Using price schedules with dynamic rules

  • Updated

Additional information is available to FareHarbor employees.

Dynamic pricing rules allow you to set price schedule rules based on “dynamic” (real-time) factors, such as the number of customers booked, the amount of space left on an availability, or the time your customer is making their booking relative to an availability’s start time.

Dynamic rules are used within price schedules. FareHarbor will work with you to ensure that any dynamic rules in your price schedules are configured exactly the way you want.

Are dynamic rules right for you?

Dynamic pricing rules are intended for use on:

  • Bookings made online from your website
  • Bookings made directly in your Dashboard by your staff
  • Bookings made through select affiliate channels

Note: Dynamic pricing is not supported for all affiliates or resellers. Supported affiliates must use percentage-based commission structures. API-connected affiliates are not supported, except for GetYourGuide and Viator, which support capacity-based rules only.

Types of dynamic rules

Capacity-based dynamic rules

Capacity-based dynamic pricing rules allow you to automatically change pricing based on the remaining capacity of an availability. This can be useful, for example, if you want to increase your rates for a tour with limited space left, or decrease prices to entice customers to book an event that hasn’t reached the desired capacity yet.

Here are some examples of dynamic rules based on capacity:

  • Increase price by 20% when there are 3 spots remaining.
  • Discount the first 5 spots to be $20 cheaper than the remaining 15.

Time-based dynamic rules

Time-based dynamic rules allow you to increase or decrease pricing based on when a customer books relative to when their booked activity starts. This is a useful way to offer early booking incentives.

Here are some examples of dynamic rules based on time:

  • Apply a 25% discount for bookings made a week ahead of time (“early-bird” pricing).
  • Increase pricing by 15% when someone books 12 hours or less ahead of the availability start time.

Time-based dynamic rules are not supported for GetYourGuide or Viator integrations.

Setting up dynamic rules

FareHarbor will work with you to configure your dynamic rules. You can copy and use this Dynamic Pricing Template to provide us with the necessary information, outlined below.

To set up dynamic rules, send us the following:

  • A list of the items that will use these new rules.
  • The desired rules:
    • For capacity-based rules, include capacity ranges and pricing effects (For example: “15% increase when there are 5 spots remaining”).
    • For time-based rules, include time ranges and pricing effects (For example: “20% off if a customer books a week or more in advance”).
  • The price for each customer type that is affected by these rules (For example: “Adult – $30, Child – $15”).
  • Where these pricing rules should apply:
    • Online bookings
    • Direct bookings
    • Affiliates (if applicable)
    • All three options
  • If dynamic pricing will apply to affiliates, specify which affiliates should use these rules.

If you have any questions, please reach out to FareHarbor Support.

Important notes

  • If a customer starts but does not complete a booking and later returns, their price will not refresh automatically.
    • FareHarbor processes the booking using the originally displayed price.
    • If payment fails and the page is refreshed, pricing may update based on current rules.
  • If you use price previews, the previewed price reflects the next available availability.
  • You can use both capacity-based and time-based rules together, but simpler setups are recommended.
  • Dynamic pricing rules cannot be used with:
  • If you wish to use dynamic pricing with affiliates, you need to:

    • Use connected invoice sheets with a percentage-based commission structure.

      Note: FareHarbor Support can assist in transitioning your setup to connected invoice sheets if your commission structure is compatible.

    • You must notify FareHarbor of any non-commissionable add-ons.
    • If dynamic pricing does not apply to all affiliates, those affiliates must use separate, non-dynamic price schedules or sheets.
    • GetYourGuide and Viator are the only API integrations that support dynamic pricing. 
      • These integrations support capacity-based rules only.
      • Any other affiliates labeled with “-API” in their name are not supported for dynamic pricing.