You can use Advanced Rates in Program settings to set different vehicle daily rates for weekdays vs. weekends, seasonal rates, and special event rates.
Advanced Rates also has additional settings to define a day for billing (calendar day or 24 hour periods) and grace periods to determine whether the customer is charged a daily rate for that day.
Jump to a section:
- Turn on Advanced Rates
- Configure Default Rates
- Configure Seasonal Rates
- Configure Special Event Rates
- Billing Type
- Grace Periods
- Friday Rate
- Advanced Rates on Invoices and Agreements
- Split Billing with Advanced Rates
- Frequently Asked Questions
Turn on Advanced Rates
- On the Dealerware Web main navigation menu, select Settings, then select Program.
- Locate the Program you wish to edit and select the pencil icon to access that Program's settings.
- Under the Fees section, make sure the Collect Customer Credit Card Information option is toggled on.
- The first item in the Fees section is Vehicle Daily Rate. Under the Daily Rate Type dropdown menu, select Advanced Daily Rate.
- If you want the daily rate to be taxed, select the Taxable checkbox under the Daily Rate Type menu.
- Scroll to the bottom of the Fees section and select the Save button.
- Advanced Rates can now be configured.
Configure Default Rates
When Advanced Rates are first turned on, the daily rate defaults to $0. To configure the base rate for each vehicle model in the Program, follow these steps.
- Under the dropdown menu where you selected "Advanced Daily Rate," select the Edit Rates button.
- A drawer will slide out from the right side of the screen. Under the dropdown menu labeled Model, select the vehicle model for which you want to configure a default rate.
- Input a Weekday Rate (required) and a Weekend Rate (optional). If a weekend rate isn't configured, the weekday rate will be used for weekend days.
- Select the Save button.
- Repeat these steps until you've configured a default rate for all vehicle models.
Configure Seasonal Rates
You may want to set daily rates that are higher than your standard rate during busy seasons and lower than your standard rate in slower seasons.
- In the Fees section of Program Settings, navigate to Vehicle Daily Rate and select the Edit Rates button.
- A drawer will slide out from the right side of the screen. Under the dropdown menu labeled Model, select the vehicle model for which you want to configure a Seasonal Rate.
- In the Seasonal Rates section, select the Add button.
- Use the calendar date picker to choose the start and end date of the Seasonal Rate.
- Input a name for the Seasonal Rate, such as "Ski Season."
- Input a Weekday Rate (required) and a Weekend Rate (optional). If a weekend rate isn't configured, the weekday rate will be used for weekend days.
- Select the Save button.
- The date ranges and rates for Seasonal Rates can be changed by selecting the Edit button next to the configured rate. Select the Delete button to remove the Seasonal Rate.
- Repeat these steps until you've configured a Seasonal Rate for all desired vehicle models in the Program.
Configure Special Event Rates
You may want to set a different daily rate for holidays and events like festivals.
- In the Fees section of Program Settings, navigate to Vehicle Daily Rate and select the Edit Rates button.
- A drawer will slide out from the right side of the screen. Under the dropdown menu labeled Model, select the vehicle model for which you want to configure a Special Event Rate.
- In the Special Event Rates section, select the Add button.
- Use the calendar date picker to choose the start and end date of the Special Event Rate.
- Input a name for the Special Event Rate, such as "Austin City Limits Festival"
- Input a Weekday Rate (required) and a Weekend Rate (optional). If a weekend rate isn't configured, the weekday rate will be used for weekend days.
- Select the Save button.
- The date ranges and rates for Special Event Rates can be changed by selecting the Edit button next to the configured rate. Select the Delete button to remove the Special Event Rate.
- Repeat these steps until you've configured a Special Event Rate for all desired vehicle models in the Program.
Additional Settings for Advanced Rates
Advanced Rates includes settings for calculating the daily rate based on 24-hour or calendar day periods, grace periods, and whether Friday is considered a weekday or weekend.
Billing Type
A daily rate can be calculated in 24-hour periods or by calendar day. Under the Fees section of Program settings, navigate to Billing Type and select 24-Hour Period or Calendar Day from the dropdown menu. Be sure to select the Save button at the bottom of the Fees section once you make your Billing Type selection.
