How do card holds work?
When a guest selects the card hold option for the damage waiver, Besty places a temporary authorization hold on their card via Stripe. This hold can only remain active for approximately 7 days. After that, it is automatically released and then re-authorized.
Because of this cycle, guests may see what appears to be a duplicate charge on their statement — but this is the hold being released and re-applied, not two separate captures. No money is actually taken from the guest unless there is a claim.
Why is a guest seeing multiple charges?
If a guest reports being charged twice, it is almost always the hold re-authorization cycle described above. You can verify the actual charge status directly in your Stripe account. There will only be one active hold at any given time.
How do I release a hold?
Holds are managed through your Stripe account. If a reservation is cancelled and you need to release the hold early, this must be done directly in Stripe. For assistance, contact your Besty support channel with the guest name and reservation details.
Was the automated message sent before the guest paid the waiver?
If Besty sent a post-waiver automated message to a guest who hadn't actually completed the waiver, this may indicate the Guesty trigger is misconfigured. The post-waiver message should only fire after successful payment. Report this to your support channel so the trigger can be corrected.
Damage waiver for cancelled reservations
When a reservation is cancelled, any active hold is automatically released. If a guest reports the hold hasn't been refunded after checkout, verify in Stripe — it may still be within the standard processing window (typically 5–10 business days depending on the guest's bank).