The %total% shortcode should only be used in messages for booking requests and bookings. It will not function properly if sent in response to an inquiry, as we don't receive financial information for inquiries.
If you are using the %total% short code, you may observe a discrepancy between the rate that you have configured on the booking platform and the actual price that is being communicated to the guest through our short code. This is actually something that is expected!
The %total% shortcode pulls in the total amount charged to the guest by the booking platform. This may include additional fees that are imposed by the booking platform and are not visible to the host in any way, such as accommodation taxes, occupancy taxes, and sales taxes.
The shortcode will take into account the currency that is used by the guest to pay the booking platform; if the guest is paying in EUR, but you are paid in USD by the booking platform, we will still communicate the price in EUR, because it is the only rate that the guest will be able to reconcile with their own records and experience.
You can read more about the actual fees charged by the platforms to the guest on their support resources:
Airbnb: What are Airbnb service fees? Under the split-fee model, guests are charged a 14.2% fee on top of your subtotal (including daily rates, cleaning fee and discounts).
Vrbo: What is the service fee?
Booking.com: How much commission do I pay?
The total amount paid by the guest (that is returned with %total%) would be different from the payout that the booking platform pays you. You can use the %payout% shortcode to return this value, although we do not recommend to share this amount with the guest.