No-show protection: ask a deposit from risky bookings

Included in all plans; charging a deposit needs a connected Mollie or MultiSafepay accountBackofficeFor owners

Needs: Owner or Admin

No-show protection asks a deposit only from the online bookings most likely to become no-shows: guests booking from another country and guests who did not turn up before. Regulars, VIPs and bookings your staff make are never asked.

Where to find it

Backoffice › Settings › Widget Management › Booking Rules › No-show protection

What it does

Switch on No-show protection, then choose:

  • What should happen to a flagged booking?
    • Watch only (recommended to start) – flags bookings but charges nobody. Run it for a few weeks and compare how often flagged bookings really no-show.
    • Require a deposit – a flagged guest pays to hold the table. The booking is released if they do not pay.
  • Countries you count as local – two-letter country codes, separated by commas (for example BE, NL, FR). The box is empty until you fill it in; the example shown uses your own country.
  • Deposit per guest (€) – leave empty to use your normal per-guest booking payment amount.
  • Only from party size – leave empty to apply to every booking.
  • What to look at:
    • The country code of their phone number – the main signal (on by default). A local number is always treated as local.
    • The country of their internet connection – off by default; easily hidden by a VPN.
    • Their browser language and time zone – recorded as supporting evidence only, never enough on its own.
  • How sure do you want to be? – Either signal is enough (catches more) or Both signals must agree (fewer false alarms, misses more).
  • Always ask a guest who has not turned up before, wherever they are from (on by default).
  • Never ask a guest who has eaten here and always turned up (on by default).
  • Never ask a VIP (on by default).

How to set it up

  1. Connect Mollie or MultiSafepay if you want to charge deposits.
  2. Go to Settings › Widget Management › Booking Rules and switch on No-show protection.
  3. Keep Watch only at first, and enter your local countries.
  4. Click Save theme.
  5. After a few weeks, switch to Require a deposit and set the amount.

What the guest sees

Once they enter their phone number, the confirmation screen says "A deposit of €… per guest secures this table. It comes off your final bill." They are never told why. The deposit is paid like any other widget deposit.

Good to know

  • A guest who no-showed before is always asked when that rule is on, whatever the party size, unless they are a VIP.
  • Without local countries, only the previous-no-show rule can apply.
  • Experience bookings with their own deposit are never charged twice.
  • The reason (travelling guest or previous no-show) is saved on the reservation so staff can explain it.

Troubleshooting

"Add at least one country you count as local, otherwise only the previous-no-show rule can apply." Fill in Countries you count as local.

"No payment provider is connected, so no deposit can be taken and flagged bookings will go through as normal." Connect Mollie or MultiSafepay under Settings › Payments.

"Set a deposit amount. Without one, nothing can be charged and every booking goes through as normal." Enter Deposit per guest (€), or set a per-guest booking payment amount.

Local residents with a foreign phone number are asked to pay Add their country to the local list (for example neighbouring countries), or rely on the regulars exemption: after one visit without a no-show they are never asked again.