Purpose: Catch booking errors, pricing drift, and missing documents BEFORE the client's card gets charged the remaining balance. Mistakes caught pre-payment are cheap. Mistakes caught post-payment cost us hours and usually money.
Who runs this
Primary: Advisor who booked the trip
Backup: Operations lead
When
Trigger: 7 days before supplier\'s final payment due date
Time needed
15–30 minutes per booking
The checklist
Booking matches the proposal we sold — every date, room category, and flight
All traveler names match passport exactly (middle names included if on ticket)
DOB on record for every traveler, especially minors
Special requests (dietary, accessibility) are in the booking notes
Insurance policy is in force OR client has formally waived it in writing
Deposit received and applied
Supplier confirmation reflects all the above
Final invoice matches the client's agreed total
Commission is set up correctly in our tracker
Common failure modes
Name mismatch
Symptom: "Bob Smith" booked, passport is "Robert J. Smith".
Response: Correct via supplier BEFORE final payment. Most allow one name-correction free pre-payment; post-payment it's $75–250 per change. Some airlines won't allow changes at all on non-refundable fares.
Price drift
Symptom: quoted rate no longer matches current rate — supplier changed pricing after booking.
Response: Call supplier. If they honor the quoted rate (they usually do if your reservation number is valid), document the confirmation. If not, contact the client immediately with options — eat the difference vs. re-quote.
Insurance waiver not signed
Symptom: client said "don\'t need insurance" verbally but you have nothing on file.
Response: Get it in writing BEFORE collecting final payment. Forward the Insurance Waiver template. No waiver, no payment — our liability policy requires this.
Missing passport number
Symptom: booking requires passport number and you don\'t have it yet.
Response: One email asking for passport photo + expiry. Most clients send within 24 hours. If they don't, follow up DAILY — this blocks embarkation, not just paperwork.
After final payment
Send the client a formal "Final payment confirmed" email with the PDF invoice.
Flag the booking as paid in the CRM.
Schedule the pre-trip packet send for 7 days before departure.
Log the transaction in Books for commission tracking.
Related
Templates → Final Payment Emails
Insurance Waiver template
Supplier Policies → [Supplier name] payment rules
Troubleshooting → Payment Problems