What happens when a client's balance runs short
In a long-term rental, charges happen regularly. The main thing to understand about them:
Important
Auto-renewal takes the balance negative only if the company has allowed it. By default the debt limit is zero: when the balance runs short, the extension is blocked and doesn't create a debt. If you've set a limit above zero, the balance can go negative within it.
The limit is set for the whole company and can be individual for a client; details are in the article How booking auto-renewal works.
A negative balance is still possible: within the limit, after a top-up is reversed by the bank, or due to other charges. This is debt on the client's balance — it does not stop the rental on its own.
Which notification is sent
| What happened | Notification |
|---|---|
| The charge went through | About a successful payment |
| The balance went negative | A separate notification about the negative balance |
| The extension is blocked (limit, availability, currency) | A notification to the client and employees when the state changes, without repeats |
A negative-balance notification is a signal to contact the client: the payment went through, but the balance dropped below zero. A blocked extension is a different case: no money has been charged, and the booking is waiting for a top-up or an employee's decision (the states are described in the article on auto-renewal).
Reserve ahead
The company sets how many charges ahead the balance should cover. This setting lets you find out about a problem before the balance stops being enough, not after.
Important
With the default value — one charge — there is no early warning. The reserve threshold equals the payment amount itself, so the case “the balance doesn't cover the reserve but does cover the payment” never happens: either there is enough money, or the balance is already below the payment amount.
To get a warning in advance, set the reserve to more than one charge.
The longer the rental and the more expensive the day, the more it costs to find out at the last moment.
Where to see the debt
A client's negative balance is visible in their card. Separate client debts are tracked independently: paying one does not top up the balance or clear its negative amount. Paying a debt from the client's balance reduces the balance instead.
How to get a warning in advance
- Open the company settings, the “Rent” tab.
- Set the reserve to more than one charge — with the default value there will never be a warning.
- Save with the button.
What to do when a negative-balance notification arrives
- Open the client card and check the balance.
- Contact the client: as long as the debt limit allows, charges will continue, and the negative balance will grow with each one.
- When the money arrives, click the “Top up balance” icon next to the “Balance” field in the client card.
- Enter the amount received and the payment method, then save the top-up. Check the new balance: the top-up must cover the debt to clear the negative amount, and an additional reserve is needed for future charges.