For 24-hour periods, the daily rate will apply to the contract as soon as the contract starts (day 1). After that, a daily rate charge will be added to the contract invoice every 24 hours that passes. Here are some practical examples:
- A contract that starts at 7 am on Monday and ends at 5 pm on the same Monday will count as 1 day
- A contract that starts at 7 am on Monday and ends at 7 am on Tuesday will count as 1 day
- A contract that starts at 7 am on Monday and ends at 8 am on Tuesday will count as 2 days
For calendar day periods, the daily rate will apply to the contract as soon as the contract starts (day 1). After that, a daily rate charge will be added to the contract invoice every new calendar day starting at 12:01 AM. Here are some practical examples:
- A contract that starts at 7 am on Monday and ends at 5 pm on the same Monday will count as 1 day
- A contract that starts at 7 am on Monday and ends at 7 am on Tuesday will count as 2 days
Grace Periods
You can set up grace periods to give customers a cushion before adding another transaction day with a daily rate calculation to their contract invoice. Advanced Rates that use the 24-Hour Period for Billing Type have an option for a Drop-off Grace Period. Advanced Rates that use Calendar Day for Billing Type have options for a Pickup and Drop-off Grace Period. Be sure to select the Save button at the bottom of the Fees section once you input grace periods.
The Pickup Grace Period for Calendar Days will defer when the daily rate begins calculating for the contract if the customer picks up the vehicle after the time you've designated. For example, if the Pickup Grace Period is set to 5 pm and the customer picks up the vehicle at 6 pm, the customer won't start being charged a daily rate until the next calendar day.
The Drop-off Grace Period for Calendar Days will make it so the customer isn't charged a daily rate on the final calendar day if the customer drops off the vehicle before the time you've designated. For example, if the Drop-off Grace Period is set to 8 am and the customer drops off the vehicle at 7 am, the customer won't be charged a daily rate for the day of drop-off.
The Drop-off Grace Period for 24-Hour Period will make it so the customer isn't charged an additional day's daily rate for exceeding the final 24-period in the contract if the customer drops off the vehicle before the grace period expires. Let's look at 2 examples where the pickup time on the contract is 7 am on Monday and the Drop-off Grace Period is 2 hours:
- The customer drops off the vehicle at 8 am on Tuesday. They had a Drop-off Grace Period that allowed them to drop off the vehicle any time before 9 am before being charged an additional day. They will only be charged for a single day.
- The customer drops off the vehicle at 10 am on Tuesday. They had a Drop-off Grace Period that allowed them to drop off the vehicle any time before 9 am before being charged an additional day. They will be charged the daily rate for 2 days.
Friday Rate
Fridays are considered weekday rates by default. If you'd like to include Fridays in your weekend rate pricing, under the Fees section of Program settings, navigate to Friday Rate and select the checkbox "Calculate Friday as a weekend rate." Be sure to select the Save button at the bottom of the Fees section once you select the checkbox.
Advanced Rates on Invoices and Agreements
When Advanced Rates with different daily rates are in effect, on the contract Billing details page and the agreement page, the daily rate displayed will be the average rate across the contract’s duration.
If the contract has 3 transaction days:
- December 1 @ $25.00/day
- December 2 @ $55.00/day
- December 3 @ $30.00/day
Then the daily rate displayed on the contract Billing invoice and the PDF agreement will be $36.67 per day. Three days at $36.67 per day equals a total daily rate of $110.01.
Split Billing with Advanced Rates
Split the Bill by Days
The number of days available to split will be based on the number of transaction days, which take grace periods into account.
Split to another Program configured with Advanced Rates:
If the Program being used for the split is configured with Advanced Rates, the daily rate used for the additional payer invoice will be the average rate across the contract's duration for the Program used for the split, multiplied by the number of days assigned to the additional payer. The remaining daily rate assigned to the customer, if any, will be calculated using the average daily rate for the contract period for the Program used on the contract, multiplied by the number of days assigned to the customer.
