Is there a way to let someone reserve (8 month stay for military tech school) without upfront payment?

[Peter3931]

I have a military service member who will be going to tech school almost 2 months from now. 

He will have his perdiem which is a pre-paid credit card basically, but he won't get the funds on it until early november. 

Is there any way to let him reserve his booking (Nov 5 - May 22) now without forcing him to pay for it now seeing he won't have the money? Or am I stuck having to just block out the dates, hope nothing changes, and unblock them when he gets his funds? 

Thanks guys 🙂 

[Mike-And-Jane0 · Accepted solution]

@Peter3931 For long term bookings the guest is only charged for the first month initially. Then a couple of weeks into their stay they are charged the next month and so on. Does this help?

[Peter3931]

Hi Mike and Jane, 

Yep, that's kinda what I was thinking. I saw they pay in monthly installments, so I was assuming it happened this way. 

Seeing it's the military, the funds won't be available until probably a week or two before check-in, so it looks like I'll just block out the dates and then when he gets the funds, unblock the dates and have him book it then. 

Thanks so much 🙂 

[Helen3]

Personally I would never block out dates for a guest who can't pay as there is always a risk the booking won't go through. @Peter3931 

Does the guest really not have a credit card he can put the first months payment on or parents who will subsidise him until his military payments come through?

[Peter3931]

Oh I totally get that. I was hesitant but I'm a military vet and he's a military active service, so I know how it works when they send you on orders to tech school. 

I'm gonna give him the benefit of the doubt and block it until he gets his funds. 

He's communicated to me how much of a stress relief this is, so I know I'm not in danger of him cancelling for any other place. 

It's risky, but Vet to Vet, I'm willing to take it. 

Thank you for your comment. Had it been anyone but a fellow service member, I'd totally do exactly what you said and say he needs to just pay for it personally or have parents or what not. 

Thanks 🙂 

[Chanratana0]

"I understand your situation completely. As a military vet yourself, you know the drill when it comes to orders and deployments. I'm glad you're giving him the benefit of the doubt and holding off on payment until he gets his funds.

It's great that he's communicated how much this means to him. That reassurance definitely helps. It's a risky situation, but I trust your judgment. As a fellow service member, I'm sure you've weighed the pros and cons carefully.