If a guest says they were "charged" the security deposit more than once, in most cases they were not actually charged multiple times — they're seeing more than one authorization hold. Here's how deposits work and how to confirm what really happened.
A hold is not a charge
When you collect a security deposit as an authorization hold, the amount is reserved on the guest's card — the money is not taken.
The guest's bank usually shows a hold as a "pending" line. It can look like a charge, but it never settles unless the deposit is actually captured.
Why more than one hold can appear
Card authorization holds expire after a number of days. For longer stays, UpMarket automatically re-authorizes the deposit before the current hold expires: it releases the old hold and places a fresh one so the deposit stays valid right through checkout.
While that switch happens, the guest's bank may briefly show both the old hold (dropping off) and the new one. So a multi-night stay can show two or three pending amounts at the same time, even though only one is active.
How to check what actually happened
Open Online Check-in → Deposit Management, find the guest or booking, and read the status:
Authorized — a hold. No money has been taken.
Charged / Succeeded — money was actually captured.
Refunded / Cancelled / Expired — the hold was released or the money returned.
If the deposit shows Authorized (possibly with one or more re-authorizations on record), the guest is seeing holds, not charges. Reassure them: pending holds are released automatically and their bank typically clears them within a few business days.
When it is a genuine duplicate charge
It is only a real double charge if you see more than one "Charged" / "Succeeded" entry for the same deposit — meaning money was actually captured more than once. That is not expected. Contact UpMarket support with the booking and deposit details and we'll investigate and refund the extra capture.