Forty-five days before departure, every booking with an open balance gets a WhatsApp and email reminder with the amount due, the deadline and a payment link. Payments through the link update the booking sheet, and the traveler receives a receipt straight away.
Typical results
≈4 hrs/wk
Staff time on payment calls and matching saved
45 days
Before departure, every open balance gets a reminder
Under 5 min
From payment to paid in the booking sheet
Figures reflect typical results for this kind of automation.
The challenge
The agency takes a deposit at booking and the rest closer to departure, but reminders depend on someone scanning the booking sheet each week. Some travelers hear about their balance late, others pay by bank transfer without a reference, and staff spend hours matching payments and calling about deadlines. Late balances delay supplier payments and final documents.
Before and after
Balances paid after the deadline per month
−50%Staff hours per week chasing balances
−80%The automation
Every morning the automation checks the booking sheet for bookings 45 days from departure that still show an open balance. Each traveler gets a WhatsApp message and an email with the amount due, the payment deadline and a personal payment link. When a payment is made through the link, the balance is set to paid in the same sheet, and the traveler receives a receipt with the date their final travel documents will arrive.
How it works
- 01
Daily check of the booking sheet
Each morning the automation finds bookings that are 45 days from departure and still show an open balance.
- 02
Reminder by WhatsApp and email
The traveler gets the amount due, the payment deadline and a personal payment link on both channels.
- 03
Payment updates the sheet
A payment made through the link sets the balance to paid in the same booking sheet within minutes.
- 04
Receipt with the documents date
The traveler receives a receipt and the date their final travel documents will be sent.
Starts from
- Booking sheet with balances
- 45 days before departure
Delivers
- WhatsApp and email reminder
- Personal payment link
- Receipt and documents date
The impact
Balances paid after the deadline fall by about half, from around 20 a month to 10. Staff save roughly 4 hours a week on payment calls and matching transfers, and the booking sheet shows who has paid without anyone updating it by hand.
Questions about this automation
What if a traveler still hasn't paid after the reminder?
A second reminder can go out a few days before the deadline with the same link, and anything still open on the deadline is flagged to the agent who made the booking. The agent decides on an extension or a cancellation, since the automation never cancels a booking on its own.
Which payment providers does it work with?
It works with card processors that create payment links and report payments by webhook, such as Stripe, PayPal or local providers like Cardcom and Tranzila. The booking reference is attached to each link, so every payment lands on the right row of the booking sheet without manual matching.
Do we need to change how we keep bookings?
No. The automation reads the booking sheet you already use, as long as it has the departure date, the open balance and the traveler's phone and email. Simple automations like this are usually live within days, and the 45-day timing can be changed for each product or supplier.