Hi,
%subj%. According to Stripe documentation all you need to do is to set `debit_negative_balances` option to `true` (in your OR <-> Stripe connection) using related Stripe API. Pretty convenient feature, I am suprized it isn't being exposed to OR users.
Regards,
Michael.
Hi Michael,
You’re absolutely right that Stripe supports a debit_negative_balances setting, and you’re also right that it can be a convenient option in certain Stripe integrations.
The key distinction is which Stripe API that setting applies to.
OwnerRez uses Stripe’s Payment Intents based workflow. That API is designed to create and confirm individual payments, with very explicit control over authorization, capture, and failure handling for each transaction. In that flow, Stripe does not allow negative balances to be automatically debited or netted in the way that debit_negative_balances supports.
The setting you’re referencing applies to Stripe account balance and legacy charge flows, where Stripe manages a running balance and can reconcile negatives automatically at the account level. Since OwnerRez does not operate on that balance-driven model, exposing that flag would not change behavior for Payment Intents and would create misleading expectations.
We intentionally chose Payment Intents because it provides stronger guarantees around payment state, error handling, and compliance, especially in high-volume and hospitality scenarios. The trade-off is that certain balance-level conveniences in other Stripe APIs are not available in this model.
So while the Stripe documentation is correct in general, that specific option is not compatible with the Stripe API path OwnerRez uses today, which is why it isn’t exposed in the integration.
If Stripe adds equivalent support for this behavior within Payment Intents in the future, it’s something we’d be happy to reevaluate.
Hope that helps explain more.
-Steve
Steven,
Always check everything AI (or should I say "II" (Imitation Intelligence)?) says, lol... Alas, I was not in a position to do that -- I never had to deal with Stripe API.
So, is there a way to automate these auto-debits in any way? Like a process that once a day checks the balance and initiates auto-debit (if balance if negative)...
Having to top it up manually isn't ideal...
Thank you,
Michael.
Stripe does have documentation that covers this scenario here:
https://support.stripe.com/questions/fix-the-negative-balance-on-your-account
In most standard Stripe accounts, if the balance goes negative, Stripe will automatically attempt to debit the connected bank account within a couple of business days, assuming the bank account supports debits. This process is managed entirely by Stripe.
Stripe also offers an option to maintain a minimum balance in the account, which can help avoid negative balances in the first place by keeping a small buffer available for refunds or adjustments.
Speaking from personal experience, I’ve used Stripe for over five years and have rarely needed to manually add funds. In most cases, incoming payments covered refunds naturally before any manual action was required.
From the OwnerRez side, we act as a pass-through between you and the payment processor. We submit payment and refund requests to Stripe, but we do not maintain balance information or manage bank account behavior. How and when funds are pulled to resolve a negative balance is handled directly by Stripe.
Got it. Manual transfer or minimal balance. For some reason my listing very rarely gets a renter through VRBO (used to be ~40% of bookings, now it is maybe 1%) -- that once renter decided to cancel, causing me 2.9% heartburn and negative balance :).
Thank you, Steven.
