Operational Update: Payment Schedules

We're excited to launch Payment Schedules, a new payment option giving customers greater flexibility when paying for their bookings. This feature allows guests to pay a 50% deposit (plus service + merchant fees) and settle the remaining balance through weekly, fortnightly, or monthly instalments, provided the booking is fully paid before the cancellation policy takes effect.

We  are also adopting this feature in our standard deposit payment set up (50% deposit, 50% remaining). They will appear the same but are no longer using the current deposit system through stripe, instead using our payment schedule tech. 

To support your understanding, please watch the Loom recordings put together by @Sean Novis:

• Payment Schedules Part 1
• Payment Schedules Part 2
• Payment Schedules Part 3

🔑 Key Details

• Available on Flash Accommodation only.

• Tours, Flights, Experiences, Insurance and LuxPlus+ remain payable upfront

  Exceptions

  • Maldives charter, which is eligible for Payment Schedules
  • Tours use the standard 50/50 deposit schedule
• Full payment is required before any booking amendments can be made.
• Applies only when the schedule allows final payment before cancellation terms begin.
• Minimum order values
  • 50/50 deposits (static): $2000 AUD
  • Instalments (dynamic): $1000 AUD

💳 Credits & Promo Codes

• Can be applied at deposit stage or against an instalment.
• Instalment-stage promo/credit use requires manual payment.
• Using credit on deposit reduces the initial payment; using it mid-schedule reduces only that instalment.

📅 Instalment & Failed Payment Rules

• Payments retry 3 times before auto-cancellation.
  • Weekly: retries every 2 days
  • Fortnightly: 5 days
  • Monthly: 7 days

🧾 How It Displays

• Customers choose instalment frequency from the Payment Options section.
• myEscapes & Spoof show:
  • Total booking value incl. Fees 
  • Payable amount up front (the deposit)
  • Remaining balance
  • Full repayment schedule with dates & amounts

Admin Portal displays deposit and instalment breakdowns with payment type, status, and amounts.

💸 Refunds

• Can only refund up to what the customer has paid so far.
• Partial refunds don’t return cash; instead, they reduce future instalments equally until the amount is fully offset.
• Transaction history will show amended instalments as $0.00 where applicable.

❓ FAQs (Quick Highlights)

• Bookings auto-cancel after three failed attempts, same as deposit rules.
• Other products included in the order are always paid upfront.
• Insurance: customers can claim for amounts already paid.
• Customers can pay off multiple instalments early through myEscapes Pay Now.
• Amendments allowed only once the balance is fully paid.
• Société Points cannot be burned on Payment Schedule bookings.

Just a quick one with an update to the FAQs in the Payment Schedules Knowledge Article.

I'd like to highlight the current scenario around Service Fees. These are strictly non refundable. However, in scenarios where we are cancelling and rebooking a payment schedule package we will need to implement the following work around to ensure the customer is left paying just the one service fee. 

• Identify the value of the original service fee
• Add said value to the customers account as credit. Using the reason 'merchant fee/ credit card fee' 
• Ensure this is applied to the rebooked package

The customer will be left paying the outstanding service fee on the newly booked package. 

A more formalised process around service fees being looked into at current. 

FAQs

❓Service fees

• Service Fees are non refundable, this is strictly the case if the payment schedule booking is being cancelled. 
  • In the event of cancel/ rebooks - the credit must be added to the customers account under 'merchant fee/ credit card fee' to be attributed to the new booking (end result is one service fee paid).

❓If payment fails on one of the repayments, how many times does it retry? After a certain number of retries, will the booking auto-cancel like a deposit?

• Yes, it will auto-cancel after the 3rd attempt (like deposits)
• For a weekly schedule, we retry every 2 days. fortnightly schedule, we retry every 5 days. monthly schedule, we retry every 7 days

❓Is this payment method built to allow promo codes and credit? If so, how do they work?

• Yes, if applied during the deposit stage, it will reduce the initial payment
• They can also be applied to the scheduled payments by processing a manual payment (myEscapes or Spoof)

❓Is it applicable for experiences as well (e.g., accommodation + experience)? Will the experience be included in the payment schedule, or is it payable upfront?

• The experience is paid upfront (included in the deposit)

❓How will it work with CFMR if a customer wishes to claim partway through the schedule?

• Insurance is paid upfront
• The customer can claim for the amount they have paid

❓Can customers pay off more than 1 scheduled payment?

• Yes, customers can pay off the balance by clicking 'pay now' in their myEscapes. To pay of the full balance, they will have to do this for as many payments that are left. 

❓Can customers make amendments to the booking?

• Yes, but only once the final balance is paid off. 

❓Will customers be able to burn Société Points/ Benefits on a Payment Schedule Booking?

• No, customers will not be able to burn Société points on a payment schedule booking. 

❓Is there a minimum order value for scheduled payments?

• Minimum order values
  • 50/50 deposits (static): $2000 AUD
  • Instalments (dynamic): $1000 AUD

If you have any questions, please reach out to your TL.

📧 This was also communicated via email on 10th December 2025, titled “New Feature Release: Payment Schedules” sent by Riley L (Customer Experience Operations Leader).