How to record paid and complimentary property-issued gift vouchers in RMS, and redeem them when the guest stays.

Overview

Property-issued gift vouchers (sometimes called vouchers, guest credit, or in-house vouchers) sit outside the RMS Gift Cards module. They are tracked in RMS by recording the value against a Guest Profile Account, then transferring or applying that value to a reservation when the guest redeems.

There are two voucher types and two ways to record each, depending on whether the recipient is known when the voucher is issued:

Guest Known

Use this section when the recipient's name and contact details are known at the time the voucher is issued. Search the existing Guest Profile using Guest Search. If no profile exists yet, create one using the recipient's details.

Paid Voucher - Receipt

From the recipient's Guest Profile, open the Guest Account (or go to Accounting > Quick Account Access and locate it).

1. Select Receipt.
2. Select the Receipt Type matching how the guest paid (for example, Cash, EFTPOS, or Credit Card).
3. Enter the Receipt Amount (the value of the voucher).
4. Enter a Comment identifying this as a voucher purchase, including any voucher number or reference.
5. Select a Print Action.
6. Select Process.

The receipt will appear on the Guest Account as a credit balance, ready to be moved to a reservation when the voucher is redeemed.

Complimentary Voucher - Credit Note

A complimentary voucher can be applied to the recipient's Guest Account ahead of time, or directly to the reservation account at redemption. To apply ahead of time, open the recipient's Guest Account:

1. Select Sundry Charge.
2. Choose the Unassigned Credit Note.
3. Enter a negative (-) value equal to the voucher amount.
4. Enter a Comment identifying this as a complimentary voucher (including any voucher number or authorising user).
5. Select Apply/Exit.

The credit will post to the Guest Account in purple, ready to be transferred to a reservation at redemption.

To apply directly to the reservation at redemption instead, follow the same steps above on the reservation account in place of the Guest Account. No separate redemption step is then required.

Redeeming

When the guest is ready to redeem the voucher, search the recipient's Guest record, create the reservation from the guest details so it is linked to the Guest Profile holding the credit, then move the credit to the reservation account.

1. Search the Guest record from Guest Search.
2. Create the reservation from the guest details.
3. Open the recipient's Guest Account.
4. Select Transfer, then:
   • Balance Transfer if the credit was a paid voucher (receipted funds).
   • Charge Transfer if the credit was a complimentary voucher (Unassigned Credit Note).
5. Choose the destination reservation account.
6. Enter the Amount to transfer (up to the available credit).
7. Select Process.

Guest Unknown

Use this section when the eventual recipient is not yet known at the time the voucher is issued - for example, a prize winner, a gift from a third party, or a school or sporting raffle.

Create a placeholder Guest Profile so the voucher can be tracked against an account. Use a descriptive placeholder name such as "Gift Voucher 123 - School Raffle" and record the source in the Guest Notes (for example, "School Raffle"). The Guest Profile will be updated with the actual recipient's details when they come to redeem.

Paid Voucher - Receipt

From the placeholder Guest Profile, open the Guest Account.

1. Select Receipt.
2. Select the Receipt Type matching how the voucher was paid for (for example, Cash, EFTPOS, or Credit Card).
3. Enter the Receipt Amount (the value of the voucher).
4. Enter a Comment identifying this as a voucher purchase, including the voucher number and source (for example, "Voucher #123 - School Raffle").
5. Select a Print Action.
6. Select Process.

The receipt will appear on the placeholder Guest Account as a credit balance.

Complimentary Voucher - Credit Note

From the placeholder Guest Profile, open the Guest Account.

1. Select Sundry Charge.
2. Choose the Unassigned Credit Note.
3. Enter a negative (-) value equal to the voucher amount.
4. Enter a Comment identifying this as a complimentary voucher and the source (for example, "Comp Voucher #123 - Sport Raffle - authorised by [user]").
5. Select Apply/Exit.

The credit will post to the placeholder Guest Account in purple.

Redeeming

When the actual recipient comes to redeem the voucher, update the placeholder Guest Profile with their real details before transferring the credit. Keeping the credit on the same Guest Profile preserves the audit trail.

1. Open the placeholder Guest Profile (use Guest Search on the voucher reference or the placeholder name).
2. Update the Guest Profile with the recipient's first name, surname, contact details and any other relevant fields.
3. Create the reservation from the now-updated guest details.
4. Open the recipient's Guest Account.
5. Select Transfer, then:
   • Balance Transfer if the credit was a paid voucher (receipted funds).
   • Charge Transfer if the credit was a complimentary voucher (Unassigned Credit Note).
6. Choose the destination reservation account.
7. Enter the Amount to transfer (up to the available credit).
8. Select Process.

Tracking and Managing Voucher Balances

Voucher credit that has not been redeemed sits on the recipient's Guest Account as an outstanding credit balance. Use the options below to monitor, expire and clear those balances.

Monitor outstanding voucher credits

Use the Debtors Ledger in Credit mode to identify all Guest Accounts with an outstanding credit balance. Run the report periodically to track unused voucher balances and follow up with recipients before expiry.

Set an automatic Credit Expiry

Credit Expiry is configured in Accounting Options - Account Defaults Tab. When the Credit Expiry date is reached, RMS automatically posts the selected Sundry Charge to clear the remaining credit balance.

Manually clear an unused voucher balance

To clear a voucher credit manually (for example, on expiry where Credit Expiry is not configured, or when writing off an unredeemable voucher), post an offsetting debit Sundry Charge to the Guest Account or reservation account:

1. Open the Guest Account holding the credit.
2. Select Sundry Charge.
3. Choose the appropriate write-off Sundry Charge.
4. Enter a positive value equal to the credit being cleared.
5. Enter a Comment recording the reason (for example, "Voucher #1234 expired 7 May 2026").
6. Select Apply/Exit.

The Guest Account balance will return to zero.

Related Articles

• Guest Search
• Guest Profile
• Receipt
• Balance Transfer
• Apply a Credit Adjustment
• Guest Accounts in Credit
• Applying Guest Credit as a Receipt
• Accounting Options - Account Defaults Tab (Credit Expiry, Consumption Credit)
• Gift Cards Setup and Configuration (RMS Gift Cards module)