- Daily rate charges on the additional payer invoice:
- Split days * average daily rate (of the split Program’s advanced rates)
- Daily rate charges on the customer invoice:
- Remaining days * average daily rate (of the contract Program’s advanced rates)
Split to another Program that isn't configured with Advanced Rates:
If the Program being used for the split is configured with Standard daily rates or Rates by Model, the daily rate used for the additional payer invoice will be the daily rate configured in the referenced program. This is identical to the current functionality. The remaining days the customer is responsible for will be calculated using the average daily rate for the contract period.
- Daily rate charges on the additional payer invoice:
- Split days * referenced program’s configured daily rate
- Daily rate charges on the customer invoice:
- Remaining days * average daily rate (of the contract Program’s advanced rates)
Split by days without referencing another Program (manual):
If you are splitting the invoice by days manually without referencing another Program), the daily rate used for the additional payer invoice will be the average across the contract duration for the contract's Program, identical to how the daily rate is calculated for the customer. The remaining days the customer is responsible for will be calculated using the average daily rate for the contract period.
- Daily rate charges on the additional payer invoice:
- Split days * average daily rate (of the contract Program’s advanced rates)
- Daily rate charges on the customer invoice:
- Remaining days * average daily rate (of the contract Program’s advanced rates)
Split the Bill by Amount
The amount that can be split on the invoice will be assessed using the transaction days (grace periods taken into account) * the average daily rate across the contract period.
If the contract has 3 transaction days:
- December 1 @ $25.00/day
- December 2 @ $55.00/day
- December 3 @ $30.00/day
Then the total amount will be $110.01 (3 days at $36.67 per day equals a total daily rate of $110.01).
Taxes are recalculated for each invoice (customer and additional payer) based on the relevant Program’s configured taxes:
- If the contract Program defines daily rate as taxable, then the customer invoice will be recalculated using the remaining daily rate amount * contract Program’s tax rate
- If the split Program defines daily rate as taxable, then the additional payer invoice will be calculated using the split amount * referenced Program’s tax rate
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: When using Advanced Rates, what is the hierarchy between Default Rates, Seasonal Rates, and Special Event Rates?
A: If a program is configured to use advanced rates and all three advanced rate types are configured, then Special Event Rates supersede Seasonal Rates, which supersede Default Rates.
Q: Can I create overlapping Seasonal Rate periods?
A: No, an attempt to create or edit a Seasonal Rate that overlaps with another Seasonal Rate for the same vehicle model will fail, and you will see an error message.
Q: Can Special Event Rates overlap with Seasonal Rates?
A: Yes, if a given calendar day has an effective Seasonal Rate as well as an effective Special Event Rate, then the Special Event Rate will supersede the Seasonal Rate for the overlapping days.
Q: Can I reference historical dates?
A: Referencing historical rates isn't part of the feature at this time, but we are looking to add that as a future improvement.
Q: If I forget to create a default daily rate for a model in my Program, will that prevent a vehicle of that model from being assigned to the contract?
A: If you forget to assign a default daily rate for a model in a Program using Advanced Rates, a vehicle of that model can still be assigned to that contract. The vehicle will have a $0 daily rate.
Q: If I change the daily rate in my Program settings after a contract has been created, will the contract reference the new daily rate?
A: The contract will reference the rates in the Program that existed at the time of contract creation, and will ignore any Program edits that were created after the contract affecting rates, taxable settings, or fees.
Q: Can I apply a Custom Daily Rate on a contract with a Program that uses Advanced Rates?
A: Yes, the custom daily rate will override the rate for that model in the Program. The custom daily rate will still use the daily rate tax settings in the Program selected for the contract.
Q: Do Seasonal and Special Event Rates repeat for each calendar year?
A: No, you will need to add Seasonal and Special Event Rates for each year you'd like them to occur, or edit an existing Seasonal or Special Event Rates to be for the correct calendar year.
Q: Do Seasonal and Special Event Rates disappear after the period is over?
A: You will still be able to see Seasonal and Special Event Rates after the time period has passed. Those rates will no longer be in effect. You can delete them if desired or edit them to occur in the future.