Overview
Little Hotelier Pay is our official payment processing solution. This article explains how to use the auto top up feature to maintain your account balance above zero, ensuring you can continue processing refunds.
How auto top up works
When activated
When your Little Hotelier Pay account balance reaches zero or below, Little Hotelier will:
Send you an email notification explaining:
Why your balance reached zero (typically due to a refund)
The amount to be debited
That your bank account will be debited within 48 hours
Automatically transfer the necessary funds from your linked bank account after 48 hours, provided sufficient funds are available
Not activated
If auto top up is not enabled and your balance reaches zero, you'll need to manually add funds through one of these methods:
Activate auto top up
Process more guest payments
Switch from a daily to weekly payout schedule (contact our support team)
Manually transfer funds (contact our support team)
Note: You cannot process refunds while your account balance is zero or below. We recommend activating auto top-up immediately.
Activating auto top up
If your property is located in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, or Asia, auto top up is already set up on your Little Hotelier Pay account; you do not need to activate it. If your property is located in the EMEA region, however, you will need to complete a direct debit authorisation to activate auto top up.
There are two ways to do this:
The first time you log in and open Payments, you will be invited to sign up to direct debit (that is, auto top up) and asked to follow a series of steps
After setting up your Little Hotelier Pay account, you will receive an email containing a button that you can use to activate auto top up
To activate using the email method:
Click on the button in the email to open the Direct Debit Authorisation page
Confirm your details and enter any additional details that are required
Confirm that you agree to the Terms and Conditions
Once complete, auto top up will be activated (provided that the authorisation is successful)
Auto top up is not available to properties in Mexico due to local regulations.
Frequently asked questions
Why does my account say I have unavailable funds to process a refund?
When you see an unavailable funds message, you have two options:
Activate auto top up, or
Manually add funds
Consider switching to weekly or fortnightly payouts to maintain a higher balance for refunds.
Why can’t I process a refund when my account shows an available balance?
This happens when:
A payout is in progress (status = In Transit)
The pending payout amount is deducted from available funds
You cannot use pending payout amounts for refunds