Sep 6, 2024 3:24:27 PM

Experience Seamless Payments At Your Hotel With Expedia Virtual Card!

Efficient payment processing is one of the key factors to maintain stable cash flow and smooth operations for hotels. When hotels and accommodations collaborate with multiple Online Travel Agencies (OTAs), managing payments from different platforms becomes increasingly complex. To help hotels and property owners simplify the payment process, Expedia Group has introduced the Expedia Virtual Card - a single-use credit card solution that enhances your payment experience.

Challenges of Connecting with Multiple OTAs

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As the complexity of handling multiple OTA partner channels increases, hoteliers often face a number of payment-related challenges. Common issues include:

Delayed payments: Waiting for revenue from third-party bookings can disrupt financial planning.
Increased administrative workload: Keeping track of multiple invoices, checking payment statuses, and following up on late payments add to the burden.
Security risks: With a growing number of online transactions, the risk of fraud or payment complications increases, making secure payment options more important than ever.

The question hotels often ask is: How can hotels ensure quick, secure and hassle-free payments when collaborating with Expedia?

Expedia Virtual Card: A New Payment Method for Hotels

The Expedia Virtual Card from Expedia Group offers solutions to all these pain points. This single-use credit card simplifies payment transactions and ensures that hotel owners receive their revenue quickly and securely.

1. Fast Payments

The Expedia Virtual Card operates similarly to a regular credit card, meaning payments are processed quickly and efficiently. As soon as the guest checks out, the hotel can immediately charge the card for the booking amount, minimizing any delays in receiving payment.

Hotels benefit from real-time updates and quick money transfers, significantly improving their cash flow and financial planning. There’s no need to worry about pending invoices; the payment is automatically transferred to your bank account within 1-2 business days.

2. Improved Cash Flow Efficiency

Efficient payment processing ensures a smooth cash flow, freeing up both time and resources. Faster payments reduce administrative burdens and help businesses access funds when needed. The reduction of delays helps the Expedia Virtual Card ensure that hotels can manage their operations seamlessly without interruptions due to unpaid transactions.

For hotels that rely on timely payments to cover daily expenses like wages, utilities, or other operating costs, the improvement in cash flow management is invaluable.

3. Easy to Use

The Expedia Virtual Card is designed for easy and straightforward use. There is no need to track payments or deal with complex invoicing processes. Each time a booking is made through the Expedia Group platform, the hotel receives a unique card number along with the booking details.

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At check-in, hotel staff can easily authenticate the card and store the authorization code. Then, at checkout, the hotel only needs to charge the card for the amount specified in the booking notification. This simple process reduces human errors and speeds up the entire payment process, providing a hassle-free experience for hotel staff.

4. Enhanced Security

Security is always a top priority when processing payments, and the Expedia Virtual Card provides enhanced protection. Each card is assigned to a specific booking and is only valid for a single transaction. This eliminates the risk of fraud or unauthorized payments, as the card number becomes invalid once the booking amount is charged.

This added layer of security helps ensure your business is protected from payment disputes or inconsistencies, making it one of the safest options for handling online bookings from Expedia Group.

How the Expedia Virtual Card Works

Using the Expedia Virtual Card is as simple as following these 3 steps:

Receive card information – After a booking is made through the Expedia Group platform, you will receive a single-use credit card number along with the booking details via your Property Management System (PMS) or Partner Central.
Authenticate the card – At guest check-in, hotel staff authenticates the card for the booking amount and stores the authorization code.
Charge the card – At guest check-out, the hotel charges the card for the amount specified in the booking notification. The payment will be transferred directly to your bank account within 1-2 business days.

Why Choose the Expedia Virtual Card?

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The Expedia Virtual Card is truly a breakthrough solution for hotel operators looking to simplify the payment process. With faster payments, improved cash flow, and enhanced security, the card provides peace of mind and allows businesses to focus on what matters most: delivering an exceptional guest experience.

By using the Expedia Virtual Card, hotels can minimize the manual effort involved in payment reconciliation, reduce the risk of payment errors, and streamline their financial processes.

Streamline Your Cash Flow with Hotel Link Pay Now!

After receiving booking payments, are you still struggling to cash out from Expedia Virtual Card payments? Hotel Link Pay offers a faster and more efficient solution for your hotel.

With Hotel Link Pay, you can:

Receive payments within 7 days instead of waiting 15-45 days like before.
Easily accept virtual card payments directly through the Hotel Link system.
Improve cash flow and reduce financial strain.
Track payment status and generate detailed reports for better financial management.

Conclusion

In conclusion, efficient payment processing is one of the key factors for success in the hotel business. The Expedia Virtual Card offers a seamless, secure, and fast payment solution. Whether you manage a small hotel or operate a large facility, the Expedia Virtual Card helps you receive payments quickly and allows you to focus on delivering the best experience for your guests.

