A complete guide for using Direct Debits with GoCardless

Overview

Direct Debit (GoCardless) in RMS enables properties to collect guest payments directly from a guest’s bank account, rather than using a credit card. 

Once RMS is linked to GoCardless and a guest has authorised a Direct Debit mandate through a secure GoCardless page, you can collect payments from their bank account for:

• One-off payments
• Long‑stay or regular rent
• Automated invoice runs

RMS keeps a secure mandate token (not the bank account details) and receives updates from GoCardless, so payment and mandate statuses are updated automatically. You can view status information from:

• The Guest Profile
• The Reservation screen
• Reservation Accounts > Receipts > Direct Debit (GoCardless)
• The Direct Debit (Bank Automation) dashboard

Click on  Start Guide  below to start the quick guide. 

Click on the Full Screen Icon to view the guide in full screen. 👇🏼

Fact Sheet

Prerequisites

Before you start sending mandates or taking payments, a couple of things need to be in place.

GoCardless Account

To use the RMS Direct Debit (GoCardless) function, you will need a "GoCardless" account. 
If you don't have a GoCardless account, you can sign up for one HERE. 

Before enabling Direct Debit (GoCardless) in RMS, ensure you have an active GoCardless merchant account, fully verified (business details, bank account, etc.), and you have on hand: 

• The Email address registered to your GoCardless Account
• The Password to your GoCardless Account

Security Profiles

To use Direct Debits, there are 3 levels of access that you will need to consider for your Security Profiles. 

• Direct Debit Gateway Setup: Required to connect the GoCardless gateway and view integration status (usually Admin‑only).
  • Profile Function: 
    • Property Options
• Direct Debit Mandate Management: Required to send and manage guest mandates from the Guest Profile, Reservation, and Account screens.
  • Profile Function: 
    • Allow User to Modify Direct Debit Mandate
• Direct Debit Payment Processing: Required to process Direct Debit payments manually, in bulk via the Direct Debit (Bank Automation) dashboard, and via Automated Invoicing / Payment Schedules.
  • Profile Function: 
    • Client Direct Debits
    • Direct Debit (Bank Automation)
    • Automated Invoice and Payments
    • Automated Payments Dashboard

If a staff member can’t see the Direct Debit options, an RMS administrator or someone who has access to the Security Profiles will need to update their Security Profile to include the appropriate Direct Debit permissions.

In the Side Menu of RMS, navigate to Setup > Users > Security Profiles > Add/Edit a Security Profile. 

1. Search (Highlight) for the Profile Function
   (The Search Results are highlighted in Yellow)
2. Click Yes or No to change the setting.
   Allow = Grants the user full access to this function.
   Read Only = User can view the function but cannot make changes.
3. Select Save\Exit. 
   

Form Letter/Correspondence Templates

To send a Direct Debit Authorisation Request (Direct Debit Mandate), you must use a Form Letter that includes a secure link to the GoCardless Direct Debit Authority portal for the guest to complete. 

• A Templated Form Letter has been created for you to use or refer to. You can find it HERE.

The Direct Debit Mandate form letter is like any other form letter in RMS, but it uses a "DirectDebitMandate_AuthLink" merge field that will take the guest to the GoCardless Mandate Authority portal. 

You can find this merge field in the Form Letters under the: 

• Merge Table: Guest or Client
• Merge Field: «cDirectDebitMandate_AuthLink»

Banking and Currencies

You must ensure that the bank accounts and currencies supported by GoCardless match your RMS property configuration.

To check your property's configuration, go to: Setup > Property Options. Property Information > Edit your Property > Property Information Tab. 
Here you will need to check: 

• Country
• Time Zone

Also, make sure that any cut‑off times, processing delays, and settlement rules from GoCardless are understood by your finance or administration team.

Setup Guide

Connect GoCardless to RMS

• If you already have a GoCardless account with existing Mandates, it is important to know that your existing GoCardless Mandates will Not Automatically apply to Guests or Reservations in RMS.
  If you need to bring your existing GoCardless Mandates into RMS, please contact our Support Team HERE.
• If you are new to GoCardless and Do Not have any existing mandates, continue with the following steps. 

In the side menu of RMS, go to Setup > Property Options > Property Information and Edit a Property.   

1. Navigate to Direct Debit (GoCardless)
2. Click on "Connect Direct Debit Gateway (GoCardless)". 
   This will redirect you to the GoCardless Portal 
   
    

3. Follow the prompts to connect to your GoCardless Account. 

   

    

4. Once connected, you should see the message "GoCardless gateway is connected and active." 
5. Select Save\Exit. 
   

Once this is done, your team can start sending mandate requests and processing Direct Debit payments in RMS.

Disconnecting GoCardless

GoCardless Mandates and Authorisations are registered to the Organisation ID of the GoCardless account, not to the RMS property.

If you disconnect GoCardless from an RMS property and then connect that property to a different GoCardless account, any existing Mandates and Authorisations will remain active on the original GoCardless account. 
They are not transferred to the new GoCardless account and will not be accessible in RMS.

Reconnecting the RMS property to the original GoCardless account will restore access to the original Mandates and Authorisations.

How to Use

Creating & Managing Direct Debit Mandates

Before you can setup a Direct Debit, you will need the Guest to approve the Direct Debit Mandate. 

Use this when you want to set up or review a guest’s Direct Debit at any time, not just during a booking.

To start, open the Guest Profile.

