When a customer pays on my website, does the money come to me first or does it go straight to the supplier?
In most setups the money comes to you first. The booking system does not sit in the middle holding your funds. You connect your own payment gateway and merchant account, the customer's card is charged by that gateway, and the money is paid out into your bank account on whatever cycle your gateway works to. What arrives is the full amount the customer paid, including your markup, not the net figure after supplier cost.
What happens on the supplier side is separate and depends entirely on the supplier. Airlines booked through a consolidator or a GDS usually take their money the moment the ticket is issued, out of a deposit or credit account you hold with them. Many hotel bed banks let you book now and settle later, sometimes close to the travel date. So the cost of the booking and the arrival of the customer's money often happen on two different days, from two different places.
That gap is the part worth planning for. If a supplier deducts at the time of booking and your gateway pays out some days later, you need enough working float to cover the difference, and that is more noticeable in busy weeks or with expensive tickets. The system can show you both sides of each booking, what the customer paid and what the supplier charged, so the margin left is visible rather than something you work out at the end of the month.
Before you go live, ask your gateway what its payout cycle is and whether it holds back any reserve, and ask each supplier whether they deduct instantly or give you credit terms, so you know what cash you actually need in the bank.
