A booking, step by step: what you see and when

1. 1A traveller books. Their dates are held on your calendar at once. The booking shows as Reserved in your Bookings, an invoice is generated in your name, and you are emailed. Nothing to accept.
2. 2The traveller transfers the money to your bank account using the reference on the invoice and taps “I've made the transfer”. They have 2 days by default — you can set your own window in settings. When they report paying, the booking is flagged for you to verify.
3. 3You check your bank account, find the transfer by its reference, and record the payment on the booking, entering the amount that arrived. If it covers the invoice the booking is Confirmed and the traveller is emailed their receipt and your contact details.
4. 4If the amount is short, the payment is recorded but the booking stays Reserved and shows what is still owed. Message the traveller for the balance.
5. 5If you cannot find a payment they say they made, raise a query on the booking rather than cancelling. They are asked for their receipt. If nobody resolves it within 3 days it closes in the traveller's favour, so look properly.
6. 6If the hold runs out with nothing recorded, the booking is released automatically and the dates are back on sale. A traveller who reported paying gets one automatic extension first, then the booking is flagged for your decision rather than cancelled.
7. 7The day before, the traveller is reminded. On the service date the booking becomes Active; once the end date passes it is Completed. Your Today screen shows arrivals, departures and returns.
8. 8Afterwards the traveller is invited to review you. Reviews come only from completed bookings.

Cancellations: a traveller cancelling at least 24 hours before the service date is owed a full refund unless your published policy says otherwise. If you cancel, they are owed a full refund whenever it is. Transfer the refund to their account and mark it sent on the booking; they confirm it arrived. A refund you leave owed is chased by email. A no-show keeps the payment — mark it from the booking in the window around the service date — but any security deposit still goes back.

Work accounts: an organisation you bill monthly books on a purchase order. The booking is held immediately, a pro forma invoice is issued, and they have 7 days to attach the PO. You verify the PO to confirm. Those bookings appear on one monthly invoice per organisation, generated for you.

Automatic steps — releasing lapsed holds, reminders, extensions, moving bookings to Active and Completed, refund chasers — run once a day, in the afternoon local time. That is why deadlines carry a day of grace rather than expiring on the minute.