Guide

Set up and release bonds

A bond is the security amount you hold against a hire. This covers the default amount, the difference between an authorisation hold and a capture, and how long after return the hold is released.

5 min read

This guide answers

  • How do bonds work?
  • What is the difference between an authorisation hold and a capture?
  • How much bond do I hold?
  • When is the bond released after a return?

A bond is the amount you secure against a hire in case of damage, a traffic fine, or the vehicle coming back in a worse state than it left. You set a default bond that applies to bookings, and choose how it is held.

Before you start

Connect Stripe if you want bonds held as authorisations that release automatically. Windcave can take a bond as a charge, but the automatic authorisation-and-release behaviour described below is a Stripe feature.

Bond amounts are in NZD and are not revenue — an authorisation hold is money set aside on the customer's card, not taken.

Where to find it

In the left sidebar, open Settings, then Booking policies (under Business), and find the Bond section.

Steps

  1. Set Default bond (NZD) — the standard bond for a hire. The default is 500.
  2. Choose a Bond hold type:
    • Authorisation hold (short hires) / capture for long hires — places a hold on the card that releases on its own, and captures for longer hires where a hold would expire. This is the usual choice.
    • Always capture bond as a charge — takes the bond as an actual payment, which you refund later.
  3. Set Bond release buffer (days after return) — how many days after the scheduled return the hold is released, from 0 to 7. The default is 3. This is your window to raise any post-hire charges before the hold drops.
  4. Leave Automatically refresh Stripe bond authorisations every 6 days during active hires on. Card holds expire after about a week, so this re-authorises longer hires so the hold does not lapse mid-hire.
  5. Click Save.

What you should see when it worked

New bookings show the bond you set. On a hire, the hold is placed at pickup, and after return it is released once your buffer has passed, with the customer emailed to confirm.

Things worth knowing

  • You can also place and release bonds by hand on a booking, from the booking's Payments tab, if you need to act before or after the automatic timing.
  • To have bonds placed automatically before pickup without any action from you, turn that on in Settings › Payments and bond automation — see Automate balance payments and reminders. It is off by default.

If it did not work

  • The bond was not released after return. If it is more than 48 hours since return and the hold is still on, Glovebox raises an alert on your dashboard. Open the booking's Payments tab and release it there, or check the Bond triage page under Settings.
  • Set your deposit and balance rules Your deposit and balance rules decide how much a customer pays at booking and when the rest is due. This covers the deposit type, the pay-in-full window for last-minute bookings, and whether Glovebox charges the balance for you.
  • Automate balance payments and reminders Instead of clicking Request payment on every booking, Glovebox can send the money emails and, if you want, charge saved cards for you. This covers the three automation levels, the review queue, and the switches that are off until you turn them on.

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