What Airbnb and Booking.com allow
Three channels, three very different rules.
Airbnb
- Most hosts can’t charge a security deposit — neither through Airbnb nor outside it
- Damage goes through AirCover for Hosts: $3M host damage protection, with terms and exclusions
No deposit; you claim through Airbnb.
Booking.com
- Option 1: you collect a damage deposit from the guest yourself
- Option 2: a damage policy facilitated by Booking.com — the guest pays only if you report damage, within 14 days of check-out
You choose in the Extranet, under policies.
Your website
- You set the amount and when it is taken
- As a card hold or as a charge that is refunded later
Your rules — shown to the guest before paying.
Card hold or charge and refund?
Both work — they just behave differently.
Card hold (authorisation)
- The amount is blocked on the guest’s card, not charged
- Usually valid for 7 days for online card payments, then released automatically
- Cancelling it costs nothing; if there is damage you capture only what you need
Best for short stays.
Charge and refund
- The deposit is charged with the stay and refunded after check-out
- Works for a stay of any length
- Stripe keeps its card fee on the charged amount; the refund reaches the guest in about 5–10 business days
Best for longer stays.
A detail that matters: the 7 days are for holds the guest makes online. A hold placed later on a saved card counts as merchant-initiated, and for Visa that window is only about 5 days.
Plan your deposit
Move the sliders and see which method fits your stay.
Card hold
Your cost
Charge and refund
Works for a stay of any length; the refund reaches the guest in about 5–10 business days.
Your cost
Assumes the guest authorises the hold online on arrival day. Stripe Spain card pricing. Runs only in your browser.
Five rules for a deposit guests accept
- 01
Say it before they pay
Show the amount, how it is taken and when it comes back on the booking page and in the confirmation email.
- 02
Link it to real risks
Pets, events, valuable furnishings — say what the deposit covers and keep the amount in proportion.
- 03
Photograph before and after
Photos of the rooms at each changeover make any claim clear for the guest and for you.
- 04
Check quickly
Inspect the property right after check-out, then release or refund the deposit as soon as you can.
- 05
Put it in your terms
Your house rules and booking terms should say what the deposit covers and how long you keep it.
With a Costa Creative Lab website the deposit is optional. If you use one, the guest pays it together with the stay and it is returned automatically after the number of days you choose — or earlier, or in part if there is damage. Because it is charged rather than held, Stripe keeps its card fee on it: about €4.75 on a €300 deposit with a standard EEA card. See how it works.
Sources
- Airbnb — Security depositsmost hosts can’t charge a security deposit
- Airbnb — AirCover for hosts$3M host damage protection, terms apply
- Booking.com for Partners — Damage policy optionsyour own deposit or a Booking.com damage policy
- Rental Scale-Up — Booking.com damage policyrequest within 14 days of check-out
- Stripe — Place a hold on a payment method7 days online; Visa merchant-initiated about 5 days
- Stripe — Refund and cancel paymentscancel an uncaptured payment at no cost; refunds in 5–10 business days
- Stripe — Fees for refunded paymentsthe original processing fee isn’t returned
General information, not legal advice. Rules and fees as checked on 28 September 2026. · Updated
