Common questions: refunds

Short answers about sending money back to a customer. Each one links to the full article.

Starting a refund

Does cancelling a booking refund the customer?

No. Cancel booking only voids the reservation, and anything already paid shows as overpaid until you refund it. Refunding is its own step. See Refunding or cancelling a booking.

How do I refund a customer?

Open the booking, then More → Refund. In the Charge / Refund window, type the Amount, add a reason if you want one, and press Issue refund. The window tells you how much is available to refund.

What does "This is a price reduction" do?

It lowers the booking's total by the refund amount before the money goes back, so the balance reads correctly afterward. A reason is then required. Leave it unticked for a plain refund that does not change what the booking is worth.

Why is the Refund button or menu item missing?

Refunding needs the refund permission. Renta's role table gives it to owners and managers, not to staff, so a staff login does not see Refund. On a cancelled or expired booking, the Charge / Refund button only shows if money was paid, and its Charge card side is greyed out, because that rental will never happen.

Timing

Why hasn't the refund gone out yet?

A refund waits for a short grace period before it is sent. The period is 15 minutes unless you change it. While it waits, the booking's More menu shows Cancel refund.

Can I send the refund right away, or stop it?

Yes, both. The Scheduled refund window lists each waiting refund with Execute now and Cancel. Run it now to skip the wait, or cancel it before it runs.

Where do I change how long the grace period is?

Under Pricing → Fees & policies, in the Deposit / percentage down card, in the Refund Delay (minutes) box. It takes whole numbers from 0 to 10,080 (one week). With 0, the refund goes out on the next refund run, which is within about 15 minutes. See How and when you collect a security deposit.

How much you can refund

Why does it say I cannot refund that much?

A refund cannot be more than the customer paid for the rental itself, less any refund that is already waiting to go out. If you ask for more, the error reads "exceeds the remaining refundable balance" and shows the amount you can still refund. When nothing is left it says "No rental payment remaining to refund."

Can I refund the security deposit from the same window?

No. A security deposit that was captured after damage is refunded separately, with the Refund button on that deposit's row in the booking's payment history, and its amount is left out of the rental refund limit. A deposit that is only a hold on the card is not a refund at all: you release it. See Releasing vs. capturing a deposit hold.

Why does a cash deposit say it cannot be refunded through Stripe?

A deposit collected in cash has no card payment to reverse. Use Return kept deposit on that deposit's row in the booking's payment history instead.

Does Renta give back its fee when I refund?

No. On a real refund, Renta keeps its booking fee. The fee is not part of what you can refund. See Renta's platform fee.

Other ways the customer paid

What if the customer paid with cash or another way recorded in Renta?

There is no card payment to reverse, so Renta only records the refund on the booking and you hand the money back yourself. You can only refund money Renta has on record as paid. If you ask for more, the refund fails with "no recorded payment to refund", so record the payment first.

What if a gift card paid for part of the booking?

The refund is split before any money moves. The gift card part goes back onto the gift card, up to what that card paid toward this booking, and only the rest goes back to the card (or is just recorded in Renta, when there was no card payment).

Cancellation policy

Does my cancellation policy refund customers automatically?

No. With a policy set, the Cancel booking window suggests what to keep and what to refund, but it moves no money. You issue the refund yourself. See Your cancellation and refund policy.

Where do I see every refund on a booking?

Open the booking's Payments & Documents tab for the payment history. See Payment history and signed documents.