Pay by link is the perfect tool to collect payments easily, quickly, and securely through a payment link. It allows guests to pay outstanding amounts related to a reservation, pay the tourist tax separately and transparently, or pay for extra services such as parking, activities, or experiences.
It is designed to offer you greater convenience and control in managing your payments. With Pay by link, you can charge direct bookings received via phone, WhatsApp, or email; confirm deposits or pending payments without phone calls or bank transfers; and easily manage payments for reservations made through portals or your own website.
When the guest completes the payment through the link, the payment is automatically recorded in the reservation under the Online Payments section, and the link becomes inactive.
How Pay by link works
1. Create the link in seconds
From any reservation, on desktop or mobile, enter the amount and purpose.
Additionally, all your reservations with a pending balance automatically include a pre-generated Pay by link with the pending amount ready to collect.
2. Share it with the guest
Send the link via WhatsApp, email, or SMS.
You can also include it in your automatic email templates using the parameter #paybylink_pendiente#, so that the guest receives it when needed and can pay with a single click.
3. The guest pays online securely
When clicking the link, the guest is taken to AvaiBook’s secure payment gateway with their booking details pre-filled, allowing them to complete the payment quickly and conveniently.
4. Instant confirmation
Both you and the guest receive a notification as soon as the payment is completed.
📝 Pre-authorization via Pay by Link is not possible.
The Pay by Link URL corresponds to a direct payment request; therefore, pre-authorizations cannot be performed.
How the link is generated
Automatic
It appears automatically whenever there is a pending amount to be charged.
The link can be found in Online Payments → Pending Pay by Link, with the same concept and amount shown as pending.
The system displays this icon when a link has been automatically generated:
Automatically generated Pay by link cannot be deleted. However, if you do not wish for it to appear in the Online Payments section because you have already processed the payment manually, you can hide it by registering the amount in the Other Payments section.
For detailed instructions, refer to the section Managing Automatically Generated Pay by link in this article.
Manual
Open the reservation file and confirm there is a pending amount.
Select Create Link.
Choose the concepts to charge (e.g., tourist tax) and confirm the amount.
You can create multiple manual links for the same reservation.
Manual links can be deleted as long as they remain unpaid.
📝 The Pay by Link is dynamic and updates according to the amount in the “pending payment” field.
Automatic update: If a link has already been generated and the pending amount is changed, the link automatically adjusts to the new amount.
Link disappearance: When the pending amount reaches zero, the automatically generated link disappears. For example, if there is a Pay by Link for €100, it will disappear once that amount is collected and the pending payment becomes zero, provided that was the full amount shown by the system. If the amount is higher, the system will recalculate and show the remaining balance as pending, updating the Pay by Link amount accordingly.
New generation after modifications: If, after all amounts have been collected, a new pending amount is added (for example, €50), the system will automatically generate a new Pay by Link for that amount to facilitate payment.
In summary, the link exists only while there is an amount in the “pending payment” field and automatically updates or disappears depending on the situation.
How to share the Pay by link with the guest
You can share the link through various channels:
Copying the link directly and pasting it into an email or message.
Sending it via WhatsApp from the system (if enabled).
Through the reservation conversation, so that the message is logged.
(Optional) Using an automated email template with the parameter #paybylink_pendiente#, which inserts the link into the message body automatically.
Link validity
Each Pay by Link is valid for 30 minutes for security reasons. The countdown starts when the guest opens the link to enter card details and proceed with the payment.
If the link expires before the payment is completed, the page can be refreshed to renew the link and start a new 30-minute countdown.
What the guest sees when opening the link
Pending payment amount: form to enter card details.
Card registration and storage
When paying through Pay by link, the system securely handles the card data:
Card already registered: If a card is already linked to the booking, no new data is stored. Only the charge is processed, maintaining the original card on file.
No card registered: If there is no card associated with the booking, the card data used for payment will be securely stored.
After payment
Successful payment
An automatic confirmation email is sent to both the property owner and the guest.
When payment is made through Pay by link:
The payment appears under Online Payments.
The link is marked as paid and becomes unusable.
The pending amount is automatically reduced. If it covers the full balance, the pending total becomes zero.
The link changes status to Paid and cannot be used again.
After 30 days from check-out, the link will display “Link expired” and will no longer be usable.
📌 All payments made through Pay by Link are credited starting 24 hours after they are made.
It is important to note that if the payment is made on a holiday or weekend, the credit will be processed on the next business day.
Payment not completed
An error message will appear on the confirmation page.
A link or button will be provided to retry the payment.
🚨 The amount and details of the link cannot be modified after creation.
If you need to make changes, cancel the link (if it was created manually) and generate a new one.
The automatic link cannot be deleted, whereas manual links can be deleted as long as they are pending payment.
Each link is unique per generation and should not be shared outside the intended recipient, for security reasons.
Managing Automatically Generated Pay by link
In bookings where the system detects a pending amount, a Pay by Link is automatically generated. This does not mean you are required to use it.
If you decide not to use the automatic link and prefer that it no longer appears in the Online Payments section, you can do the following:
Register the pending amount in the Other Payments section of the booking.
Doing this will remove the automatically generated Pay by Llnk from Online Payments, and the amount will be correctly reflected under Other Payments.
This allows you to maintain full control over pending balances, avoid duplicates, and ensure your booking data is always accurate.