1. Navigate to Direct Debit (GoCardless)
2. Click the Add (+) icon
   RMS will check for any missing guest details (like name or email) and will show a warning if it can’t proceed.
   
    
3. Select the Property 
4. Select the Form Letter Template
5. Select the Accounts for this Direct Debit Authorisation.
6. Select Send
   
    
7. The sent request is displayed on the Guest Profile with the Status of Pending until the guest approves the Direct Debit Request.
   To view the guest's approval process Click the  Start Demo button below to begin a walkthrough.  

8. Once the Guest Approves the Direct Debit, the Status will change to "Ready to Charge."

   ★ Tip: Every time you open the Direct Debit (GoCardless) tab, RMS calls GoCardless to refresh the status.

    

9. You’ll also see an indicator that this guest now has a Direct Debit mandate on the Guest Profile and any Reservations connected to that guest.
   • If the indicator is Green, there is an Active Direct Debit Mandate. 
   • If the indicator is Gray, there is No Direct Debit Mandate. 
   • Clicking on the Direct Debit Mandate icon from the reservation will take you to the Direct Debit (GoCardless) tab of the guest's profile, where you can view existing mandates or create a new one. 
      

Taking Direct Debit payments

One‑off manual payment

To take a One-Off Manual Payment, go to the Reservation Account you want to charge.

1. Go to Receipt
2. Select Create Receipt
   
    
3. Navigate to Direct Debit (GoCardless)

4. Select the Mandate to use

   ✎ Please Note: You will only see the Mandate associated with the account you are currently viewing. For example, if you are on the Electricity account, you will only see the Mandate approved for that Electricity account. If you have separate Mandates across different accounts, you must receipt each account separately.

    

5. (Optional) Check "Retry if possible"
   • If the Direct Debit can’t be collected the first time (for example, insufficient funds or a temporary bank issue), GoCardless will automatically retry using the GoCardless "Intelligent Retries" schedule. 
   • If the payment can’t be processed after 3 attempts (for example, the mandate is cancelled or the account is closed), it will be marked as Failed, and no receipt will be issued.

6. Enter the Receipt Amount

7. Print Options are Disabled until the Receipt has been processed. When the transaction is Successful, RMS will automatically email a receipt to the guest. 
8. Select Process
   
    
9. Important: Nothing is displayed on the account until the Receipt is successfully processed by GoCardless. 
   Ways to monitor and track this are in the following instructions. 
   
    
10. But the transaction will show on the Receipt Screen as "Pending Submission"
    
     

And is also trackable from the "Automated Payments Dashboard". 
From the side Menu of RMS, go to: Accounting > Automated Payments Dashboard

11. Select the Filter: Direct Debit (GoCardless)
12. Select the Date Range of the Request
13. (Optional) Select the Transaction
14. (Optional) Select Batch Process to reattempt the request. 
     

If the transaction is Successful:

• RMS emails a receipt to the guest, dated with the settlement date and attaches it to the account. 
• The payment is marked as Successful/Settled.

If the transaction fails:

• The payment is marked as Failed.
• No receipt is created (or any provisional one is voided).
• You are notified via the Message Centre so you can follow up with the guest.
• The failed payment is also visible on the Automated Payments Dashboard.

Bulk payments via the Direct Debit (Bank Automation) dashboard

You can process multiple Direct Debit payments in one go via the Direct Debit (Bank Automation) dashboard.
This is especially useful for long‑stay rent runs or other recurring guest charges.

In the side menu of RMS, go to Utilities > Direct Payments > Direct Debit (Bank Automation).

1. Select the Reservation Account(s) you wish to process
2. (Optional) Check "Retry if possible"
   • If the Direct Debit can’t be collected the first time (for example, insufficient funds or a temporary bank issue), GoCardless will automatically retry using the GoCardless "Intelligent Retries" schedule. 
   • If the payment can’t be processed after 3 attempts (for example, the mandate is cancelled or the account is closed), it will be marked as Failed, and no receipt will be issued. 
3. Select the Accounts you want to process.
   (Only Accounts with an outstanding balance and a valid Direct Debit mandate are displayed.)
4. Select Process.
   

RMS will send payment requests for all selected accounts and track the status of each payment through GoCardless.

When RMS receives an update for a transaction:

If the transaction is Successful:

• RMS emails a receipt to the guest, dated with the settlement date and attaches it to the account. 
• The payment is marked as Successful/Settled.

If the transaction fails:

• The payment is marked as Failed.
• No receipt is created (or any provisional one is voided).
• You are notified via the Message Centre so you can follow up with the guest.
• The failed payment is also visible on the Automated Payments Dashboard.

Using Direct Debit with Automated Invoice & Payments

If you already use Automated Invoice & Payments, you can add Direct Debit (GoCardless) as a Payment Method.

For Automated Invoice & Payments, when creating an Invoice Automation: 

1. Select Direct Debit (GoCardless) as one of the Payment Methods.
2. Select the Direct Debit Mandate
3. Complete any other options and Save. 
   

RMS will send payment requests for each Scheduled Payment and track the status of each payment through GoCardless.

When RMS receives an update for a transaction:

• Successful: RMS emails a receipt to the guest and attaches it to the account.
• Failed: RMS flags the payment as Failed and notifies you via the Message Centre. The failed payment is also visible on the Automated Payments Dashboard.

Trouble Shooting 

If you are experiencing issues, check out our Troubleshooting guide HERE.

Glossary