Sometimes an order already owes the customer money and you also need to charge them for something. For example, a boat swap to a smaller boat leaves the customer a credit, and they also used fuel you need to charge for. Partners also describe this as a credit due, a negative balance due, a refund owed, an overpaid order, adding fuel or damage to an order with a credit, or netting a charge against a refund. Do not run a new charge on the customer's card. That charges the card again, raises the paid amount, and makes the credit you owe even larger. Instead, add the charge to the order itself so it offsets the credit, then refund only the remaining difference. You can also simply refund the net amount.

Use this when the charge is something you add often, like fuel or a cleaning charge, and has a set price.

Step 1 — Make sure the Trip has an option for the charge. Under Resources > Trips, open the Trip, click the Options tab, and click Add new option. Give it a Name such as "Fuel," set the visibility dropdown to Internal so guests never see it on the booking portal, add a value with the Price, and click Save Changes. You only need to do this once per Trip.

Step 2 — In the order, click the Trips tab. In the Options section for the trip, click Add new option and select the charge.

Step 3 — Click Save at the bottom-right of the screen. The order total goes up by the charge, and the negative Balance due shrinks by the same amount.

Step 4 — Refund the remaining credit. Click the Payments tab, click the refund arrow icon below the original payment, confirm the amount matches the remaining negative Balance due, and click OK.

Use this when the charge amount varies, like a fuel amount that is different every trip.

Step 1 — In the order, click the Trips tab. In the Tickets section, raise the Price by the amount of the charge.

Step 2 — Click Save at the bottom-right of the screen. The Price breakdown panel recalculates the totals, including tax, and the negative Balance due shrinks.

Step 3 — Record what the adjustment was for. Click the Notes tab and add an Internal Comment, for example "Price raised $40 for fuel." Guests do not see internal comments.

Step 4 — Refund the remaining credit from the Payments tab using the refund arrow icon, entering the remaining negative Balance due, and clicking OK.

If you just need the customer to receive the right amount, subtract the charge from the credit and refund only that net amount from the Payments tab using the refund arrow icon. This is the fastest method, but the order will keep showing a negative Balance due equal to the charge, so add an Internal Comment on the Notes tab explaining why. Options 1 and 2 keep the order balanced.

Symptom: You charged the customer's card for the fuel and now the credit is even larger.

Cause and resolution: A new payment raises the paid amount without changing the order total, so the amount you owe grows. Refund that new payment with the refund arrow icon below it on the Payments tab, then add the charge using Option 1 or Option 2.

Symptom: After the price adjustment, the Balance due changed by more than the charge.

Cause and resolution: Tax is recalculated on the new ticket price. Check the Balance due in the Price breakdown panel and refund that exact amount.

Symptom: The charge option does not appear when you click Add new option on the order.

Cause and resolution: The option is not set up on this Trip, it is disabled, or its visibility is set to Portal Option. Open the Trip's Options tab, confirm the option exists and is not disabled, set the visibility to Internal or Both, and click Save Changes.

For more on refunds and price adjustments, see Cancel and Refund Orders in WaveRez.