> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://www.spacebring.com/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# External
> Record offline payments for bookings with the External payment method and create bookings with the paid or pending status
There may be instances where you'll need to make a booking for a user and accept payment externally. Spacebring supports these situations with the "External" payment method.
The member web portal and mobile app are designed to empower users to make bookings effortlessly on their own without needing administrator assistance. [Promote self-served bookings](/resource-management/bookings/promote-self-served-bookings) for a more efficient user experience.
## Make bookings with the "External" payment method
The "External" payment method is available only to administrators in Spacebring and only for room, desk, parking space, and equipment bookings.
To make such bookings, administrators do the following:
1. Navigate to **Resources** > select **Rooms, Desks,** **Parking,** or **Equipment** page.
2. Select a resource the user wants to book.
3. Find the customer in the "Booker" field.
4. If the user is not a member or a nonmember yet, find the `New nonmember` option. Fill in the user details and press `Create`. This will create a [nonmember](/customer-management/nonmembers) profile for the user automatically.
5. Fill out the other booking details.
6. If the user is eligible for any discount, [select a coupon](/billing/discounts/redeem-for-bookings) in the "Coupon" section. The discounted price will be displayed immediately.
7. Choose the "External" payment method and select a "Status" based on the payment stage:
* **Paid** — the customer has already paid outside of the system.
* **Pending** — the customer hasn't paid yet, but only reserved the booking.
8. Enter the customer's [billing details](/customer-management/billing-details), if they haven't yet. Billing details fields appear depending on the ["Require billing details" setting.](/customer-management/billing-details)
9. Confirm the booking.
### Understand paid external bookings
When you select "Paid" status during creation, Spacebring treats the transaction as finalized and confirmed.
* The booking is secured on the calendar with a solid color. In the **Bookings** list, the status appears as "Confirmed".
* The system immediately generates an [invoice](/billing/invoicing/download-an-invoice) and [receipt](/billing/payments/receipts) for the customer.
* The customer receives a [notification](/member/account/notifications) about the booking created for them and can view this booking on their **Account** page.
### Manage pending external bookings
If you select "Pending," the booking is created with "Tentative" status, allowing you to hold the resource while waiting for payment.
* You can differentiate pending bookings on the **Rooms** calendar and the **Bookings** list to track outstanding payments.
* Once you receive the payment (or if the customer fails to pay), update the status:
* Open the booking > in the "Payment" section, change "Status" to "Paid" or "Canceled."
* **If Paid**: The booking is automatically confirmed, and an invoice and receipt are generated.
* **If Canceled**: The transaction and booking are marked as canceled and automatically removed from the calendar.
## How external bookings reflect in Analytics
Bookings made with the "External" payment method are included in the "Invoices", "Payments", "Rooms", "Desks", "Equipment", and "Parking" dashboards in **Analytics**. [Explore Analytics](/analytics)
The "Invoices", "Invoice items", "Transactions", and "Bookings" [reports](/analytics/create-custom-reports) also include these bookings, reflecting their payment type as "External", and payment status as "Paid" or "Pending".
