Deposit Calculation Types |
Top Previous Next |
There are several different pre-defined Deposit Calculation Types, covering most situations needed. In addition there is one that will use a custom Expression calculation which should cover any possible situation. You can have as many different deposits of each type as you like. While these types cannot be changed, the "Applies only to" conditions of the Deposit Definition allow a lot of flexibility, including a fully programmable "Condition expression" -- essentially allowing limitless flexibility in the types of deposits you can create.
Remember that the Type is only one part of the definition -- in order for the deposit to apply to a reservation, the reservation must also meet all of the conditions specified in the "Applies only to..." section of the definition.
No deposit required -- If this definition applied, it will simply show a prompt that no deposit is required for the reservation. While this may seem unnecessary, it's more user-friendly to show that message than simply using a $0 amount with no explanation, or an error that no applicable definition was found.
Must be manually entered -- Use this deposit type if there will always be special circumstances for this type of reservation, and you want to prompt the user to enter a manual deposit. Again, it's not strictly necessary, but more user-friendly than just showing $0 or getting a "not found" error.
Fixed amount -- This can be used for a single fixed amount, but also can also be multiplied by the number of periods (days, weeks, etc) and also by the number of sites.
Percentage -- Use this to make the deposit a percentage of the total charges. It can either use whatever charges are already on the reservation, or the Auto-Rates charges (which may or may not already be added to the reservation. You can also include or exclude taxes.
First (# of) days/weeks/etc -- Use this to calculate a deposit as a fixed initial period, for instance a 1-night or 1-month deposit, or the first 4 days, or whatever you like. Of course it will be limited to the length of the reservation. You also need to enter the "First ___ (# of) _______" parameters, an select an amount to use. You can also include or exclude taxes.
Expression Calculation -- If no other type will work, you can use this to enter an Expression to calculate the deposit amount yourself. This is an advanced option, and most likely would need to be created by the software provider.
Other options
Depending on the Deposit Calculation Type selected above, some other options may be available.
Deposit amount -- Enter the amount of the deposit (e.g. for the Fixed amount type). This should only be the number, e.g. "100". Do not enter a dollar sign.
Percentage -- Enter the percentage (for the Percentage type). This should be the actual percent -- e.g. for 50%, enter only the number "50". Do not enter the percent sign.
Multiply by # periods -- Select this if you want to multiply the amount (e.g. a fixed amount) by the number (or multiple) of days, weeks, months, years or "periods" (e.g. hours).
Deposit is per ... (# of) ...... -- Fill this in when multiplying by # periods. So for instance you can say the amount you've entered is per 1 day, per 3 days, per 1 week, etc.
First ... (# of) ...... -- Fill this in when using the "First (# of)..." type. So for instance you can have it calculate for the first day, week, 2 days, month, etc.
Applies for a maximum of ... periods -- Along with the "Multiply by" / "Deposit is per", you can limit how many times the amount is applied. For instance it could be a per-day deposit but with a maximum of 4 days
Multiply by # sites -- select this to add the amount for each site. This will only count sites linked as Synchronized or Sub-members, since those will be combined billing.
Include taxes -- When using a Percentage or "First (# of)" type, you can either include the taxes or exclude them.
Amount to use (for Percentage or First # periods):
Use the charges already on the reservation -- Select this to calculate based on the charges already on the reservation. Of course this assumes you've already added charges (or auto-rates has already added the charges when the reservation was created). If using the "First (# of)" type, the result will be a pro-rated amount that assumes the charges are for the full stay.
Use the entire auto-calculated amount -- Assuming you have Auto-Rates fully functional, you can use this to calculate the deposit based on the total auto-calculated charges, for the entire reservation length. Be aware that this includes Monthly reservations -- e.g. if it's a 6-month reservation, this results in all 6 months' of charges (which you can then either use a percentage of or use the first month of, etc depending on the Deposit Type selected).
Auto-calculate as a reservation of that length -- This also requires Auto-Rates to be fully functional, but instead of pro-rating the calculated amount, it will calculate assuming it's a reservation of the "First (# of)" length. For instance if it's a 1-week reservation that normally gets a weekly discounted rate, but the deposit is for the First 1 night, it will calculate the deposit as if it's a 1-night reservation without the discounted rate.
Topics: