How Booking manages deposits: two options, the choice is yours
Before talking about Swikly, it's important to understand one essential thing: on Booking, you can choose between two separate devices to protect you from damage. You decide which one to use.
Option 1: a deposit that you manage yourself
You post a deposit in your advert and manage it directly with your traveller. The key point, which is often misunderstood: Booking does not collect this deposit for you. The platform authorises you to mention it, but does not deduct anything or block anything. It is up to you to collect it and secure it, using the method of your choice: cash on arrival, cheque, bank transfer, or a dedicated online solution.
This is precisely where Swikly intervenes. Rather than chasing a cheque or handling cash, you send your traveller a secure deposit link. It's the modern, frictionless way to manage your security deposit.
Option 2: Booking's damage protection programme
In this case, Booking becomes the intermediary. The traveller pays no deposit in advance. If there is a problem, you report the damage within 14 days and Booking asks the traveller to pay. The money is only received if the traveller agrees to pay. If they refuse, you have no simple recourse.
| Criteria | Option 1: Deposit managed by you | Option 2: Protection Booking |
|---|---|---|
| Who collects the deposit? | You (Booking does not charge anything) | Booking, as an intermediary |
| Deposit secured before your stay | Yes, if you use a dedicated tool | No, no advance payment |
| Payment guarantee | Depending on your tool | No, only if the traveller agrees |
| Compatibility with Swikly? | Yes, to collect and secure | No |
Are Swikly and Booking compatible?
Yes, totally. Swikly is not integrated into the Booking booking process and does not replace the platform. It adds a secure deposit layer alongside your bookings.
It's as simple as that. Once the booking has been confirmed on Booking, you send your traveller a Swikly deposit link by email, text message or directly via the automatic welcome message on your Booking extranet. The traveller completes the deposit online in just a few minutes, from their phone, without any advance payment.
Swikly operates outside Booking, without modifying your accommodation details or interfering with your bookings. You keep your Booking activity as it is, and you add a deposit that is really adapted to your property.
Why use Swikly to manage your Booking deposit?
You set the right price for your property
With Swikly, you define the amount of the deposit in line with the value of your accommodation and its equipment, without being dependent on the limits set by Booking's protection programme. A studio, a villa or a chalet do not require the same deposit, and you set the rules.
The deposit is secured before your stay
Unlike the Booking protection programme, where nothing is secured until the traveller agrees to pay, the Swikly deposit is recorded before arrival. Travellers know that a deposit exists, which makes them feel responsible, without it costing them anything as long as there is no damage.
The bank imprint, the technology expected in holiday rentals
Swikly relies mainly on the bank imprint: a verification of the traveller's card, with no debit and no blocking of funds. The traveller's card limit remains unchanged, which explains its very high acceptance rate, even among foreign travellers or those unfamiliar with online deposits.
In practical terms, the traveller does not advance any money. For your part, you have a deposit that can be called up in the event of damage, unpaid extras or any other breach of the terms and conditions of your stay. This is also the end of deposit cheques and cash, which are particularly useful with foreign customers.
How to configure Swikly with Booking
Installation is quick and requires no technical skills.
Without management software
– Create your account on swikly.com.
- Set up your deposit request: amount, duration, type of property.
- Retrieve your personalised deposit link.
- Include this link in the automatic welcome message on your Booking extranet, or send it to each traveller once the booking has been confirmed.
Once this has been set up, each passenger will automatically receive your deposit request in the message that has been configured.
With a PMS or channel manager
If you manage your accommodation with software connected to Booking (Smily, Octorate, Beds24, Eviivo, Net2Rent and many others), Swikly offers native integration. The deposit request is then generated and sent automatically with each new booking, without any action on your part. Swikly has more than 50 business integrations of this type.
Frequently asked questions about Swikly and Booking
No. Swikly is added to your Booking activity to manage the deposit. You continue to receive and manage your bookings as normal on Booking.
No, not in the case of the security deposit: Booking lets you display it, but does not collect it. It's up to you to secure it, and that's Swikly's role. In Booking's protection programme, the platform intervenes but does not guarantee any payment.
With the bank imprint, no amount is debited or blocked. The traveller advances nothing. A sum may only be deducted if you notice any damage, and according to the conditions you have set.
No. You can send the deposit link manually or via the Booking welcome message. With a PMS or channel manager, you can simply fully automate the sending process.
