About Advanced Folio Payment (Prepayment)

Prerequisites for Advanced Folio Payment (Prepayment)

You can accept multiple payments for a single reservation based on the Auto Advanced Bill Payment Method OPERA Control. If you exit from advanced bill payment without completing full payment, the partial payment in saved allowing you to proceed with paying the remaining balance at a later time.

When the Check In Prepay Rules OPERA Control is set to Auto Advanced Bill Posting, the folio generation option is not displayed during the automatic generation of an advanced bill.

Arrival Reservations

When the Check In Prepay Rule OPERA Control is set to Advance Folio Payment you are prompted to collect payment for the total of stay for reservations with a payment method matching any selected in the Advance Folio Payment Type OPERA Control. You can update Nights to Charge to a lesser value but not lower than the value set in the Minimum Number of Nights OPERA Control. Actual charges are not posted during check in. The check in can continue only when the minimum or full payment is posted. A room key will then be issued for the number of nights paid. The room key Valid Until Date is pre-populated but is not editable. Users with the Override Prepay Rules at Check In And Reservation Update task granted to their role(s) can override the advanced folio payment processing.

Window/Room Routing Considerations.

Note:

When the Transaction Diversion OPERA Control is active, you cannot configure the Check In Prepay Rules OPERA Control for "Auto Advanced Bill Payment Method," and the same restriction applies in reverse.
  • When a reservation has window routing instructions for the lodging transaction code, and the target window payment method is not selected in the Advance folio Payment Type OPERA Control, the Amount shown when posting advance payment will exclude the routed charges.

  • When a reservation has window routing instructions for the lodging transaction code, and the target window is empty or the payment method is selected in the Advance folio Payment Type OPERA Control, the total amount is shown in the Amount field for the advanced payment.

  • When a reservation has room routing instructions for the lodging transaction code, the amount shown in advance payment Amount field excludes the routed charges.

In House Reservations

When the Prepay Folio OPERA Control is active, you are required to process payment for any increase in the total cost of stay for in house reservations.

Automatic Credit Card Prepayment

In the event that a change in stay details (nights, fixed charges, packages, number of adults or children, rate code, rate amount, discount, room type, room move) results in an increase in the total cost of stay, OPERA Cloud will automatically process additional advance payments for reservations with credit card details available for billing window #1 in reservation payment details. If the update to the reservation involves transaction codes that have been routed to a billing window with Direct bill payment or to another reservation, then credit card payment will not be processed.

Once payment is processed, an Advance Payments changes log entry, with the payment details, is added. For more information, see Viewing Changes Log Details.

If a payment refund is due for any reason, these payment must be processed manually through billing. For more information, see Posting Credit Card Rebates to a Reservation Account.

Note:

Auto advanced folio payment processing occurs hourly.

Manual Prepayment

In the event of an increase to the number of nights without credit card payment details in window #1 in reservation payment details you will be prompted with a link to process advanced payment for the additional reservation costs. After processing the payment, or when you select Cancel to skip payment for the current reservation, you will see additional prompts if there are share reservations that also require advance payment.  Users with the Override Prepay Rules at Check In And Reservation Update task granted to their role(s) can override the advanced folio payment processing.

Note:

In order to post payment you must have the Manage Financial Postings task granted to your role(s). Advanced Payments are tracked in the changes log as New Posting activity type. 

This payment prompt is excluded for

  • Pseudo room type reservations

  • Block reservations

  • Credit card payment details provided  (window #1)

  • Reservations without, or with negative (refund) advance payment requirement.

  • Changes to rate amount, rate code, packages, items or fixed charges.

  • Stay details changes through Room Diary

  • Stay details changes through Look To Book