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.
Two Models, Two Mindsets
If you are looking for an online deposit solution, you will come across two pricing families.
On one side, the commission model. No subscription, but you pay a percentage on every deposit issued, whether there is an incident or not. And if you need to collect after damage, a second commission is added on the captured amount.
On the other, the subscription model. You pay a fixed monthly rate. Placing a bank pre-authorisation costs nothing. Fees only kick in if you actually capture funds, which remains rare. The rest of the time, you pay nothing beyond your subscription.
What It Actually Costs
Take a typical property manager: average deposit of 300 EUR, roughly 5% of stays with a partial collection.
With the commission model, every deposit costs you a few euros, whether there is a problem or not. It seems small. But multiply by the number of stays and by 12 months, and the bill adds up fast.
With Holdyy, placing a pre-authorisation costs nothing. You pay your fixed subscription, and fees only apply on the rare captures after damage.
Over a full year:
| Stays/month | Commission (2% + fees) | Holdyy Standard (19 EUR/mo) | Holdyy Business (39 EUR/mo) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | 794 EUR/year | 258 EUR/year | 492 EUR/year |
| 30 | 2 381 EUR/year | 319 EUR/year | 541 EUR/year |
| 50 | 3 968 EUR/year | 380 EUR/year | 590 EUR/year |
| 100 | 7 935 EUR/year | 531 EUR/year | 711 EUR/year |
Assumptions: average deposit of 300 EUR, 5% of stays with partial collection of 200 EUR.
At 30 stays per month, the commission model costs 7 times more than a Standard subscription. At 100 stays, the ratio exceeds 15 times.
What the "2%" Doesn't Tell You
You Pay Twice on Damage
The commission is charged when the deposit is issued. If you then need to collect after damage, a second commission is added. Two charges for a single stay.
With bank pre-authorisation, placing the hold is free. 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 a commission on every one of those stays.
Over a year, that adds up to thousands of euros 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 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.
What You Pay with Holdyy
| Plan | Deposits/month | Monthly rate | Annual rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | 20 | 19 EUR | 171 EUR (-25%) |
| Business | Unlimited | 39 EUR | 351 EUR (-25%) |
Your subscription covers deposit link creation and bank pre-authorisations via Stripe. The amount is held on the guest's card, never debited. If the stay goes well, the hold is released automatically, at no cost. In the event of damage, you capture with a single click. Fees only apply on the amount captured. Funds go directly to your Stripe account, not through an intermediary.
The table above speaks for itself: even at 100 stays per month, Holdyy stays at a few hundred euros per year, while the commission model exceeds 7 000 EUR.
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.
| 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.
Want to see the difference? Try Holdyy free for 7 days and stop paying commissions on your deposits.