Home > Execu/Suite Hotel PMS > Procedures Execu/Suite PMS > Front Desk Operations > Credit Card Procedures
Preauthorize at check-in
Post payment ("sale" transaction) at check-in
Additional authorization Check-out preauthorized card Guests already checked out today
Guests checked out prior day (guest history)
Do not preauthorize a credit card AND post a credit card payment at check-in.
You may preauthorize a credit card OR post a payment but DO NOT DO BOTH!
As you check in the guest, click authorize card when you get to the Type payment field. Alternatively, depending on your Parameter Record settings, you may enter the payment code in the Type payment field, or select it from the lookup.
Shift4 i4Go Payment Window
Below is the Shift4 i4Go payment window. Do not swipe the card until you see this window open and see the cursor in the Card Number field
Swipe the guest's credit card or enter the card number manually.
If you enter the card number manually, enter it with no spaces or punctuation (example: 44443333222212111.)
Do not press Enter until you have entered all of the information. Depending on your i4Go setup, your screen may have additional fields.
Click Continue when you have filled in the required information. (If you swipe the card you do not need to click Continue.)
WorldPay Payment Window
Below is the WorldPay payment window. Do not swipe the card until you see this window open. Make sure the cursor in the Card Number field
Click PROCESS TRANSACTION after the required information has been entered. Depending on your WorldPay setup, you may have additional fields.
Use Card on File
If a credit card was validated in the reservation, or an advance deposit was posted, then you will see the button Use card on file (Shift4 and WorldPay.)
If prompted for a sequence number, this will be displayed on the check-in screen near the authorize card button (example: SEQ: 12345.)
However, we recommend always swiping a card when preauthorizing and NOT using a card on file.
A popup will prompt for amount to pre-authorize. For an even dollar amount, such as $300.00, you do not need to add the decimal or cents (see below.) If it is an uneven dollar amount, such as $300.50, enter it as 300.50. Click OK. You will verify the preauthorization amount by clicking Yes or No. Wait during the preauthorization process. Upon completion of the preauthorization, you will see the payment type, approval code and sequence number, as shown below. Depending on your settings, a receipt will print automatically. You can reprint the receipt by going back into the folio and clicking the Print CC Recpt button. If you failed to preauthorize the credit card at the time of check-in, or the guest was unable to provide the card, you can go back into the folio at any time to preauthorize the card.
IMPORTANT: Never preauthorize a credit card AND post a credit card payment at check-in. You may preauthorize a credit card OR post a payment but DO NOT DO BOTH! Once the preauthorization has been done, the payment transaction will occur at CHECK-OUT and ONLY THEN.
To void a preauthorization, open the folio. Go to Change Folio and click Void pre-auth as shown below. You also can void the preauthorization in the Post Payment screen: After the preauthorization has been voided, you will no longer see an approval code or sequence number. After the preauthorization has been voided, you may use a new credit card (swipe or enter manually.) Back to top
If your policy is to post credit card payments (rather than preauthorizing) at check-in, make sure your Parameter Record is set accordingly.
Check the guest in as usual.
When you get to Type payment field, you may enter the payment code (such as VS), but do not click authorize card.
When you complete the check-in, a popup will ask Post payment now?, and you will click Yes. Note: If you do not see this popup, change the setting in the Parameter Record.
Note: the total Room & Tax displays at the bottom right screen. Your Parameter Record determines whether this is the total room and tax for the entire stay, or just the first night. This is the amount you will collect, plus any extra to cover incidentals (per your policy.)
The Post Charges/Payments screen will open.
The payment type that was entered at check-in will display in the Code field. Press Enter if this is correct.
Otherwise, type a forward slash ( / ) in the Code field and press Enter.
At the Process credit card? prompt, click Yes. Press Enter. The amount defaults to the total room and tax as displayed. Press Enter to accept this, or enter a new amount and press Enter.
Ok? (Y/N) defaults to Y. Press enter.
The WorldPay or Shift4 payment window will open.
You will see a statement of tokenization or a success window when the transaction has completed.
Your cursor will return to the Code field and the new balance will be displayed on the screen. Press Esc on your keyboard to exit this screen. Select Display if you want to view the folio and transaction.
