Publishing and invoicing are different actions. Publishing a trip shares the itinerary with your client so they can view it and authorize any ready payments. An invoice is a separate document with itemized pricing, payment schedules, and supplier details that you generate and send from the Bookings tab. Generating an invoice also publishes the trip so the client sees the latest changes. You do not need to create an invoice to collect payment authorizations.
Background
This article walks through Invoicing in Tern:
How to generate an invoice
What's included in an invoice
How to store a memo template
Frequently asked questions
How to generate an invoice
1. Go to your booking tab, select the itinerary you'd like an invoice for, and click 'generate invoice'.
You'll see a 'Generate Invoice' button at the top of the trip components table.
2. Review the invoice details, number, and issue date. Optionally add any 'additional details' to append to the bottom of the invoice.
The invoice number is a randomly generated alphanumeric string - and we'll keep the same invoice number each time you generate a new invoice for the same itinerary. You can always edit it if needed.
Creating an invoice will:
Allow you to download/email the invoice
Publish the trip to ensure travelers see the latest changes reflected in the invoice
Automatically add the invoice to trip documents (visible to travelers)
3. Optionally email the invoice
Immediately after generating you'll see the option to email the invoice to travelers. To skip doing so, simply download the PDF at the top.
What's included in the invoice.
Invoices will include all of the information below. If you don't have applicable information added, it will not be included in the invoice.
Header information
The invoice number, issue date, and your brand logo
Your business and account information (see below)
Any credentials added to your business account
A link to your Terms & Conditions
The primary traveler name and address, along with the names of any additional travelers - The traveler names update when you regenerate an invoice
Trip name and dates
The total remaining 'unauthorized / not marked as paid', along with a link to 'authorize payment' if you have that enabled for your account and there are items ready for your traveler to authorize.
Itemized pricing
All trip components with a price greater than $0
If you have room options or items in an option block, they will appear as a price range until selections are made. The invoice total reflects only what the traveler will be asked to pay. It excludes optional add-ons the traveler hasn't selected, items hidden from travelers, and items with no price, so the total may be less than the sum of every line item you see.
Details for each item will include applicable dates, booking supplier, payment schedule and status, along with supplier refund policies and terms and conditions
Invoices include the last 4 digits of the card, cardholder name, and card type for each payment or authorization, regardless of whether the authorization has expired.
Additional details
Anything you add when generating the invoice will appear below itemized pricing
Any changes you make to additional details will be stored and reused "per trip"
Save a memo template
Store a template
Go to Settings --> Business Settings
Scroll down below the branding section
Add a memo template
Don't forget to scroll down to the bottom of the page to save!
Templates are pre-populated for new invoices
You can edit them further before generating, and the latest edits will be saved per-trip.
FAQ
Can I customize the specific items that appear in my invoice? Not today - we'll automatically show anything on the itinerary with a price greater than $0. But that's definitely something we can add in the future if we hear feedback!
There's something missing in the invoice that I need - what's the best way to flag that? We'd love to hear what we're missing! Please add a support request or send us an email at [email protected].
Do items inside a package appear as separate line items on the invoice? Yes - items inside a package are listed beneath the package on the invoice. Their display follows the same rules as the Pricing tab: items with pending selections show their price, fixed items with no cost show "Included," and once all selections are finalized, items display as "Included." The "all trip components with a price greater than $0" rule applies to standalone items outside of packages.
Why doesn't the invoice total match the sum of the line items I see?
The invoice total reflects only what the traveler will be asked to pay, so it does not add up every item on the itinerary. Three kinds of items are shown on the itinerary but left out of the total:
Optional add-ons the traveler hasn't selected yet. These stay excluded from the total until the traveler chooses them. Once selected, the total updates to include them.
Items hidden from travelers. Any item you've set to hidden is left out of the traveler-facing total.
Items with no price. Items priced at $0 or with no price set don't contribute to the total.
If the trip has optional add-ons or option blocks that are still pending selection, the total shows as a price range until those selections are made. Once every optional item is selected or dismissed, the total settles on a single figure.