What we hear when we sit down with operators
Virtual cards from an OTA have their own rules: an activation date, a maximum amount, a validity and sometimes a precisely defined purpose.
Retyping the card number into the terminal creates errors, and above all there is no process to remind you to try the payment again at the right time.
Why fixing a single step is not enough
A VCC is not the guest's card. It is a payment instrument of the portal, tied to a specific booking. Its status and the payment attempt should therefore live on the booking, not as a note outside the system.
VCC details belong to a specific booking
If a supported portal sends a virtual card, Ellipse records it in the context of that booking and payment scenario. The front desk does not have to look the details up in the extranet every time.
It is important to distinguish whether the portal pays the whole booking or only part of it.
The system respects the date from which the card can be used
An attempt to charge before activation ends in a decline. The right workflow therefore works with the activation date and plans the payment for the time the portal allows it.
If the portal's conditions change, the payment status must stay traceable.
The amount must not exceed the allowed limit
A virtual card is usually issued for a specific amount. The difference between the booking value and the VCC amount needs a clear explanation, for example commission, tax or an item the guest pays.
Automation should stop staff from blindly trying a higher amount.
A failed attempt must not disappear
If the bank or the PSP declines the transaction, the booking stays with an open payment task. The team sees what happened and can escalate the case.
Finance then does not receive a stay marked paid at month end without the money actually arriving.
WHAT CHANGES ON SITE
What changes in the daily work
- Less manual retyping of data from the extranet.
- The payment is attempted at the right time and for the right amount.
- A failed attempt stays visible.
- The payment is tied to the booking.
- Finance has a better view of open OTA payments.
CONNECTED ELLIPSE MODULES
The solution does not live in an isolated module
Ellipse Pay
Channel Manager
Hotel PMSCOMMON QUESTIONS
What operators ask us
What is a VCC?
A virtual card that some OTAs use to pay the hotel for a booking.
Why can a VCC not be charged immediately?
The portal can set a specific activation date and further limits.
Can the amount on the VCC differ from the booking price?
Yes. It depends on the portal's model and on the items the guest pays directly.
What happens if it is declined?
The transaction stays as unsuccessful and the hotel has a clear basis for the next step.
HOW WOULD THIS WORK FOR YOU?
Let us follow one VCC case from the booking to the money received
We go through the activation date, the amount, the payment attempt, a decline and the follow-up, the way the front desk and accounting see it.
