A security deposit hold is a temporary pre-authorisation on the guest’s card, not a charge. This article explains how long that hold lasts, why BetterSTR renews it part-way through longer stays, and what the guest sees on their card. For how to turn deposits on, see Security Deposits: Setup, Manage, and Release.
The rules that drive everything
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Card networks only allow a pre-authorisation to stay open for 7 days. Every hold BetterSTR places, including a renewal, lasts exactly 7 days from the moment it is placed.
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BetterSTR keeps the deposit covered until 2 days after checkout, so you have time to inspect the property and capture if needed.
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Once a live hold has 2 days or less remaining, and the deposit is still needed a full day beyond that, BetterSTR renews it automatically. You don’t need to do anything.
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Renewal is cancel-first. The old hold is released, we wait about 3 hours for the bank to clear it, then place a fresh 7-day hold. The guest’s card is never held twice at the same time.
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The final hold is not shortened. It expires on its own 7 days after it was placed unless you capture or release it first.
Worked examples
These assume the default timing of 2 days before check-in and that you haven’t captured or released the hold manually. “Day 0” is check-in day.
3-night stay (checkout day 3)
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Day -2: hold placed. It will expire on day 5.
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Day 3: guest checks out. Coverage is needed until day 5.
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Day 5: hold expires on its own. No renewal is needed because the single hold already covers checkout plus 2 days.
5-night stay (checkout day 5)
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Day -2: hold 1 placed. It would expire on day 5.
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Day 3: hold 1 has 2 days left but coverage is needed until day 7, so it is renewed. Hold 1 is released and hold 2 is placed about 3 hours later.
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Day 5: guest checks out.
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Day 10: hold 2 expires on its own. One renewal in total.
10-night stay (checkout day 10)
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Day -2: hold 1 placed. It would expire on day 5.
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Day 3: renewed. Hold 2 placed, would expire on day 10.
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Day 8: renewed again because coverage is needed until day 12. Hold 3 placed, expires on day 15.
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Day 10: guest checks out.
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Day 15: hold 3 expires on its own. Two renewals in total.
As a rule of thumb, a renewal happens roughly every 5 days of the stay. Stays of 3 nights or fewer with the default timing never need one. If you set the hold to be placed more days before check-in, the first hold expires earlier relative to the stay and renewals start sooner.
What the Guest Sees
Each renewal shows on the guest’s card as the pending amount dropping off and a new one appearing a few hours later. Some banks keep showing the old pending item for a day or two after it has been cancelled, so the guest may briefly see two pending lines. Only one is ever an active hold. The guest’s deposit timeline in their guide shows a clean renewal as one continuous hold.
If the guest’s card only has room for one deposit, the new hold can be declined while the bank is still clearing the old one. BetterSTR retries up to three times. If every attempt fails you receive an email, the guest’s timeline shows Hold Renewal Failed, and the deposit is not held until you contact the guest or click Create hold now on the reservation.
Releasing early
You can release the hold at any time from the reservation’s verification page once the guest has checked out and you’re happy with the property. Releasing stops any further renewals. If you capture part of the deposit for damages, the remainder is released at the same time.