# Charge a package price when the booking is created

> Staff invoice a fixed package amount when a reservation is created. The guest can pay any time. Instructors see Collect payment until it is paid. Close-out records Hobbs and does not bill the hop twice.

Source: https://www.aerscheduler.com/docs/billing/charge-a-package-price-when-booked
Section: Billing and payments. For: Owners, Admins, Dispatchers, Instructors.

On a new booking, staff can choose **Charge a package price when booked**
instead of billing Hobbs after the flight. AerScheduler emails a Stripe invoice for that
fixed amount as soon as the reservation is created. The guest can pay any time, including
the day of. Instructors see **Collect payment** until it is paid. Public
discovery offerings use the same style: set it on the offering, and approval copies it
onto the booking.

**Who can do this:** Owners, Admins, Dispatchers, Instructors

This is a collection style on the reservation, not a separate checkout only for
`/book`. A discovery page, a walk-up guest on the calendar, and a dual you book at the
desk all use the same two choices.

## The two styles

| Style                                  | When money is collected                                | What close-out does                                                                               |
| -------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Bill after the flight** (default)    | After ramp-in and sign-off, from Hobbs and instruction | Raises the usual flight invoice or ledger charge                                                  |
| **Charge a package price when booked** | When the reservation is created                        | Still records Hobbs and tach. Does not mint a second flight invoice while the package bill stands |

It is a package price in dollars, not a percentage deposit, and not an authorization hold.

## From the calendar

Open a new booking on `Calendar` (web console) (staff only, not self-book, not
maintenance). Under **How this booking is billed**, pick **Charge a package price when
booked** and enter the amount. Save. Stripe emails the invoice through the same path as
[Create a manual invoice](https://www.aerscheduler.com/docs/billing/create-a-manual-invoice).

Connect Stripe first for guests and for invoice-mode members. Ledger-mode members
are debited on their account instead. See
[Turn on invoicing and card payments](https://www.aerscheduler.com/docs/billing/turn-on-invoicing-and-card-payments)
and [How billing works](https://www.aerscheduler.com/docs/billing/how-billing-works).

Repeating series cannot use this style: each occurrence would otherwise raise its own
package bill. Maintenance cannot either.

> **Note:** If the booking is cancelled, AerScheduler undoes the package bill. An unpaid Stripe
> invoice is voided. A paid Stripe invoice is refunded. A ledger debit is reversed.
> Connect Stripe (or use ledger mode for members) before you charge when booked.

## From a public offering

`More → Booking links` (web console), on the offering. Under **How this
offering is billed**, pick the same package style and amount. When the desk approves a
guest request, the reservation is created with that style. The guest is emailed the
Stripe invoice with the approval mail.

The public page can show the package price. Paying it is still Stripe hosted checkout,
not a card form on `/book`. Confirming the request email is not proof of payment.

## After the flight

The guest does not have to pay before they fly. Instructors must still be able to tell
unpaid from paid.

1. **Confirm the booking**

   On the calendar, Save a walk-up guest with the package style, or approve a public request
   whose offering uses it. Stripe emails the invoice with the confirmation. Confirming the
   request email is not proof of payment.

2. **Fly**

   Ramp out and ramp in as usual so the meters move. An unpaid package does not block dispatch.
   The booking shows **Collect payment** until the invoice is paid.

   ![Collect payment banner on a guest booking with an unpaid invoice](https://www.aerscheduler.com/docs/package-payment-collect.png)

3. **Close out**

   On a guest booking, click **Close out (collect payment)** (or Close out, if
   they already paid). Enter nothing extra for Hobbs billing: close-out records the flight
   and does not mint a second invoice while that bill stands, paid or unpaid.

4. **Collect or verify payment**

   If the banner still says Collect payment, open the pay link and send it, wait for the
   guest to pay, or click **Record check** / **Record cash** on the booking if they already
   paid at the desk. Once it is paid, the booking shows **Paid**.
   Ledger-mode members are already charged to their account at book, so there is nothing to
   collect from them.

   ![Paid banner on a guest booking after the invoice is paid](https://www.aerscheduler.com/docs/package-payment-paid.png)

The package invoice is tied to the booking for reports. It is kept off the ordinary
flight-invoice list so dispatch still treats the booking as needing ramp-out.

If the invoice never raised (Stripe not connected, or the charge was refused), a
desk booking is cancelled so you do not hold a tail with no bill. If the booking is already
on the calendar and the invoice still did not go out, the booking shows **Invoice did
not go out**. Send the Stripe invoice from there, or record a check or cash, so
close-out does not bill Hobbs a second time.

![Invoice did not go out banner with Send invoice, Record check, and Record cash](https://www.aerscheduler.com/docs/package-payment-missing.png)

## Related

- [Bill a discovery or guest flight](https://www.aerscheduler.com/docs/billing/bill-a-discovery-or-guest-flight): The close-out path when you bill after the hop instead.
- [Public booking links](https://www.aerscheduler.com/docs/scheduling/public-booking-requests): Share a discovery page. Approval uses this collection style when the offering is set to charge when booked.
- [How billing works](https://www.aerscheduler.com/docs/billing/how-billing-works): Invoice vs ledger, and what close-out prices when you bill after the flight.
- [Mark paid, void or refund](https://www.aerscheduler.com/docs/billing/mark-an-invoice-paid-void-or-refund-it): Record a check or cash on the booking, or from Billing for other invoices.

## Common questions

**Is this a deposit?**

No. It is the package price in dollars, invoiced through Stripe when the reservation is created. Close-out still records Hobbs and does not bill the flight a second time while that invoice stands.

**Does this only apply to the public /book page?**

No. It is a collection style on the reservation. The calendar booking form has the same control. An offering can default to it so public approvals copy those fields onto the booking.

**Can I use this with Account ledger members?**

Yes for members. Ledger-mode members are debited on their account when the reservation is created. Guests always get a Stripe invoice, even at a ledger school.

**Can the guest fly before they pay?**

Yes. The invoice is sent when you confirm the booking. They can pay any time, including the day of. Instructors see Collect payment on the booking until the invoice is paid. Close-out records Hobbs and does not bill the hop a second time.

**What if they pay by check or cash?**

On the booking, click Record check or Record cash. Desk staff, the instructor on it, or the person who created it can do that. You do not have to open Billing first.

**What if the invoice never went out?**

If the booking is already on the calendar, it shows Invoice did not go out. Send the Stripe invoice from there, or record a check or cash, so close-out does not bill Hobbs a second time.

## Related

- [Bill a discovery or guest flight](https://www.aerscheduler.com/docs/billing/bill-a-discovery-or-guest-flight): A guest has no account and no PIN, so a guest booking closes out in one step and Stripe emails them the invoice directly.
- [Let guests request a discovery flight without an account](https://www.aerscheduler.com/docs/scheduling/public-booking-requests): Turn on public booking under Settings → Booking links, configure each public page under More → Booking links, and approve guest requests from the same Booking requests queue. Guests confirm by email first. Members keep booking as they do today.
- [How billing works in AerScheduler](https://www.aerscheduler.com/docs/billing/how-billing-works): Invoice each booking or Account ledger: the path from booking to bill, what you set up first, where money shows up, and ledger-only tools like auto-refill and late fees.
- [Mark an invoice paid, void it, or refund it](https://www.aerscheduler.com/docs/billing/mark-an-invoice-paid-void-or-refund-it): Record a cash or check payment, cancel an invoice that should never have been raised, and understand why refunds only happen in Stripe.