How WaveRez Processes Transactions Through Stripe

When a guest pays for an Order on WaveRez, the transaction is processed through Stripe via Stripe Connect. WaveRez creates and authorizes the payment immediately when the customer checks out, but does not capture the funds right away — captures are run by WaveRez automatically each evening as a scheduled batch. This means there is normally a window of several hours (or longer for early-day bookings) during which a transaction is authorized but not yet captured. During that window, refunds are processed as voids with no fees. Once captured, transactions settle to the partner's Stripe account on the partner's configured Stripe payout schedule. Stripe is the merchant of record on every card transaction — Stripe controls processing fees, payout timing, and any holds on funds, none of which the WaveRez team can adjust.

This article applies to partners using Stripe as their payment gateway through WaveRez. Partners on Authorize.net follow a different transaction flow not covered here. To confirm which gateway your account uses, open any Order's Payment Details panel — the Gateway label at the bottom shows whether the transaction was processed through Stripe or another gateway.

Every card transaction processed through WaveRez goes through three distinct stages on Stripe: authorization at the time of payment, capture later that evening as part of a scheduled batch, and settlement to the partner's bank on Stripe's payout schedule.

The status labels visible in the Stripe Dashboard for a given transaction during this lifecycle:

WaveRez authorizes every customer payment immediately at checkout — the customer's card is charged, the pending hold appears on their bank, and the transaction enters the Uncaptured state. WaveRez then runs scheduled capture batches each evening (around 10 PM Eastern, with multiple batches running in succession). Most transactions move from Uncaptured to Succeeded during these evening batches.

For a transaction taken earlier in the day, this means several hours pass between authorization and capture. For a transaction taken late at night after that day's batches have run, capture may not happen until the following evening's batch.

The maximum window matters because Stripe authorizations expire. Online card authorizations remain valid for approximately 7 days, and in-person Stripe Terminal authorizations remain valid for approximately 2 days. WaveRez's nightly capture schedule operates well inside this window, but the constraint exists as a backstop — if something prevents capture for an extended period, the authorization will eventually expire and the funds will release back to the customer.

When a partner clicks the refund icon (the rewind arrow) on a payment in WaveRez Admin, WaveRez sends a single refund instruction to Stripe. Stripe then determines automatically whether the action becomes a void or a refund based on the current state of the underlying charge. The partner does not choose between void and refund — Stripe handles the routing based on whether the transaction is currently Uncaptured or Succeeded.

The transaction is voided. The status changes to Canceled on Stripe, no funds move, and no Stripe processing fee applies. How quickly the customer's pending charge disappears from their bank statement depends on the customer's bank — most banks drop the pending charge during nightly processing, but some take up to 3 business days.

This is the better outcome for both the partner and the customer. Voids cost no Stripe fees and resolve faster on the customer's side.

The transaction is refunded as a true refund. Stripe processing fees on the original transaction may not be returned (this varies by Stripe account configuration — partners should check their Stripe Dashboard for fee details). Refunds typically reach the customer's bank within 3 business days but can take up to 7 business days, depending on the customer's bank. Partial refunds are supported — a partner can refund less than the full transaction total, and Stripe leaves the remaining amount captured.

The distinction comes down to timing relative to WaveRez's nightly capture batch. Refunds processed before that evening's capture run are voids; refunds processed after capture has run are full refunds.

Whether the partner sees the WaveRez booking fee in their Stripe deposit depends on the partner's contract — accounts on the booking fee model see the fee captured as part of the Stripe transaction, while accounts on the transaction fee model are billed separately via ACH through bill.com.

For partners on the booking fee model, the WaveRez booking fee is included in the customer's total Stripe charge as an application fee. When WaveRez captures and Stripe settles the transaction, the booking fee is deducted before the funds reach the partner's Stripe account — the partner sees the deposit amount net of the booking fee. The booking fee is visible on the transaction in the Stripe Dashboard.

When a transaction on this model is refunded:

For partners on the transaction fee model, the WaveRez transaction fee is not deducted from the Stripe transaction. Instead, WaveRez bills the partner via ACH through bill.com on a recurring schedule per the partner's contract. The full customer payment (less Stripe processing fees) settles to the partner's Stripe account, and WaveRez collects its transaction fees separately.

How transaction fees behave on voided or refunded Orders is currently being clarified internally. Partners on the transaction fee model who have questions about how a specific void or refund affects their bill.com charge should contact WaveRez Support — the dev team is documenting this behavior and Support can provide a current answer for individual cases.

After WaveRez captures a transaction, the funds settle into the partner's Stripe account and are then paid out to the partner's bank account on the schedule the partner has configured directly with Stripe. WaveRez has no control over the payout schedule.

