This message means TripWorks has paused manually entered payments (Cash, Check, EFT/Wire, Voucher and Other) on your account, because those payments passed your account's limit over the last month. Take the payment by card for now. The pause clears on its own as the last month's numbers come back under the limit.
Why it happens
The manual payment limit is a safeguard that keeps an account from routing most of its business around card processing. Each time someone records a manual payment, TripWorks checks the previous month and refuses the payment if any one of these is true:
- Manual payments make up more than the limit's share of the amount of all payments.
- Manual payments make up more than the limit's share of the number of all payments.
- The unpaid balance on reserved trips is more than the limit's share of those trips' totals.
By default the limit is 25%. TripWorks can set a different limit on an account (between 10% and 80%), so yours may not be 25%. Some details that decide whether you hit it:
- The check only starts once your account has more than 10 manual payments and more than 10 payments in total over the last month. A quiet account never sees this message.
- The comparison is manual payments against all payments, card included. Every card payment you take makes the manual share smaller.
- A very large manual payment, such as a big group check, is left out of the manual count.
- Refunds are not counted.
What to do right now
- Take the payment by card instead. Card payments are never blocked by this limit.
- Keep recording card payments as normal. They lower the manual share.
- If you must take cash or a check and cannot wait, contact TripWorks support and give them the trip and the time you saw the message so they can review the account.
For how each payment method is recorded, read Record payments on a trip. If your guests pay by bank transfer, see Can I accept ACH or bank payments?.
How the hold clears
The hold has no timer and nothing for you to switch off. TripWorks recalculates the numbers every time someone tries to record a manual payment, using the most recent month. The next attempt after the numbers drop under the limit goes through. That happens as you take more card payments, as older manual payments age out of the one-month window, or as unpaid reserved trips get paid.
Only TripWorks can change the limit on an account or turn it off. You cannot change it in your own settings.
Examples
- Find the cause at a front desk that takes mostly cash. A museum or zoo ticket desk where most walk-ups pay cash can pass the limit even though nothing is wrong. Take card where guests allow it, or ask support to review the account limit.
- Do check for a large unpaid backlog. A tour company that reserves many trips and collects later can trigger the unpaid-balance check. Collect the open balances by card and the manual payments reopen.
- Find the quiet-season trap. An activity business that is busy in summer and quiet in winter can see the message in a slow week, because a few manual payments are a large share of a small total.
Frequently asked questions
Why can I take card payments but not cash right now?
The limit applies only to manually entered payments: Cash, Check, EFT/Wire, Voucher and Other. Card payments do not go through this check, so they keep working. Taking card payments also helps, because each one lowers the manual share of your payments.
How long does the temporarily disabled message last?
There is no fixed time. TripWorks looks at the last month each time a manual payment is recorded, so the message goes away as soon as the numbers fall under the limit. For most accounts that means taking more card payments or collecting unpaid balances, and it can take days or weeks depending on volume.
Is something wrong with my account?
No. The limit is automatic and applies to every account, and it is not a penalty or a suspension. Card payments and bookings continue as normal. It only means your recent mix of payments leaned heavily toward manual entry.
What counts as a manual payment?
A manual payment is one that staff record by hand rather than run through card processing: Cash, Check, EFT/Wire, Voucher and Other. Card payments, including card payments taken on a terminal, are not manual payments.
Can TripWorks support lift the hold?
Support can review the account and, if it makes sense for your business, TripWorks can adjust the limit for your account. Staff on your own team cannot override it. Contact support with the trip, the payment method and when you saw the message.
Does it affect online bookings or only payments my staff enter?
The check runs on manual payments only, so guests paying by card online are not affected. A voucher applied during an online booking is a manual payment and goes through the same check. Staff-entered cash, check and wire payments are the ones most often blocked.
Will my guests see this message?
The message appears to the person recording the payment, normally your staff at the front desk or on the trip screen. It includes a link to this article. Guests paying by card are not shown it.
Why did I get blocked when I only take a few cash payments?
The limit uses shares, not totals. If your account has little card volume in a month, a handful of cash payments can still be more than the limit's share. The unpaid-balance check can also trigger it when many reserved trips are still owing.
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