For: Front office teams and Prommt account administrators.
🧠 What is a Zero Value Autocharge plan?
A Zero Value Autocharge plan lets you store a customer's card without charging them anything upfront. The customer receives a €0 / £0 payment request, enters their card details, and consents to Autocharge at checkout. Their card is stored securely — no charge is taken — and you can charge it automatically on a future date.
This is commonly used for:
No-show charges — store a card at booking, charge only if the guest doesn't arrive
End-of-stay settlement — capture card details before arrival, charge the balance at checkout
Incidentals — hold card details for potential extras without pre-authorising funds
Looking to take an initial payment and store the card at the same time? That's a Standard Autocharge plan — see [How to create a Standard Autocharge plan].
✅ Before you start
Make sure you have the following to hand:
The customer's first name, last name, and email address
The customer's mobile number (optional — required if sending by SMS)
Any reference details — description, confirmation number, etc.
Note: Autocharge must be enabled on your account before you can create a plan. If you don't see Autocharge Plan in your navigation, contact your Prommt Customer Success Manager.
🪜 Steps
Step 1 — Navigate to Autocharge Plan
From your Prommt dashboard, click Send a Prommt in the left-hand navigation to expand the menu
Click Autocharge Plan
Step 2 — Set the amount to zero
You'll land on the Create Autocharge Plan page
Leave the amount field at €0,000.00 — do not enter a value
Step 3 — Select a location
Click the location dropdown and select the relevant location for this request
Step 4 — Fill in the request details
Enter a Description (Shown to Customer) — explain clearly what the card is being stored for (e.g. "Card stored for potential no-show charge")
Enter a Conf. Number (Shown to Customer) — your booking or confirmation reference
Tip: Because the amount is €0, it's worth using the Description field to set clear expectations — the customer needs to understand they're storing a card, not paying now.
Step 5 — Select a channel
Under Channel, select Email, SMS, or both
If sending by SMS, a phone number field will appear — enter the customer's number including country code
Step 6 — Enter payer details
Under Payer Details, enter the customer's First Name, Last Name, Email, and Phone (if applicable)
Step 7 — Review optional settings
Scroll down to review the following optional sections before sending:
Checkout Page Expiry — how long the link stays active. Adjust to match your booking window
Attach Files or Links — expand to attach supporting documents or links to display on the email and at checkout
Reminders — toggle on to send up to 3 automatic follow-up reminders if the customer hasn't completed the card capture
Schedule Request — toggle on to send the request at a future date and time
Step 8 — Compose and send
Click Compose Message
Select your Message Template and Email Design, or leave on Default Template
Review the Subject, Greeting, and Message — edit if needed
Click Review Request
Review the send summary — confirm the €0 amount, channel, and customer details
Click Send Request
✅ What the customer sees
The customer receives a branded payment email. They click Proceed to Secure Checkout and land on the payment page, which shows:
€0.00 as the total
The description and confirmation number
An Autocharge consent checkbox — "Allow [your business] to make automatic charges to my card in future? Your card will be stored securely."
A Terms & Conditions checkbox
A "What's this?" link explaining Autocharge
The customer checks the Autocharge box, agrees to T&Cs, and clicks Continue to Payment. They enter their billing address and card details, then click Pay Now. No charge is taken.
On completing checkout, the customer receives a receipt email confirming their card has been stored and Autocharge is enabled.
✅ What success looks like
After the customer completes checkout, go to View Plans → Autocharge Plans. The plan appears as Active, showing:
Contact name
Plan status: Active
Card (last 4 digits)
Card expiry
Start date
From the ... menu next to the plan, you can Create Autocharge (to run a charge on the stored card), View Plan, or Cancel Plan.
To charge the stored card, click Create Autocharge. This opens a new Create Autocharge Payment form — enter the charge amount, update the reference details if needed, and send.
⚠️ Things to know
The customer must complete the checkout flow. Even though no money is taken, they must enter their card details and tick the Autocharge consent checkbox for the plan to activate.
The checkout page shows €0.00. Make sure your Description clearly explains why — customers may be confused by a zero-value payment request without context.
Make Autocharge Mandatory. If this is enabled in your account settings, the consent checkbox is pre-ticked. See [Autocharge Plans: settings and configuration].
Multiple cards for the same customer require separate plans — see [How to run Autocharge on multiple cards for the same customer].
To cancel a plan, go to Autocharge Plans, click ... next to the plan, and select Cancel Plan. A confirmation prompt will appear.
Troubleshooting
I can't see Autocharge Plan in the navigation menu. Autocharge may not be enabled on your account. Contact your Prommt Customer Success Manager.
The customer completed checkout but no plan is showing under Autocharge Plans. The customer likely didn't tick the Autocharge consent checkbox. If Make Autocharge Mandatory isn't enabled, they can skip it. Send a new request.
The customer is confused by the €0.00 amount. This is expected — no charge is being taken. Use the Description field to explain clearly (e.g. "We're storing your card details securely ahead of your stay. No charge will be taken today.").
The customer says they didn't receive the email. Check the delivery status under View Payments → Created. If it shows Partially Sent, one channel failed