An Australian holiday rental can request a security bond through an online card authorisation link without using a payment terminal. The guest approves a temporary reservation on an eligible card. After the stay, the operator releases it or captures an amount supported by the booking agreement and evidence.
This guide is for independent holiday houses and small accommodation operators taking direct bookings. It covers the payment workflow, not residential tenancy bonds, a recommended bond amount or a substitute for your booking terms. Confirm that your connected payment provider supports your business, currency and deposit checkout before offering it to guests.
Keep the accommodation payment and security bond separate
A booking deposit pays towards the stay. A security bond reserves an amount for potential liabilities. Using the word “deposit” for both can leave guests thinking they have been charged twice.
| Item | Fictional amount | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Accommodation payment | A$1,200 | A payment is collected for the stay |
| Security bond | A$500 | Funds are reserved after successful authorisation |
| No supported deduction after inspection | A$0 charged from bond | The A$500 reservation is released |
| Supported A$80 deduction | A$80 charged from bond | A$420 is released after a final partial capture |
These amounts illustrate the accounting; they are not typical or recommended prices. A successful A$1,200 accommodation payment does not prove that the A$500 bond was authorised.
Australian operators already describe this distinction in their booking terms. For example, Elite Holiday Homes describes a pre-arrival credit card security bond. Its conditions are its own; they do not establish a standard amount, universal hold window or permission for your business to make deductions.
Set up a bond link without a payment terminal
With PayRequest Security Deposits, connect an eligible provider account, such as Stripe, and create a deposit request or Security Deposit product. Use the dedicated authorisation flow rather than an ordinary payment link that collects money immediately.
- Give the request a recognisable accommodation name and booking reference.
- Set the agreed amount and confirm that the checkout shows AUD.
- Explain the bond, authorisation deadline for the guest and inspection process in plain language.
- Send the link through the contact channel already used for the booking.
- Check the confirmed reservation and provider capture deadline in Security Deposits before treating the bond as arranged.
- After inspection, explicitly release the reservation or review a supported capture.
The PayRequest deposit documentation explains the product settings, statuses and capture/release actions. Product wording does not turn a regular charge into a card hold. Review the actual checkout you are sharing.
Do not ask a guest to email a card number, card photo or security code. They should enter the required card details in the secure checkout reached from the authorisation page.
Check whether the hold covers the entire stay
Calculate the interval from authorisation to the final inspection decision, including the time before arrival. A “7 day hold” headline is not enough to plan around.
For a fictional weekend booking, authorisation happens Wednesday at 15:00, arrival is Friday at 15:00 and departure is Monday at 10:00. Inspection is completed Monday at 14:00. That requires four days and 23 hours from authorisation to decision. It works only if the actual provider deadline leaves enough time and a practical buffer.
Now change that to a seven-night stay and allow another 48 hours after departure. Adding two days before arrival, seven nights and two days afterwards requires roughly eleven days. A seven-day authorisation cannot cover that schedule.
Stripe documents different authorisation windows by transaction type and card network. Use the deadline on the actual authorised transaction. A longer duration selected in a product does not guarantee a longer bank reservation.
For eligible new Stripe deposits, PayRequest Business offers a merchant-requested replacement authorisation with prior customer consent, within an agreement lasting up to 30 days from the first authorisation. This is subject to bank approval and timing restrictions; it is not an automatic extension of every hold. Review the renewal requirements before relying on them.
Tell guests what release actually means
Use a promise your operation controls: “We aim to complete the inspection and request release within 48 hours of departure if no supported charges apply.” Use that target only if your team can meet it before the capture deadline.
Then explain the separate bank timeline: “Your bank determines when the pending reservation disappears and your available funds update.”
A released authorisation may disappear without a separate incoming refund. Releasing unused funds does not refund an amount already captured. The PayRequest timing guide distinguishes authorisation expiry, checkout expiry and bank processing after release.
Choose a workable process for a small property
For one house, start with a booking register containing the property, booking reference, arrival and departure, bond amount, exact authorisation reference, provider deadline, inspector and final action. Keep full card details out of that register.
Free currently includes three new deposit requests per calendar month and one open request at a time. Premium includes fifteen new requests and five open; Business includes unlimited requests. Pending requests also use open capacity. Check the current pricing and deposit allowances against overlapping bookings, rather than counting properties alone.
Provider processing fees and deposit-specific costs are separate from ordinary payment pricing. Check your actual provider account before quoting a cost to guests.
Before sending the first real request
Confirm the amount and AUD display, business identity, correct booking reference, supported card flow, customer contact details and someone responsible for inspection. Check the whole guest journey on a phone without making an unintended live authorisation.
For a ready-to-adapt description, use the holiday accommodation bond page template. For arrivals without a reception desk, follow the self check-in damage deposit workflow.
Create your first request with PayRequest Security Deposits, then verify the actual authorisation before the guest arrives.
Editorial note: AI assisted the writing and illustration. The amounts, property and schedule are fictional worked examples. Product documentation and provider rules were reviewed on 10 November 2026; no live customer card was charged or tested.
