to assist with planning and forecasting.
For further information on how to add a Booking Options, please click here. To find out how you can use Booking Options for private events/promotions, please click here.
simpleERB Booking Options can also assist in managing third-party discount offers/voucher companies, find out how here.