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You can easily preauthorize additional funds. One function of the night auditor is to print the Guest Trial Balance and look at the CREDIT LIMIT column. The auditor should also look at the GUEST BALANCE column as well as the DEPART DATE column to determine if additional funds should be authorized, so that sufficient authorization exists to process payments due at check-out.
Bring up the folio and click authorize card. A popup will ask for ADDITIONAL amount to authorize. For example, if $300 had been authorized at check-in and $500 is needed, then the additional amount would be $200, as shown below. Note the new credit limit. DO NOT change the credit limit for credit card guests. This field will update automatically each time funds are authorized. Back to top
If a credit card was preauthorized, do not post a payment before check-out. You MUST process the payment through the check-out process. Otherwise, the cardholder will see a sale of the payment amount, and the preauthorization will remain as a hold on their funds. When the transaction is processed properly, the payment will post against the preauthorization, and excess funds will be released (per the bank or merchant processor's policy Select Check-out. Enter the room or select by guest name. If the folio does not have a zero balance, the Post Charges/Payments screen will open automatically. If there is an authorization, you will see an approval code and a sequence number. The payment type will be the code for the credit card authorized. Simply press Enter through the fields. If insufficient funds were authorized, a popup will notify you and ask if you wish to authorize additional funds. If the guest wishes to use a different credit card, you need to void the preauthorization on the existing card. You can do this in the folio's guest information screen or on the Post Charges/Payments screen. Click Void pre-auth. You may then use a different credit card. To do so, type / in the payment code field, press Enter, and follow the prompts. Back to top
There are times when you need to post something to a guest already checked out. You should do this carefully and judiciously. Go to Display Folio and click Find. Select the guest. Find the line with the previous transaction with the credit card you wish to use. Make a note of the sequence number. You will find it in the REF column as shown below. Make sure to record the number accurately; otherwise you post to a different guest's credit card. You also can find the sequence number on the payment journal in the REFERENCE column. The reference number is before the "-". In the example below the reference number is 140. You do not need the leading zeroes. Note that the approval code was cleared at check-out and not longer displays; nor does the sequence number display. When the guest was checked out the preauthorization was cleared and is no longer available. The next transaction you post will be a "sale". In the Code field type / (or the payment code) and press Enter. A prompt will ask "Process credit card?". Answer Yes. When the Shift4 i4Go or WorldPay window opens, select Use card from history. At the Enter sequence number prompt enter the sequence you wrote down for this guest.
MAKE SURE YOU WROTE DOWN THE SEQUENCE NUMBER CORRECTLY. MAKE SURE YOU ENTER THE NUMBER CORRECTLY. IF YOU ENTER THE SEQUENCE NUMBER INCORRECTLY, A DIFFERENT GUEST'S CREDIT CARD MAY BE PROCESSED!
The card on file associated with the sequence number you entered will display. Do not continue if you are not confident that this is the correct card. Enter the amount of the transaction and press Enter. The transaction will process. Note that the guest folio has a balance. A checked-out guest should have a zero balance. You need to post a charge against the payment in order to zero the folio. If the payment was a credit to the guest, then your charge will be a credit as well. When you have entered both transactions the folio should have a zero balance. Below is a Guest Trial Balance showing a checked-out guest who does not have a zero balance. This is something that the night auditor should look for.
You cannot post to a folio that is in guest history. You need to check in a new guest or master folio. First, get the credit card transaction's sequence number from the guest's folio in history. Go to Guest History > Display Folio.
When the folio displays, make a note of the sequence number for the most recent transaction posted to the credit card you want to use.
The sequence number will be in the REF column.
Make sure to write the number accurately. Otherwise you may end up posting the transaction against a different guest's credit card. Next, check in a new folio as a walk-in. Do not preauthorize the credit card and do not answer yes to "post payment now?". After you have checked in the guest, click the Post folio on the toolbar or go to Front Desk Operations > Post Charges/ Payments. At the Code field type / as shown below, or enter the payment type of the credit card you wish to process. When the Shift4 i4Go or WorldPay window opens, select Use card from history. At the Enter sequence number prompt, enter the sequence number that you wrote down, taking care to enter it correctly.