Follow the steps below to connect your custom domain to your ChargeAutomation account, enhancing your branding and user experience.
Login to your ChargeAutomation account here chargeautomation.com
Navigate to Custom Domain Settings: Click on Profile Image >> Custom Domain
Enter Your Domain: In the Custom Domain section, you will see a field labeled "Enter your Custom Domain." Here, type in the full domain name you wish to use (for example,
checkin.yourdomain.com)
Add Your Domain: Click the "Add" button to register your domain with ChargeAutomation. This action notifies ChargeAutomation of your intent to use a custom domain but does not complete the setup process.
Required DNS Changes: You will need to add or update specific DNS records as directed by ChargeAutomation. ChargeAutomation will provide the exact values needed like below
Add Records above to your DNS Provider
Go to your DNS provider’s website (e.g. GoDaddy or Cloudflare). If you’re choosing one for the first time, go with one that supports SSL.
Create a CNAME (‘canonical name’) and TXT record for your custom domain.
How to create a custom records within Cloudflare.
Each hosting service has a slightly different way to create DNS records.
As an example, here’s how to set up a CNAME/TXT record with Cloudflare.
Step 1 - Open a browser tab or window and sign in to your Cloudflare Account.
Step 2 - Go to the ‘DNS’ section in Cloudflare and add a CNAME and TXT record for your "Custom domain".
Step 3 - Click the "Add record" Button to add the records
Step 4 - Add the records to your domain’s DNS records.
CNAME Record
Ensure you disable Proxy and make it DNS only by unchecking "Proxy Status" like below
Copy the Name and Value/Target like below from ChargeAutomation
Fields | Input | Description |
Record type | CNAME | Selecting CNAME as the record type |
Name | checkin | Name based on the first part of your custom domain for example if your custom domain is checkin.example.com, use checkin as a name |
Target/Destination | Target Must be app.chargeautomation.com | |
Proxy status | Disabled | Click on the Cloud icon under the Status so it turns Grey and indicates DNS Only |
Time To Live (TTL) | Auto | Selecting Auto as the TTL. |
TXT Record
Copy the Name and Value/Content from ChargeAutomation
Fields | Input | Description |
Record type | TXT | Selecting CNAME as the record type |
Name | copy from Charge Automation | Name provided by ChargeAutomation |
Value | Copy from Charge Automation | Value provided by ChargeAutomation |
Time To Live (TTL) | Auto | Selecting Auto as the TTL. |
Choose to configure SSL (optional)
After you set up a custom domain, Your domain will now appear as ‘not secure’ on web browsers like Chrome Here’s how to secure it.
SSL (or TLS), is the most widely used way to secure the connection between your server and your browser. It ensures the connection between the server and browser is encrypted and safe, and appears as HTTPS.
Here’s what an SSL-configured website (with HTTPS) typically looks like on the Chrome browser:
This is what it looks like if you’ve visited a website not secured by SSL (without HTTPS):
There are two ways to set up SSL on your custom domain:
Use a flexible SSL (using a third party DNS provider like CloudFlare or AWS CloudFront)
Use your own SSL certificate (using a TLS Termination Proxy)
You can configure SSL for your custom domain to keep sensitive information encrypted. If you want to do this, make sure you’ve set up your CNAME with a DNS provider that supports SSL, like Cloudflare
How to configure SSL with Cloudflare
1- Add SSL support to your domain
Go to the ‘Crypto’ section and change SSL to ‘Flexible’ or ‘Full’.
2- Create a page rule enforcing HTTPS
Go to ‘Page Rules’ and create a new page rule with the following settings, replacing checkout.example.com with your own custom domain.
Completing Your Custom Domain Setup in Charge Automation.
Congratulations on adding your custom domain! Follow these next steps to finalize the setup
Verify Your Domain
After you've updated your DNS settings with your provider, it’s crucial to verify the domain in Charge Automation:
Automatic DNS Update Verification: After you've added or updated the DNS records according to ChargeAutomation's instructions, our system will automatically attempt to verify these changes at regular intervals. There's no need for immediate action on your part.
However, if you wish to expedite the verification process once you've confirmed the DNS changes on your end, you can manually prompt our system to retry by clicking the "Try Again" button. This feature ensures that your custom domain setup proceeds smoothly and reduces waiting times for DNS propagation.
Confirmation of Verification: If the verification succeeds, you will see a confirmation indicating that your records are verified. Now, you're ready to finalize the process by clicking "Add Custom Domain."
Final Steps and Testing
Once your domain is verified and added:
Domain Stability Check: ChargeAutomation will perform a final check to ensure that the domain is stable and properly configured for use.
Note on Domain Propagation: Remember, it's crucial that your sub-domain is set up correctly and that DNS propagation is complete. This process can take up to 48 hours.
Testing Your Setup: To ensure everything is functioning as expected, create a new booking or go to an existing booking. Click on Share Pre check-in link or Share Guidebook. Copy and paste the link in a new tab and ensure its showing your custom domain in the url and showing either the pre check-in or guest portal
About Charge Automation
Charge Automation is a leading guest experience software designed for hotels and vacation rentals. Our platform is crafted to increase revenue, eliminate check-in queues, enhance guest satisfaction, and maximize profits, all through automation and intuitive design. With your custom domain now in place, your guests ChargeAutomation experience is more personalized and brand-centric than ever.
If you have any questions or need further assistance, please don't hesitate to reach out to our support team.