This article covers the most frequently asked questions about using the Hompay payment gateway with Homhero.
What are the benefits of using Hompay?
Using Hompay offers several key benefits:
- Increase booking conversion with Visa, Mastercard, Amex, Apple Pay & Google Pay
- Enable Afterpay to increase booking affordability - transaction limit of AUD $4,000
- Reduce chargebacks & no-show losses with dedicated team to handle disputes
- Transparent reconciliation & reporting fully aligned to your Homhero bookings
- Flexible settlement options – daily or bulk payouts
- No merchant bond or term deposit required
- Zero cost smart fraud tools, including 3DS2
What is a merchant?
A merchant is a business or individual that sells goods or services and accepts payments from customers, usually via credit cards, debit cards, or other payment methods. In the context of Hompay and Homhero, a merchant is the property manager who receives payments from guests.
What is a merchant statement?
Merchant statements are monthly reports provided by your payment gateway or acquiring bank. They outline all transaction activity for the period, including payments processed, fees charged, refunds, chargebacks, and the net amounts settled to your account. If you’re unsure where to access them, they are typically available within your payment gateway portal or directly from your bank.
Are refunds available with Hompay?
Yes, refunds are available with Hompay. The main benefit is that refunds will be processed directly in Homhero, so you will no longer need to log in to RMS to process them.
Will Hompay replace RMS?
No, Hompay will only replace your existing payment gateway. All other RMS functionality will remain the same.
Can you manually release pre-authorisations?
Yes, you will be able to manually release pre-authorisations via Hompay. However, once released, the timing of when the hold is removed is controlled by the guest’s bank. This is the case with any pre-authorisation, and unfortunately some banks can take longer than expected to process the release. This will be live in the stage 2 of the Hompay integration going live.
Does Hompay support international credit card fees?
Yes. International fees are automatically calculated by Hompay and applied during tokenisation.
Does Homhero support setting different surcharges for Domestic and International credit cards?
No, this is not currently supported. However, you can enable AMEX and set your credit card surcharge at the international rate. This is particularly useful for clients using the Virtual Credit Card (VCC) payment method on Booking.com. Homhero will always apply the higher surcharge amount to ensure international VCC processing fees are covered for Booking.com reservations only.
How do AMEX transaction fees work?
AMEX fees are settled directly with the merchant and AMEX. Hompay does not charge any additional fees for AMEX transactions. During onboarding, we request the merchant’s AMEX MID in the registration form so the account can be set up. Please note that configuring AMEX can take up to 10 business days, as the details need to be sent to our acquiring bank.
Is Hompay available for New Zealand clients?
Yes. Hompay supports merchants based in New Zealand and offers multi-currency payment options, including AUD and NZD.
Does Hompay support net or gross payments?
Hompay supports gross settlements only.
Does Hompay include Google Pay, Apple Pay, and Afterpay?
Yes, all three payment methods are supported. Payments made with Google Pay and Apple Pay are received immediately at the time of booking. Afterpay is installment-based, and surcharges cannot be applied.
Are Google Pay and Apple Pay payments visible on the booking? Do we need to set up a new payment type for each of these?
You can only view Google Pay and Apple Pay payments in the Hompay Transactions Report. On the reservation screen, they will appear as VISA or MasterCard, so no additional payment types need to be set up.
I’ve submitted the Hompay registration form, but I’m not sure if I completed it correctly. What should I do?
The Hompay onboarding team will review your submission and contact you directly if any additional information is needed.
What is Customer Verification (KYC) and why is it required?
Customer Verification, or Know Your Customer (KYC), is the process of confirming a business and its owners’ identities. It’s required to prevent fraud, money laundering, and other illegal activities, and to ensure compliance with legal regulations. For more info click here.
The Hompay registration is complete. How do I set up the payment gateway and start processing payments?
Once your business is verified, you’ll be notified and the Hompay onboarding team will assist in configuring the payment gateway within Homhero. After setup and testing is complete, you can begin processing transactions in Homhero immediately.
Do I need to log in to a separate payment gateway portal to view Hompay information?
No, all payment information is available directly in Homhero. Once Hompay is activated under Payment Service in the Homhero Marketplace, you’ll have access to Hompay Reports. These reports let you review transactions, disbursements, and chargebacks, with the ability to search by transaction ID, status, and date range. For more info click here.
Does Hompay integrate directly with Xero?
No. Hompay does not integrate directly with Xero. Payments are first processed through the payment gateway (Hompay), then the financial data flows from Homhero to RMS and is ultimately recorded in Xero for accounting purposes. This only applies to accounts using Xero in addition to RMS.
What is grossed-up surcharging?
Hompay uses a grossed-up surcharging model that allows merchants to recover payment processing costs without reducing the amount they receive from a booking. When a guest makes a payment, a small surcharge is automatically added to the transaction. This surcharge is grossed up, meaning it is slightly adjusted so that once the payment processing fees are deducted, the merchant still receives the full intended amount of the original transaction. Grossed-up surcharging is applied by default in Hompay.
How do I enable 3DS2?
3DS2 is enabled by default in Hompay to help ensure secure transactions and reduce the risk of fraudulent payments. No additional setup is required.
Can fees be settled via invoice?
No, fees cannot be settled via invoice. Hompay supports Gross Settlement only, with fees collected via direct debit.
I have a question about Hompay. Is there someone I can contact?
Yes! You can reach out to Homhero Support for any questions regarding Hompay.