Managing OTA payments manually is time-consuming, error-prone, and, let’s be honest, kind of a headache. For years, hoteliers have been copy-pasting credit card numbers from extranets into terminals (often without being PCI compliant), chasing failed payments, and counting on the front desk team to charge the cards on time.
That’s why, three years ago, we built Smart Payments.
And today, we’re expanding its capabilities even further. Smarthotel now supports automated Virtual Credit Card (VCC) charging for WebBeds and Agoda, alongside our existing support for Booking.com, Expedia, Hotelbeds and Ctrip.
What is a VCC and why do they matter?
A Virtual Credit Card (VCC) is a temporary credit card used by OTAs to send payments to hotels. A new card is generated for each prepaid booking, loaded with the room rate (and possible tourist tax), and becomes active somewhere around the check-in date. It can only be used once and only for that exact amount.
That sounds efficient. But for most hotels, charging them isn’t.
The old way: copy, paste, charge, repeat
In many hotels, VCCs are still handled manually. Someone logs into the OTA extranet, copies the card number, enters it into the (online) payment terminal, charges the card, and then manually updates the guest’s status in the PMS to “paid”. Sometimes it works smoothly. Other times the card has expired, it gets forgotten, or the front desk team misses the window altogether. And sometimes, the payment never arrives, leaving the hotel unpaid for a fully valid booking.
Smart Payments now available for even more OTAs
Smarthotel already supported VCCs from Booking.com, Expedia, Hotelbeds and Ctrip.
As of now, we also support:
This means a bigger share of your OTA payments can now be fully automated and error-free.
When your PMS supports it, Smarthotel can take things even further by fully automating VCC payments within your system. Payments can be posted directly as a deposit, linked to the correct guest folio, and synced with your booking and accounting flow. No manual matching, no front desk guesswork, and working fully PCI compliant.
Want to activate VCC automation?
If you're already using Smart Payments, we can help you activate this right away, no extra effort needed.
Not using Smart Payments yet? We’d be happy to show you how it works. Manual VCC charging still comes with transaction fees, and on top of that, it costs you time. With automation, in many cases the switch is cost neutral. This makes it a no-brainer for most hotels.
📩 Questions? Just reach out to support@smarthotel.nl. We’re here to help.
