Closed balanced bill logic at check-out in Mews Operations FAQs

Closed balanced bill logic at check-out automatically closes relevant balanced bills when you check out a guest in Mews Operations. Front desk employees use this feature to reduce manual work and avoid closing the wrong bills.

You use this logic when you check out a guest:

• From the Check-out report
• Through the Mews Kiosk
• Through Online Check-out
• At the scheduled check-out time with automatic check-out
• Directly from the reservation screen
• When closing a bill

In this article, you can find answers to:

• How does closed balanced bill logic work at check-out?
• Why do some balanced bills not close automatically?
• Why does the system not close paymaster bills automatically?
• How do I enable or disable closed balanced bill logic?
• When can I check out a reservation using this logic?
• Which Bill counter does the system use when a bill is closed automatically?
• Can I check out when I close a bill?

How does closed balanced bill logic work at check-out?

When you check out a reservation and the Close balanced bills at check-out option is enabled in your stay service, the system reviews the bills linked to that reservation and closes only the relevant balanced bills.

The system:

• Identifies bills that contain nights or products linked to the reservation you check out
• Checks that all other reservations on the bill are already checked out
• Confirms that all order items are consumed by the end of the current day, unless your bill closing settings only allow consumed items to be closed
• Confirms that the bill is balanced
• Confirms that the bill owner is not marked as a paymaster

If all conditions are met, the system closes the bill automatically across all related profiles, not only on the guest profile.

This approach prevents the closure of bills that contain future revenue and reduces the number of bills that require manual correction.

For example, when you route nights to a company profile for an online travel agency booking and the bill is balanced, the system closes that company bill at check-out if it meets all conditions.

Why do some balanced bills not close automatically?

Some balanced bills remain open because they do not meet all required conditions.

A bill does not close automatically if:

• It contains only items not linked to the reservation you check out
• It includes future revenue
• Not all reservations on the bill are checked out
• Not all order items are consumed by the end of the current day
• The bill owner is marked as a paymaster
• It fails fiscal checks required by the legal environment

This logic protects future revenue and prevents incorrect closures that require later adjustments.

Why does the system not close paymaster bills automatically?

The system excludes paymaster profiles from automatic bill closure.

Paymaster profiles often manage event or group billing. You review these bills manually to ensure accuracy before closing them.

How do I enable or disable closed balanced bill logic?

You manage this setting in your stay service configuration in Mews Operations. Learn more in our help article Set up and overview of bookable service settings.

To enable or disable the option:

1. In Mews Operations, go to the main menu > Settings > Services.
2. Select a bookable service, for example, Stay.
3. Under Visit options, check the Close balanced bills at check-out box.
4. Save your changes.

When you enable this option, this logic applies whenever Mews closes a bill during the check-out process.

This includes when you check out a guest:

• From the Check-out report
• Through the Mews Kiosk
• Through Online Check-out
• At the scheduled check-out time with automatic check-out
• From the reservation screen, when you select the option to close balanced bills as a manual action

In all these cases, the system uses the same logic to decide which balanced bills to close.

When can I check out a reservation using this logic?

You can check out a reservation when all nights and reservation items on the reservation owner profile are on a balanced bill.

During check-out, the system evaluates all related bills across profiles and closes only those that:

• Contain items linked to the reservation you check out
• Have all reservations already checked out
• Have all order items consumed by the end of the current day
• Are balanced
• Are not owned by a paymaster profile

This reduces the number of bills you close manually and lowers the risk of closing future revenue.

Which Bill counter does the system use when a bill is closed automatically?

The system uses the default bill counter when it automatically closes the bill. For example, the counter that would be selected by default for that bill if you were closing the bill manually.

Can I check out when I close a bill?

Yes. When you close a bill, if at least one reservation is in the To Check Out state with no unbalanced bills blocking checkout, a Check out button appears. You can select up to 10 reservations to check out at once.

This works the same way as the Check-out report. If you enable the option to close and email balanced bills at checkout, Mews closes and emails any remaining open balanced bills automatically.

You can learn more in our help article How to check out a reservation in Mews Operations.