A spreadsheet of who has paid
Charter bookings are made months ahead, often in winter for a summer week. Your terms ask for a deposit to confirm the booking and the balance some weeks before departure. Some bookings come direct, some through charter agents who collect from their clients and pay you less commission, and some are split between several people in the same party.
So the office keeps a spreadsheet alongside the booking system, showing each charter's deposit, balance, due dates and what has come in. Bank transfers arrive with references like 'boat hol' or the lead guest's surname misspelt. An agent pays three charters in one transfer. A guest pays in euros and the amount does not quite match. Every week, someone reads the bank statement, updates the spreadsheet and sends reminder emails to the people who are late.
When the season is busy, the reminders slip. Then a party arrives at the base with the balance still unpaid and a conversation nobody wants to have on the pontoon.
Why the booking system does not solve it
Charter booking systems, including fleet systems such as Booking Manager or NauSYS, record bookings and prices well. The trouble is the payments side, which usually happens outside them.
| Payment situation | Why it is hard to match |
|---|---|
| Direct bank transfer | Reference often missing or wrong |
| Agent payment covering several charters | One amount, several bookings, less commission |
| Split payment by a group | Several payers for one booking |
| Foreign currency | Amount received differs from the invoice after conversion and fees |
| Card payment | Taken in a separate payment system, not linked back |
Payment terms can also differ by booking: early booking offers with a different schedule, repeat guests with a smaller deposit, late bookings paid in full.
The cost of chasing
The weekly bank-matching session takes hours in the busy months, and it is exactly the kind of task that gets pushed back when the phone is ringing with new enquiries. Late reminders mean late payments, which means cash that should be in the bank before the season is not.
Mistakes cause bigger problems. A guest reminded for a balance they have already paid is annoyed before their holiday starts. A booking thought to be paid that is not leaves you either handing over a boat unpaid or holding a party on the dock. And agents expect statements that match their own records.
Payment schedules that run themselves
What we build sits alongside your booking system and your bank and payment accounts.
- Each booking gets a payment schedule when it is confirmed, following your terms: deposit, balance and any extras, with due dates worked out from the departure date.
- Guests receive payment requests and reminders by email before each due date, with a link to pay by card through Stripe or by bank transfer with a unique reference.
- Bank transactions are read daily from your bank feed or through your accounting system, such as Xero, and matched to bookings by reference, name, amount and currency.
- Agent payments are split across their charters using the agent's remittance or statement, allowing for their commission.
- Anything that does not match automatically, such as a short payment after currency conversion, goes on a list for the office to review and allocate.
- The office sees every charter's payment status, and anything unpaid close to departure is flagged so the base knows before the guests arrive.
- Agents can be sent statements of what they owe and what they have paid.
A season without the spreadsheet
Reminders go out on time without anyone remembering to send them. Most payments are matched as they arrive, and the office clears a short list of unclear ones. Guests who have paid are not chased.
Before each changeover day, the base can see which charters are paid in full. The awkward pontoon conversations mostly disappear because unpaid balances are found weeks earlier.
At the end of the season, you have a clear record of every payment against every booking, which makes the accountant's job easier too.
Does this sound like your office?
- A spreadsheet tracks deposits and balances beside your booking system.
- Bank transfers arrive with references you cannot match.
- Agent payments cover several charters in one transfer.
- Reminders are sent by hand, when someone remembers.
- Guests have arrived with balances still unpaid.