Articles on: Use Case Setup Guides

Deposits for travel bookings

Learn how to set up Downpay for preorder travel bookings so customers can place a deposit at checkout and have their remaining balance automatically collected before departure. This setup is ideal for travel agencies, tour operators, cruise bookings, and any scheduled travel experience with fixed travel dates.

This guide is designed for Shopify merchants offering travel bookings, cruises, tours, or scheduled experiences who want to collect a deposit at checkout and automatically charge the remaining balance on a specific date before travel using Downpay and Shopify Flow.

Overview

This guide walks you through setting up travel booking deposits with Downpay so customers can pay a deposit upfront and the remaining balance is automatically collected before their trip.

By the end of this setup:

Customers can book travel with a deposit at checkout
You control exactly when the remaining balance is due
Downpay automatically charges the card on file on the due date
Optional workflows notify customers and staff ahead of payment collection or if something goes wrong

What this setup solves

This setup is commonly used by Shopify travel and hospitatlity merchants who need to:

Accept a deposit to confirm a travel booking
Securely store a customer’s card on file
Automatically collect the remaining balance before the travel date
Avoid manual invoicing and follow-ups
Reduce failed payments and last-minute payment issues before departure

Considerations

The merchant must be using a payment gateway that supports deferred payments and card-on-file.
Customers must complete checkout using Credit Card or PayPal Express Checkout, which support deferred payment collection.
The Downpay balance due date should reflect when you want to collect the final payment, not the cruise or travel date itself.
Automated balance collection relies on Shopify Flow, a free app built by Shopify.
Optional workflows are included for payment reminders, authorization checks, and internal alerts.

The Downpay balance due date should always reflect when you want to charge the final payment. It does not need to match the travel or cruise date itself.

Setting up travel deposits with Downpay

Installing and configuring Downpay

Install Downpay from the Shopify App Store.
Open Downpay and complete the in-app onboarding, except for theme block installation.

Duplicating your live theme

To avoid impacting your live storefront during setup, we recommend setting up Downpay's theme blocks on an unpublished theme.

In Shopify admin, navigate to Online Store > Themes.
Locate your live theme.
Click Actions > Duplicate.
Rename the duplicated theme to something clear (for example, “Travel deposits – staging”).

Installing Downpay blocks on your unpublished theme

Go to Online Store > Themes.
Click Customize on your unpublished theme.
Open the product template used for your travel booking products.
Add or enable the Downpay product block.
Adjust the copy to clearly explain travel booking deposits and final payment timing.
Save your changes.
Optional: If you use a cart page, enable the Downpay subtotals extension for additional clarity.

Creating a travel booking purchase option

Open Downpay and create a new purchase option.
Configure the deposit amount (fixed amount or percentage) and remaining options.
Set the balance due date:

This date should be when you want to collect the remaining balance for the travel booking.

Assign your travel or cruise products to the purchase option.
Save the purchase option.

Customers will see the deposit amount and remaining balance at checkout, and these details will also be visible in Shopify admin once the order is created.

Automating balance collection before departure

This section walks through setting up Shopify Flow workflows to automatically manage remaining balance payments.

Collecting the remaining balance on the due date

This workflow automatically charges the customer when the balance due date arrives.

Open the Shopify Flow app.
Click Create workflow and name it something like Collect remaining balance on due date.
Select a trigger and choose Downpay – Payment due Today.
Add an Action.
Choose Downpay, then select Collect Remaining Payment.
Save and enable the workflow.

This workflow attempts to collect the remaining balance automatically on the date defined in the purchase option.

Optional workflow: 48-hour payment reminder

This workflow sends a reminder invoice 48 hours before the balance is due, allowing customers to pay early.

Create a new workflow in Shopify Flow and name it something like Send payment reminder 48hrs before due date.
Select the Downpay – Payment Due in 48 hours trigger.
Add a Wait step for 48 hours before the due date.
Add an Action and choose Shopify.
Search for invoice and select Send order invoice.
Use {{order.customer.verifiedEmail}} as the recipient email.
Example copy:

Subject: Reminder of upcoming payment for {{order.name}}
Message: This is a reminder that we will be charging the payment method on file in 2 days. If you would like to pay early or use a different payment method, please use the Pay Now button below.

Save and enable the workflow.

Optional workflow: 24-hour authorization check

This workflow attempts to authorize the remaining balance 24 hours before it is due.

Create a new workflow named Authorize remaining balance 24hrs before due date.
Select the Downpay – Payment Due in 24 hours trigger.
Add a Wait step for 24 hours before the due date.
Add the Downpay action Authorize remaining balance.
Save and enable the workflow.

Early authorization helps surface card issues before the final charge attempt.

Optional workflow: Payment authorization failure alerts and customer follow-up

This workflow alerts your team if authorization or payment collection fails and optionally notifies the customer.

Create a new workflow in Shopify Flow.
Select the Downpay – Payment authorization failure trigger.
Add an internal Send internal email action to notify your team.
Optional: Add a customer-facing Send order invoice action.
Example customer copy:

Subject: Action required: Balance payment failed for {{order.name}}
Message: We were unable to charge the payment method on file for your travel booking. Please use the Pay Now button below to complete your payment or update your payment method.

Save and enable the workflow.

Downpay customer portal

You may wish to allow your customers to update their payment method on file for an order. This can be enabled using the Downpay customer portal.

Testing the experience

Before going live, test everything on your unpublished theme.

In Online Store > Themes, click Preview on your duplicated theme.
Place a test order using a supported payment method.
Confirm:

The deposit is collected at checkout
The remaining balance and due date appear correctly in the order
Shopify Flow workflows trigger as expected

Use test orders to validate reminder emails and authorization workflows.

Publishing your theme

Once testing is complete:

Go to Online Store > Themes.
On your duplicated theme, click Actions > Publish.

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Frequently asked questions

Is Downpay a buy now pay later (BNPL) provider?

No. Downpay is not a BNPL provider.

Downpay allows merchants to collect deposits and charge the customer’s own card on file at a later date, without redirecting customers to a third-party loan or financing provider. This is ideal for travel bookings where merchants want to maintain full control of the customer relationship and payment timing.

Does Downpay store customer credit cards?

Downpay securely vaults the customer’s payment method through Shopify’s existing payment infrastructure.

Merchants and Downpay never see or handle raw card details, and payments are collected using Shopify-supported gateways. This allows future charges without requiring customers to re-enter payment details.

Do I need to manually charge customers?

No. When Shopify Flow workflows are enabled, Downpay automatically charges the remaining balance on the due date without manual intervention. Manual charging is still available if needed.

Can customers pay the remaining balance early?**

Yes. Customers can pay early using invoice reminders or requesting to be charged early. You may choose to add a Pay Now button to your order confirmations with this guide.

Can customers update their payment method before the due date?

Yes. Customers can update their payment method using the Downpay customer portal.

What happens if the card on file fails?**

Downpay triggers a payment authorization failure event, which can notify your team and optionally send the customer an invoice to complete payment manually.

Does this setup work for non-cruise travel bookings?**

Yes. This setup works for tours, retreats, experiences, and any travel bookings you run on Shopify.

Does this require Shopify Plus?

No. Shopify Flow is available on supported Shopify plans, and Downpay does not require Shopify Plus.

Does Downpay work with Shopify Checkout?

Yes. Downpay is fully integrated with Shopify Checkout and displays deposit and balance information directly during checkout.