Are you ready to simplify your payment process and maximize your revenue from Expedia bookings? Contact Hotel Link today to get personalized advice on fully integrated payment systems, perfectly compatible with the Expedia Virtual Card, and effectively manage your OTA partner channels. We’ll help streamline your hotel operations and take your business to the next level!

You may be interested in: Payments | Benefits of an Embedded Payment System

FAQs About Expedia Virtual Card (EVC)

What is EVC?

The Expedia Virtual Card (EVC) is a payment compensation program offered by Expedia Group to its hotel partners. EVC streamlines the payment process and reduces the time it takes for hoteliers to receive payment. Now, hotels can receive payment as quickly as with any other credit card transaction, ultimately improving cash flow.

How to use EVC?

Check-in Expedia guests as usual and prepare TWO folios:

Guest Folio No. 1 is for any guest incidentals (these charges will be paid by the guest directly)
Guest Folio No. 2 is for the net rate + tax (and any applicable fees collected by Expedia) to be charged to the Expedia Virtual Card. The Expedia Virtual Card should be charged at check-out. If you require pre-authorization, the EVC account may be authorized by participating hotels upon guest arrival. If you pre-authorize using the EVC, you must keep the approval code and apply it when settling the charge (or the charge will be declined). The Expedia Virtual Card replaces the need for hotels to invoice Expedia with a streamlined “single-use” credit card system. The EVC eliminates the need for a hotel to manually invoice Expedia because a virtual credit card number will be issued for each reservation at the time it is booked on our channels. Once a guest has checked out, participating hotels can now charge the single-use card number just like any other credit card and receive payment in the same time frame as other credit card transactions they process.

When will the property receive the unique credit card assigned to an EVC booking?

The credit card number will be sent to the property with the booking confirmation. It is also available through Expedia Partner Central inside the reservation page. It is also viewable up to 180 days after check-out.

When should the Expedia Virtual Card be charged?

The EVC should be charged on the day the guest checks out.

Who should be contacted if there are any issues charging the EVC?

Please open a case through Expedia Partner Central under “Help and Support” to contact the Virtual Card team. If you have received an e-mail about a Virtual Card, you can open a case by replying directly to the e-mail you receive (do not change the subject line).

What are the hours of operation for the EVC support team?

Various teams cover Expedia Virtual Cards, and these teams operate during different hours. The team that handles issues with charging Virtual Cards is available 24/7 and is most easily reached by opening a case through Expedia Partner Central.

What charges should be applied to the EVC?

The EVC should be charged only for the room rates, taxes and fees that have been supplied to Expedia. The EVC is restricted to not allow charges exceeding the amount of the contracted room rate, taxes and fees. In rare instances, taxes are not included on the Virtual Card balance due to jurisdictional settings.

Will EVCs be issued for bookings that were made prior to the property being converted?

Generally, EVCs will not be issued for bookings made prior to conversion. If you’d like EVCs generated for bookings prior to conversion, please create a case through Expedia Partner Central Help & Support.

Does the guest’s credit card need to be retained once the EVC is in the hotel’s booking system?

Yes, the guest’s credit card should always be retained in addition to the EVC. Under no circumstances should the EVC be overwritten with the guest’s credit card. The guest’s credit card should always be used to charge for incidentals.

Where can I see the balance available on the Expedia Virtual Card?

Clicking on the Virtual Card number within the corresponding Expedia Partner Central reservation will display the remaining balance and previous authorization/charges on the corresponding card number. Many answers to the most common questions/card issues can be found by clicking into the reservation’s EVC number.

If the EVC is authorized without any issues at the time of guest check-in, but gets declined when charged at the time of check-out, what should be done in order to receive payment for the booking?

In most cases the attempt to charge the EVC is declined because there is an existing authorization. When this occurs the transaction can be processed with the authorization code that was given when the authorization was processed. If this does not resolve the problem, contact EVC support. In addition, be aware that your system may already store the authorization code and there may not be a need to “swipe” the card again. Please refer to your system’s reference material for more information on how it processes authorizations and transactions.

If the EVC is not received with the booking notification, what should be done?

If this occurs, open a case through Partner Central to determine if there are potential communication issues. In most cases EVC support can communicate the card information via fax or electronic notification.

Can one credit card be charged for all guests that check out on a given day?

No. Each EVC booking is assigned a unique credit card number to be charged only for that booking.

Can the property charge the EVC for incidentals?

No. All incidentals need to be charged to the guest.

If the EVC is not charged at the time the guest checks out, how longdoes the property have to charge the card?

We ask that you charge Virtual Cards within 30 days of the guests’ stay. After 180 days, the EVC number will be invalid/unchargeable.

How should guest cancellations be addressed when using the EVC?

Cancellations should be charged to the EVC based on the hotel partner’s cancellation policy: the balance owed based on the cancelation policy will be available on the EVC.

If problems are experienced charging the credit card can the propertycharge the guests credit card instead?

No. If problems are experienced, the EVC support team needs to be contacted to resolve the issue. Always let the guest check-in/check-out while you resolve any problems charging the EVC.

Hotel Services, Industry Insight, Hotel Management