The Real Cost of Online Security Deposits: Commission vs Subscription
Per-transaction commission or fixed subscription? Calculate the true cost of your online deposit solution based on your booking volume.
"Free, no commitment, no subscription." That is the promise you see everywhere when looking for an online deposit solution. No subscription, no fixed fees. You only pay when you use the service.
Except when you look closer, this model costs you thousands of euros per year. Far more than a simple monthly subscription.
How the Two Models Work
The online deposit market splits into two pricing approaches.
The commission model takes a percentage on every deposit issued, typically around 2% of the amount + €0.25 in fixed fees. If damage occurs and you collect, a second commission kicks in: roughly 3.5% + €0.25 on the captured amount.
The subscription model works with a fixed monthly rate. The bank pre-authorisation itself costs nothing. Fees only apply if you actually capture funds after damage: Stripe processing fees (1.4% + €0.25 for a European card) plus a small Holdyy processing fee (1% on Pro, 0.5% on Business). When everything goes fine, which is the case 95% of the time, you pay nothing beyond your subscription.
What It Actually Costs
Take a typical property manager: average deposit of €500, roughly 5% of stays with a partial collection of €200.
With the commission model, every deposit costs you €10.25 whether there is a problem or not. Add €7.25 in extra fees for stays with collection.
With Holdyy, every deposit costs you €0. Only the rare collections generate fees: €5.05 per capture on Pro (Stripe €3.05 + Holdyy 1% of €200 = €2) or €4.05 per capture on Business (Stripe €3.05 + Holdyy 0.5% of €200 = €1). The subscription is €19/month (Pro, 20 deposits) or €39/month (Business, unlimited).
Over a full year:
| Stays/month | Commission (2% + fees) | Holdyy Pro (€19/mo) | Holdyy Business (€39/mo) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | €1,274/year | €258/year | €492/year |
| 30 | €3,822/year | €319/year | €541/year |
| 50 | €6,370/year | €380/year | €590/year |
| 100 | €12,740/year | €531/year | €711/year |
Assumptions: average deposit of €500, 5% of stays with partial collection of €200.
At 30 stays per month, the commission model costs 12 times more than a Pro subscription. At 100 stays, the ratio exceeds 24 times.
What the "2%" Doesn't Tell You
You Pay Twice on Damage
The 2% commission is charged when the deposit is issued. If you then need to capture funds after damage, a second commission of 3.5% is added on the captured amount. Two charges for a single stay.
With direct bank pre-authorisation, placing the hold is free. Stripe fees and Holdyy processing fees only apply if you capture, and only on the amount captured.
You Pay Even When Nothing Happens
This is where the model becomes absurd. Out of 50 stays per month, 47 or 48 end without a single incident. The deposit is released, the guest leaves. But you paid €10.25 on each of those stays.
Over a year, that adds up to more than €6,000 in commissions for stays where nobody broke anything.
Passing Fees to the Guest Hurts Your Image
Some platforms let you pass the commission on to the guest. The problem: the guest sees a €10 surcharge on a deposit that should not even be debited. It is visible, it is annoying, and it generates questions and drop-offs.
Why "No Subscription" Is Not an Advantage
No subscription means every additional booking increases your bill. A manager going from 30 to 100 stays per month sees their costs multiply by 3.3.
This is the opposite of how every other SaaS tool works. Your PMS, your channel manager, your accounting software: all operate on a fixed rate where unit cost decreases as volume grows. That is the basic principle of economies of scale.
The commission model breaks this logic. The more your activity grows, the more you pay.
Holdyy Pricing
| Plan | Deposits/month | Monthly rate | Annual rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pro | 20 | €19 | €171 (−25%) |
| Business | Unlimited | €39 | €351 (−25%) |
What the subscription covers:
- Bank pre-authorisation via Stripe : the amount is held on the guest's card, never debited
- Automatic release : no fees if the stay goes well
- One-click collection : Stripe fees (1.4% + €0.25 for European cards) + Holdyy processing fee (1% on Pro, 0.5% on Business) apply on capture only
- Stripe Connect : funds go directly to your account, not through an intermediary
- No upfront commission : fees only apply when you actually capture funds after damage
For a manager at 30 stays/month, the total annual cost with Holdyy Pro (subscription + capture fees on the rare collections) is €319. The same volume on a commission model: €3,822.
When the Commission Model Still Makes Sense
If you manage 1 or 2 stays per month and want zero commitment, the commission model can be justified. The cost remains low in absolute terms.
Beyond 5 stays per month, the fixed subscription becomes systematically cheaper. And the gap widens with every additional booking.
| Your profile | Recommended model |
|---|---|
| 1 to 2 stays/month | Commission (viable) |
| 5+ stays/month | Fixed subscription |
| 20+ stays/month | Fixed subscription |
| Concierge / multi-property | Fixed subscription |
Three Questions to Ask Before Choosing
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How much do you pay when nothing happens? If the answer is anything other than zero, you are funding a model that does not work for you.
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What happens if your volume doubles? If your bill doubles too, the model does not support your growth.
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Where do collected funds go? If money passes through a third-party account before reaching you, that is an extra intermediary, an extra delay and an extra risk.
Join the Holdyy waitlist and stop paying commissions on your deposits.