Stripe lets each partner choose their own payout schedule during Stripe account setup. Available options include daily, every few days, weekly on a specific day, monthly, or fully manual. The schedule is set in the partner's Stripe Dashboard under Settings > Payouts. Partners who want to change the schedule do so directly on Stripe — the WaveRez team cannot change it on the partner's behalf.

Stripe may hold the partner's first payout longer than the partner's normal schedule. This is automatic and is determined entirely by Stripe based on its risk assessment of the new account. When a first-deposit hold applies, Stripe shows a notice on the partner's Stripe Dashboard with the expected release date. Partners typically see this only on the first deposit — subsequent payouts follow the configured schedule.

Stripe may also hold funds outside of the first-deposit case. Common reasons include: missing required documents on the Stripe account, an unusually high volume of refunds, a refund that exceeded what Stripe could pull from a partner's bank account during a previous payout, or other risk signals. Stripe notifies the account holder directly through the Stripe Dashboard with the specific reason and required next step, which is usually submitting requested documents. Resolving the issue with Stripe releases the hold.

Each system shows a different slice of the transaction. Partners checking on a payment, refund, or deposit should know which system to look at for which question.

WaveRez Admin (Order Payment Details panel) shows:

Stripe Dashboard shows:

For any question that involves money movement, fees, capture status, or deposit timing, the Stripe Dashboard is the source of truth. WaveRez Admin shows that a payment was created and what gateway processed it, but does not show capture status or fee details.

Symptom: A customer reports that a charge appears on their statement, but the partner has not yet seen the funds deposited into their bank account.

Cause and resolution: This usually means the transaction is still moving through the normal lifecycle. Open the Stripe Dashboard and search for the Transaction ID shown in WaveRez Admin's Payment Details panel. Check the current status:

If the transaction shows Succeeded and the partner's payout schedule should have included it, but the deposit has not arrived, the answer is in the Stripe Dashboard — not in WaveRez Admin. WaveRez Support cannot accelerate or release a Stripe payout.

Symptom: The partner refunded an Order, but the customer reports the pending charge or full charge is still showing on their bank statement.

Cause and resolution: How quickly a refund or void disappears from the customer's statement depends entirely on the customer's bank, not on Stripe or WaveRez:

If a customer is concerned, advise them to contact their bank directly. The transaction on the partner's side is already complete once the refund action has been confirmed in WaveRez Admin and shows as Canceled or Refunded on the Stripe Dashboard.

Symptom: A deposit lands in the partner's bank account that is smaller than the total of the Orders the partner expected.

Cause and resolution: Several normal deductions reduce the deposit amount below the gross Order total. Open the Stripe Dashboard and review the payout details:

The Stripe Dashboard payout breakdown shows every transaction included in the payout and every deduction applied. If the math doesn't reconcile after reviewing the breakdown, contact Stripe support — Stripe is the merchant of record and is the right party to investigate payout discrepancies.

Symptom: Payouts have stopped or have been delayed beyond the configured schedule, and Stripe shows a hold notice on the Dashboard.

Cause and resolution: Stripe places holds for several reasons — missing documentation, unusual refund activity, a failed pull from the partner's bank during a prior refund, or other risk signals. Stripe notifies the account holder directly through the Dashboard with the specific reason and required next step.

Resolution always happens in Stripe, not in WaveRez. Check the Stripe Dashboard for the hold notice, follow the instructions provided (usually submitting requested documents), and the hold will release once Stripe is satisfied. Contacting WaveRez Support about a payout hold will not resolve the issue — Stripe is the only party with authority to release the hold.

Symptom: The partner has been live on Stripe for a few days but has not yet seen their first deposit.

Cause and resolution: Stripe may hold the first payout longer than the configured schedule for new accounts. This is automatic and is based on Stripe's risk assessment of the account. The Stripe Dashboard shows the expected release date for any held payouts. Subsequent payouts after the first one usually follow the configured schedule.

Symptom: The partner clicked the refund icon in WaveRez Admin and wants to confirm whether the action was a void (no fees) or a true refund.

Cause and resolution: WaveRez sends a single refund instruction regardless — Stripe automatically routes it. To confirm what happened on Stripe's side, log into the Stripe Dashboard and search for the Transaction ID from WaveRez Admin's Payment Details panel:

WaveRez Admin does not display this distinction. The Stripe Dashboard is the only source of truth for whether a given refund became a void or a refund.

Symptom: A customer paid earlier in the day and the transaction shows Uncaptured in the Stripe Dashboard for several hours.

Cause and resolution: This is normal. WaveRez authorizes customer payments immediately at checkout and then captures the authorized funds in scheduled evening batches. Transactions stay Uncaptured between authorization and the next capture batch — usually several hours, occasionally overnight for late-day bookings. The customer sees the charge as pending on their bank statement during this window. Once captured, the status changes to Succeeded and the payout process begins on the partner's configured Stripe payout schedule.