Turn a kept deposit into credit for the guest

When a guest cancels too late or doesn't come, keep the deposit as today, or turn it into a gift card in their name for their next visit.

When your cancellation policy keeps a guest's deposit — they cancelled too late for a refund, or they didn't come — you can choose to give it back as credit instead: a gift card in the guest's name for the same amount, sent with a kind email ("Your £20 is waiting for you as credit"). It's offered only where your venue has Gift cards.

Choosing what happens

In the When a deposit is kept section, beside your deposit settings on Settings → Payments and deposits → What guests pay, pick for each case:

Both start as Keep it, which is exactly how deposits have always worked. Your cancellation policy itself doesn't change: this only decides what happens to money the policy keeps.

For example: Jo cancels on the day, so your policy keeps her £20 deposit — with Turn it into credit, she gets a £20 gift card by email straight away. Sam doesn't come, so his £20 deposit is kept — he gets a £20 gift card once the safety delay has passed (see below), unless the no-show is undone first.

What the guest gets

A gift card for everything your policy kept — the deposit, and any paid extras or pre-ordered food — in their name, with your own gift card expiry. The email tells them it's waiting for them as credit, gives them the code, and says how to use it — online when they book, or shown to you when they visit. Their cancellation email says the same — and before they cancel, Manage booking tells them: "If you cancel now, your £20 deposit won't be refunded — it becomes credit for your next visit instead." (Only while your venue has Gift cards — if you switch Gift cards off, that line goes too, so it never promises a card that won't be made.)

It's never a new sale: the money came in once, when the deposit was paid, so your Payments page shows the card as "Deposit turned into a gift card — From a kept deposit — no new payment" and your totals don't count it twice. On the Gift Cards page, the Made from kept deposits filter shows just these cards.

After a no-show: the safety delay

A no-show's credit waits the same safety delay as your no-show fee (3 hours unless you've changed it), so a no-show marked by mistake and undone in time never sends a gift card. A late cancellation's credit is made straight away.

If the booking comes back

If you undo the no-show or the cancellation before the card is made, nothing is sent. If the card was already made, the booking panel says so — void the gift card if the deposit should stay with the booking. If a booking whose deposit already became credit is later cancelled again, its deposit isn't refunded automatically on top of the card.

Refunding a deposit that became credit

ResoFlow won't let the same money go back twice. To give the guest their money instead of the credit, void the gift card first (from Gift cards), then refund the deposit from the booking. If some of the card was spent before you voided it, only the rest of the deposit can be refunded. An expired card can still be honoured, so extend its expiry and void it before refunding.

Keeping one deposit anyway

When your staff cancel a booking or mark a no-show, the pop-up can keep that one deposit without turning it into credit.

When credit can't be made

The deposit simply stays kept, and the booking panel says why — for example if Gift cards aren't switched on, the guest left no email address, or the booking was flagged with "Wasn't me?". A booking paid in full isn't turned into credit.

Related: When do customers get their deposit back? · Mark a no-show · Gift card refunds and corrections