<h1>How It Works</h1>Revenue protection strategies differ based on your operational model. You must choose the right balance between user friction (ease of rental) and financial security (risk of non-payment).<h2>1. Starting Rentals: On-Demand and Pre-Booking</h2>This flow applies to standard Free-Floating, Station-Based, or Scheduled services where users typically pay via credit card or a mix of wallet and card.<h3>For Free-Floating and Station-Based (On-Demand)</h3><ul class="accent-bullets"><li>Pre-authorization (Speed &amp; UX):<ul class="accent-bullets"><li>Best for: Standard daily operations in low-to-medium risk markets.</li><li>Mechanism: The system places a temporary "hold" on the user’s card to verify validity and funds. This hold is released immediately (usually sub-second). If the bank declines the hold, the rental is blocked.</li><li>Value: Ensures the payment method is live without actually taking money from the user’s account upfront.</li></ul></li><li>Money Deposit (Maximum Security):<ul class="accent-bullets"><li>Best for: High-value vehicles, new users, or high-risk regions.</li><li>Mechanism: The system charges a specific amount before the rental starts. This money is held for a set duration (e.g., 24 hours) or until the rental ends.</li><li>Value: The deposit can be used to pay for the ride, damages, or fees. It creates a financial commitment from the user before they move the vehicle.</li></ul></li></ul><h3>For Pre-Booking (Scheduled Services)</h3><ul class="accent-bullets"><li>Booking Pre-payment:<ul class="accent-bullets"><li>Best for: Ensuring reserved vehicles generate revenue.</li><li>Mechanism: Instead of charging at the end of the trip, the system charges the base price of the booking at the moment of pickup.</li><li>Value: Prevents "free-riding" where a user reserves a vehicle but has insufficient funds when the rental concludes. If the upfront charge fails, the user cannot unlock the vehicle.</li></ul></li></ul><img src="https://uploads.productlane.com/d7be0c99d09e19f1cba605d8c7028fdf.png" data-processed-src="https://uploads.productlane.com/37eb2ad2cc09eae07eb060c4e390eaf5.jpeg" data-original-src="https://uploads.productlane.com/d7be0c99d09e19f1cba605d8c7028fdf.png"><h2>2. Driving with Wallet Credits (Prepaid Model)</h2>This flow applies to Wallet-Only or Cash-Voucher markets where users may not have a recurring payment method (like a credit card) attached.<h3>Wallet Depletion Logic</h3><ul class="accent-bullets"><li>Best for: Markets relying on prepaid vouchers or unbanked users.</li><li>Mechanism: The system continuously calculates how many driving minutes remain based on the user's current wallet balance.</li><li>Safety First: If the balance reaches zero, the system waits until the vehicle comes to a complete stop (Speed = 0 km/h).</li><li>Action: Once stopped, the system automatically ends the rental.</li><li>Value: Prevents unrecoverable debt. Users can never drive more than they have paid for, but they are never endangered by a vehicle cutting power while moving.</li></ul><hr><h1>Step-by-Step Guide</h1><h2>Configuring Pre-authorization</h2>Use this for standard fraud checks.<ol class="steps-list"><li>Navigate to Vehicle Categories In the Backoffice, go to <code class="inline-code-shadow bg-gray-100 border border-gray-200/60 dark:border-gray-800 font-medium dark:bg-gray-700/60 text-gray-700 dark:text-gray-200 font-mono text-md px-1 py-0.5 rounded-[0.2rem] [&amp;::before]:content-none [&amp;::after]:content-none">Settings</code> &gt; <code class="inline-code-shadow bg-gray-100 border border-gray-200/60 dark:border-gray-800 font-medium dark:bg-gray-700/60 text-gray-700 dark:text-gray-200 font-mono text-md px-1 py-0.5 rounded-[0.2rem] [&amp;::before]:content-none [&amp;::after]:content-none">Vehicle Categories</code>.</li><li>Select a Category Choose the vehicle type you want to secure (e.g., "E-Scooter Standard").</li><li>Edit Rental Requirements Locate the Rental Requirements section.</li><li>Enable Pre-authorization Add the pre-authorization requirement and define the Amount (e.g., €10).<blockquote>Note: You should set different amounts for different locations to handle regional risk levels.</blockquote></li><li>Save Rentals for this category will now fail immediately if the user's bank declines the hold.</li></ol><img src="https://uploads.productlane.com/20a792299eb823088959f479509bf7b2.jpeg" data-processed-src="https://uploads.productlane.com/20a792299eb823088959f479509bf7b2.jpeg" data-original-src="https://uploads.productlane.com/4a931462230d1647cdbdbb0fe326f8e2.png"><h2>Configuring Money Deposits</h2>Use this to enforce a strict deposit for an entire branch.<ol class="steps-list"><li>Navigate to Branch Management Go to <code class="inline-code-shadow bg-gray-100 border border-gray-200/60 dark:border-gray-800 font-medium dark:bg-gray-700/60 text-gray-700 dark:text-gray-200 font-mono text-md px-1 py-0.5 rounded-[0.2rem] [&amp;::before]:content-none [&amp;::after]:content-none">Settings</code> &gt; <code class="inline-code-shadow bg-gray-100 border border-gray-200/60 dark:border-gray-800 font-medium dark:bg-gray-700/60 text-gray-700 dark:text-gray-200 font-mono text-md px-1 py-0.5 rounded-[0.2rem] [&amp;::before]:content-none [&amp;::after]:content-none">Branch Management</code>.</li><li>Select Branch Click on the specific branch (location) you want to secure.</li><li>Open Branch Settings Navigate to the Settings tab.</li><li>Enable Deposit Toggle the Money Deposit feature.</li><li>Configure Parameters<ul class="accent-bullets"><li>Amount: Enter the value to capture (e.g., €50).</li><li>Holding Time: Set how long the funds are held (e.g., 2 days).</li></ul></li><li>Save Note: This now applies to every vehicle and rental started in this branch.</li></ol><img src="https://uploads.productlane.com/0bff95bba30ab41d6eabaa43cefe8098.jpeg" data-processed-src="https://uploads.productlane.com/0bff95bba30ab41d6eabaa43cefe8098.jpeg" data-original-src="https://uploads.productlane.com/4638908d41292e2ff30280a277b846dd.png"><h2>Enabling Booking Pre-payment (Contact Support)</h2>Use this for scheduled rentals.<ol class="steps-list"><li>Define Strategy Identify which branches require upfront payment.</li><li>Contact Customer Success Request the activation of pre-payment for your desired branch.</li><li>Verify Flow Test a booking to ensure the base price is charged immediately upon pickup.</li></ol><h2>Enabling Wallet Depletion Protection (Contact Support)</h2>Use this for prepaid markets.<ol class="steps-list"><li>Prepare Notifications Draft the "Insufficient Funds" message for your users.</li><li>Contact Customer Success Request the Active Rental Fund Check scheduler and Force-Stop logic.</li><li>Verify Safety Logic Ensure the system is configured to only end the rental when the vehicle is stationary (0 km/h).</li></ol><hr><h1>Tips and Best Practices</h1><ul class="accent-bullets"><li>Risk vs. Conversion: High pre-auth amounts or large deposits increase security but may cause legitimate users to drop off if their banks flag the transaction. Start low and increase if you see fraud.</li><li>Pre-payment Adjustments: If a user pre-pays for a booking but returns the vehicle late, the system automatically calculates the difference and charges the remainder at the end.</li><li>Wallet Refund Handling: If a pre-paid booking ends up costing less than expected (e.g., a voucher was applied mid-ride), the difference is refunded to the user's Wallet, not their credit card.</li><li>Communication is Key: For Wallet Depletion logic, user confusion is the biggest risk. Ensure your "Insufficient Funds" notification is translated into all local languages and clearly explains that the vehicle has been locked because the balance reached zero.</li></ul><hr><h1>Troubleshooting</h1>Rental fails to start with "Payment Error"<ul class="accent-bullets"><li>Cause: The pre-authorization hold was declined by the user's bank.</li><li>Solution: The user must update their payment method or ensure they have sufficient funds.</li></ul>Deposit is not released immediately<ul class="accent-bullets"><li>Cause: The configured "Holding Time" has not passed, or the deposit was used to cover an outstanding balance.</li><li>Solution: Check the rental invoice. If the ride cost was deducted from the deposit, only the remaining change is released. Otherwise, wait for the holding period to expire.</li></ul>Vehicle does not stop immediately when wallet is empty<ul class="accent-bullets"><li>Cause: The vehicle is currently moving.</li><li>Solution: This is intentional safety behavior. The rental will force-end only when the user brings the vehicle to a complete stop (0 km/h).</li></ul>Pre-payment didn't charge for "Add-ons"<ul class="accent-bullets"><li>Cause: Currently, booking pre-payment covers the base rental price.</li><li>Solution: Any extras (helmets, insurance additions) selected during booking are typically charged at the end of the rental or require a separate configuration. Verify this behavior with your CSM.</li></ul>

