Car Rental Payments & Security Deposits

Chapter 3 of 8 · Get paid

No card reader, no Zelle to chase, no deposit spreadsheet.

The moment
“A deposit to remember, a Zelle to chase, a card reader at the curb, and a refund you work out by hand.”

The usual way

A marketplace's host fee
Taken from every trip
10–40% of each tripTuro's host plans
A card reader at the curb
another device to carry
Chasing Venmo and Zelle
did they send it?
A deposit spreadsheet
release dates from memory
Card numbers on a notepad
a security risk
Refunds worked out by hand
every cancellation a debate

With RentHive

RentHive

Payments & deposits

One login

0% commission
Renters pay into your own Stripe account; RentHive takes no cut
Card checkout
On your website and booking widget, before pickup
Payment links
Sent as a card in the thread; it shows Paid when it is
Deposit holds
Placed the day before pickup, released 2 days after the trip
Saved cards
Charge the card they saved at checkout, later
Change and cancellation rules
Pick a preset; card refunds and differences are handled for you

Every feature on every plan, from $99/mo0% commission

How it runs itself

The money side of a trip, start to finish, without a spreadsheet.

Payments, deposits and refunds follow the booking. You see where every dollar is, and RentHive never takes a cut.

Automatic3 of 5 steps happen without anyone doing them

Fatima · renter
She pays $917.77 at checkout
Straight into your own Stripe account. RentHive takes 0%; you pay Stripe's normal card fee.
RentHive · automatic
The deposit goes on the card the day before pickup
Her card is kept at checkout and the $750 hold is placed the day before pickup.
You · Jordan
She adds a child seat; you send a link
A payment link card in the chat turns to Paid when she pays, and the booking updates.
RentHive · automatic
After the trip the deposit is settled
Released after return, or take what's owed. The 'Settle the deposit' task closes itself.
RentHive · automatic
Your revenue is already counted
The payment shows in Payouts and in Management, by source: website, app or Turo.

Ways to pay

Get paid at checkout, by link, or later.

Renters pay by card in your website checkout or booking widget. For everything else, send a payment request from the Inbox, charge the card they saved, or record cash by hand. A payment link card shows Paid the moment it is.

Payment links sent as a card in the thread
Charge a saved card later
Cash recorded, or pay on arrival if you allow it

The RentHive inbox on a phone: conversations and a renter's thread

Deposits

Deposit holds that place and release themselves.

The renter's card is kept at checkout, the hold goes on the day before pickup, and it's released automatically 2 days after the trip unless you capture some or all of it. Prefer a charge you refund later? Set that instead, for the company or per car.

Card hold or charge-then-refund
Capture some or all of a hold
On every booking's readiness checklist

A booking page on a phone: checklist, invoice and payments

Payouts

See what came in, and where it went.

Stripe pays out to your bank on your own Stripe payout schedule. Payouts show on your dashboard, one click from your Stripe Express dashboard, and your income is split by source: your website, the app, Turo and manual.

Payouts list with pending and initiated totals
Income by source, month by month
Refunds back to the card through Stripe

The money overview on a phone: net income, revenue and expenses

Also included

More in Payments & deposits

On every plan, from the first day of your trial.

Stripe Connect Express

Your own Stripe account, connected in Settings → Integrations → Stripe Payment.

0% commission

RentHive takes no fee from any booking; your subscription is all you pay us.

Card checkout

On your website and booking widget, with the price worked out by the server.

Cash and pay on arrival

Record cash by hand, or turn on Cash Payment so renters can choose to pay on arrival.

Refunds

Refund a payment from the booking page and the money goes back to the renter's card.

Change rules

Set renter trip changes to Off, Ask me or Instant.

Cancellation presets

Full refund, Flexible, Moderate, Strict or Custom, with cancellations set to Ask me or Instant.

Automatic differences

When a card booking changes or is cancelled under your rules, the difference is charged or refunded for you.

Edits that add up

Every booking edit shows what's left to collect or refund before you save it.

Connected

One booking, handed on.

Follow Fatima's Porsche Macan S from chapter to chapter. Each one hands the booking on, so nothing is copied across by hand.

Chapter 2 · Plan the fleetCalendar & reservationsThe Macan's three days are blocked everywhere, priced at $219 a day with airport delivery and tax.Hands on: Every booking, block and repair closes those dates on your website straight away, priced by the same rules.

Chapter 3 · Get paidYou're herePayments & depositsFatima pays $917.77 into Harbor & Palm's Stripe account. The $750 deposit waits for pickup.Hands on: The payment marks the booking paid; the deposit is held before pickup and settled after the trip.

Chapter 4 · Know who's drivingID & insurance checksHer license is checked by Stripe Identity and her policy pulled live through Canopy Connect.Hands on: Results land on the booking and the customer's record, and the license task ticks itself.

Good to know

Stripe's card processing fees apply on your own Stripe account. They're Stripe's fees, not RentHive's.
Card holds only last about seven days, so on long trips a hold can lapse before the car is back. A charge-and-refund deposit avoids that.
Card checkout turns on once Stripe marks your account ready.
RentHive works in US dollars only.

Questions, answered

More in the Help Center, or email us any time.

Does RentHive take a commission on bookings?+

No. RentHive takes 0% of your bookings and adds no fee to your payments. Renters pay straight into your own Stripe account, and your subscription is the only thing you pay RentHive.

How do renters pay me?+

Through Stripe Connect. You connect your own Stripe Express account in Settings → Integrations → Stripe Payment, and card payments go straight into it.

When do I get my money?+

Stripe pays out to your bank on your Stripe account's payout schedule. You can see payouts on your dashboard and open your Stripe Express dashboard from there.

How do security deposits work?+

Set deposits as a card hold or a charge that's refunded later, for the company or per car. With a hold, the card is kept at checkout, the hold is placed the day before pickup, and it's released automatically 2 days after the trip unless you capture some or all of it.

Why isn't the deposit hold placed when the renter books?+

Card holds only last about seven days, so a hold placed at booking would often expire before the trip. Placing it the day before pickup keeps it alive for the rental.

Can renters change or cancel their own bookings?+

That's your call. Pick a preset (Full refund, Flexible, Moderate, Strict or Custom) and set changes and cancellations to Ask me or Instant, or switch changes off. For card bookings, price differences and refunds are handled automatically.

Renters pay straight into your Stripe account. RentHive takes 0%.