How balance due is calculated
Balance due is the cost of the trip minus the total amount of payments logged on the trip's bookings. If the itinerary includes options (like optional add-ons or room selections), the cost used is the minimum cost. This is the price assuming no optional items are added.
Active authorizations do not impact the balance due
An authorization is a client's approval to make a payment, but the payment has not yet been submitted to the booking supplier. Because no money has moved, active authorizations are not subtracted from the balance due. Subtracting them would understate what the client still owes.
How balance due is displayed
For clients: Balance due is shown on the itinerary's Pricing tab and within invoices.
For advisors: Balance due is shown on the trip's Bookings tab and Payments tab.
Balance due for guarantees
A guarantee is a payment type where the client pays the supplier directly on arrival, rather than authorizing the payment through Tern in advance. To make this clear to clients, unpaid guarantee amounts are labeled "Balance due on arrival".
If the only unpaid payments remaining on a trip are guarantees, the total trip balance due is shown as "Balance due on arrival."
If the trip includes both unpaid guarantees and another expected payment type, the total balance due is shown along with the portion that is due on arrival.
Why is my Balance Due different from my Portion Due on Arrival?
These two figures represent different payment categories. Balance Due includes all unpaid amounts from bookings using standard payment schedules (Pay in Full, Deposit + Final Balance, Set Installments). Portion Due on Arrival includes only unpaid amounts from bookings using the Guarantee payment schedule. If your hotel final balance should appear as "due on arrival" because the client pays at check-in, switch that booking's payment schedule from Deposit + Final Balance to Guarantee.
Workarounds for common payment scenarios
The guarantee payment schedule currently ties two concepts together: collecting a card to secure the booking, and showing an amount as "Balance due on arrival." Most of the time these go together, but some supplier arrangements need them separated. Here are two scenarios that come up regularly and how to handle them today.
Deposit + balance paid on arrival
The scenario: The supplier requires a deposit to make the booking, but the final balance will be paid by the client on site at check-in.
The workaround:
Set the payment schedule to Deposit + final balance initially.
Process the deposit payment as usual.
Once the deposit is paid, switch the payment schedule to Guarantee.
The deposit will still show as paid, and the remaining balance will display as "Balance due on arrival" for the client.
Card on file to book, with a final payment due before arrival
The scenario: The supplier requires a card on file to make the booking, but the final payment needs to be charged on a specific due date in advance of arrival — not collected on site.
The workaround:
Set the payment schedule to Guarantee to collect the card and make the booking.
Once the booking is confirmed, switch the payment schedule to In full.
This keeps the final payment out of the "Balance due on arrival" total, since that amount is expected to be paid in advance rather than at the property.
Heads up: These are workarounds, not the intended long-term flow. We're actively looking at how to better separate "card on file to book" from "balance due on arrival" so these scenarios can be handled directly. If you're running into other variations, let us know.