Payments & Invoicing

Secure your revenue streams using pre-authorizations, security deposits, upfront charges for bookings, and automated controls for wallet-based payment models.

Revenue Protection and Payment Assurance

Platform overview

Getting Started

Locations and branches

Damages and Task management

Service App (Beta)

Optimizing Vehicle On-Field Maintenance Flows

Card Management (RFID)

Fleet & Operations

Managing On-Demand Rentals

Radar

On-Demand vs. Pre-Booking

Additions and Insurance

Subscriptions & Multi-Benefit Packages

Pricing, Memberships & Promotions

Login Options & Sign up Fee for End Users

User Management & Profiles

Roles and Permissions 

Business accounts and corporate billing

Users & Accounts

Payment Gateways and Methods

Invoicing

Invoice PDF Structure & Customization

Mobile App Translation Keys: Sign Up, Rental & Booking

App Configuration & Customization

MaaS API

FreeNow Integration Overview

Credit Rating (CRIF)

Veriff Driving License Verification

Onfido Identity & Driver's License Verification

Braze Messaging integration 

AppsFlyer Integration

Zendesk Chat

Integrations & APIs

INVERS IoT Integration

Vehicle & IoT Support

Introducing Wunder Analytics (Beta)

Issues Analytics (Beta)

Data Insights

Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)

Security

Choosing the Right Sign-In Method in Wunder  (Email OTP vs Phone Login vs Password)