Mandatory Fees Recalculation Control

Mandatory Fees Recalculation Control

Overview 

A new parameter "UpdateMandatoryFees" has been introduced in the 'updatebooking' and 'validateupdatebooking' methods of the Post-Booking API. This parameter gives API consumers explicit control over how mandatory fees are handled when a booking is updated, allowing for more flexible integration scenarios. 
To know more about these methods, please see Updating Bookings Using postbooking API. 

Note: This feature applies to mandatory fees only. Optional fees are not affected by this parameter — optional fees must always be included in the request body if they are to be retained on the booking; otherwise they will be removed as per existing behaviour.

New Parameter Details 

Parameter
Type
Optional
Valid Values
UpdateMandatoryFees
Integer
Yes
0,1,2

Behaviour by Value 

0 — Default (Existing Behaviour)

Mandatory fees are updated in line with the existing updatebooking functionality. i.e. Applicable Mandatory fees are recalculated based on the updated booking details. So any existing mandatory fees might be removed, new ones might be added, or the cost of existing mandatory fees might be updated. This is as good as not passing the new parameter in the request. 

1 — Recalculate Fees, Preserve Existing Costs

Mandatory fees are deleted and re-added based on the updated booking parameters (e.g. new vehicle category, dates, location). However, if a fee already existed on the booking prior to the update, its original cost is preserved — even if the fee's cost has since changed in the system.


Fee1
Fee2
Fee3
Fee4
Before Update
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
Changes in Setup and Booking details
Cost changed in the system. Still Applicable.
Still Applicable
Not Applicable
Now Applicable
After Update with UpdateMandatoryFees=1
Yes, with older cost
Yes
No
Yes

Use this value when you want the booking fees to reflect the correct set of applicable fees based on updated parameters, but without repricing fees that were already on the booking

2 — Do Not Modify Mandatory Fees

Mandatory fees on the booking are left completely unchanged, regardless of the booking parameter updates. The original fees and their original costs are preserved as-is.


Fee1
Fee2
Fee3
Fee4
Before Update
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
Changes in Setup and Booking Details
Cost changed in the system. Still Applicable. 
Still Applicable
Not Applicable
Now Applicable
After Update with UpdateMandatoryFees=2
Yes, with older cost.
Yes
Yes
No

Use this value when you want to ensure the mandatory fees are not touched.

Important Notes

  • If UpdateMandatoryFees is not provided, the API defaults to value 0 (existing behaviour), ensuring backwards compatibility.
  • Optional fees are always unaffected by this parameter. To retain optional fees on a booking after an update, they must be included in the request. Any optional fees omitted from the request will be removed.
  • This parameter does not affect fee visibility or reporting — only whether fees are recalculated, re-added, or preserved during an updatebooking call.