📌 This situation is more common in manually created bookings, as the system automatically detects pending balances and generates a Pay by Link—even if you have already managed the payment by other means.
When does a payment made via Pay by link become available?
The moment each amount becomes available depends on factors such as:
Whether the booking comes from the booking engine or a connected portal.
The cancellation policy of the accommodation or the portal.
Whether you have AvaiBook’s anti-fraud guarantee activated or not.
Below we explain when these funds are released in each case so you can correctly anticipate payouts.
1. Bookings from AvaiBook, Rentalia and Google booking engines:
The payout depends on whether you have the Anti-fraud Guarantee activated:
With Anti-fraud Guarantee activated
The collected balance is held in custody.
It is automatically released 48 hours after check-in.
Without Anti-fraud Guarantee activated
The cancellation policy configured for the accommodation applies.
Once the policy expires (meaning the traveller loses the right to a refund), the balance is released.
That balance then becomes available for payout.
📝 If you work with the Anti-fraud Guarantee activated and want to deactivate it, your KYC Documentation must be validated.
If it is not yet validated, here is the article where you can see how to request validation of your KYC Documentation.
Once your KYC documentation is validated, you can deactivate the Anti-fraud Guarantee from the accommodation profile, under the Options tab.
Keep in mind that this action is not retroactive: the deactivation will apply only to bookings generated from that moment onwards.
2. Portal bookings
Each portal follows its own logic depending on whether it allows automatic refunds or not.
Booking.com
If you work with automatic policy management activated, the balance is held until the cancellation policy expires.
If you do not work with automatic policy management activated:
The payment becomes “available balance” and is settled on the next business day.
Vrbo, HomeToGo and Expedia
The payment is released after it is charged.
The payment becomes “available balance” and is settled on the next business day.
📲 Managing Pay by link from the Mobile App
In addition to using Pay by link on your computer, you can also manage everything directly from the AvaiBook mobile app:
Open the app and log in with your user credentials.
Access the reservation you want to manage.
Go to Online Payments → Pay by link.
Rotate your device to horizontal view to access all options, such as creating a new link, checking statuses, or sharing the link with the guest.
From there, you can:
View automatically or manually generated links.
Create a new manual Pay by Link by specifying the amount and purpose.
Share the link with the guest via WhatsApp, email, or SMS.
Check the payment status to see whether the link is pending, paid, or expired.
This way, you can manage payments quickly and securely from anywhere, without needing to access your computer.
💡 Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use it to charge a deposit if there are no charges yet?
Can I use it to charge a deposit if there are no charges yet?
Yes, you can collect deposits even if there are no existing charges in the booking.
To do this:
Manual generation:
You can create a manual Pay by link with the amount you wish to charge as a deposit.
Enter the payment concept (for example, “booking deposit”) and confirm the amount.
Once created, you can send it to the guest via WhatsApp, email, SMS, or include it in your automated templates.
What happens if the guest doesn’t complete the payment within 30 minutes?
What happens if the guest doesn’t complete the payment within 30 minutes?
If the guest opens the link but doesn’t complete the payment within 30 minutes, the link automatically expires.
No problem, simply refreshing the page will reactivate the link and start a new 30 minute countdown so the guest can complete the payment.
Can I use it specifically for the tourist tax?
Can I use it specifically for the tourist tax?
Yes, just follow the instructions for generating the link manually.
Where can I see the payment?
Where can I see the payment?
All payments made through Pay by link are automatically reflected in the Online Payments section of the booking, immediately updating the outstanding balance and the link’s status.
Can I send a link for a partial amount and then generate another one if there’s still a remaining balance?
Can I send a link for a partial amount and then generate another one if there’s still a remaining balance?
Yes, you can generate a Pay by link for a partial amount, and if there’s still an outstanding balance to be collected from the guest, you can create additional links to charge the rest.
Each link is managed independently and will automatically appear in the booking record.
How do I manage refunds for payments made through Pay by link, and where are they shown?
How do I manage refunds for payments made through Pay by link, and where are they shown?
Currently, refunds or reimbursements for payments made via Pay by Link must be processed manually, just like any other transaction in the system.
This ensures that the amount is handled correctly and reflected in the booking.
You can process them by following the usual refund procedures on the platform: How to issue a refund to a guest from AvaiBook?
Is there a limit to the number of links per booking?
Is there a limit to the number of links per booking?
No, there’s no limit to the number of links per booking.
You can generate as many Pay by link requests as needed, as long as there’s an outstanding amount to collect.
The guest says the link isn’t working.
The guest says the link isn’t working.
If the guest reports that the link doesn’t work, check the following:
Link expiration: Has it been more than 30 minutes since the guest opened it?
Payment already made: Verify if the payment has already been completed.
If the link has expired, the guest just needs to refresh the page. Doing so will renew the link and start a new 30 minute countdown to complete the payment.
The guest completed the payment, but I don’t see it in the booking.
The guest completed the payment, but I don’t see it in the booking.
Refresh the booking page and check the Online Payments section.
If it still doesn’t appear, contact Support so we can review it in more detail.
Can a pre-authorization be made with Pay by link?
Can a pre-authorization be made with Pay by link?
Pre-authorization via Pay by link is not possible. The Pay by link URL corresponds to a direct payment request; therefore, pre-authorizations cannot be performed.