We don't have a feature in the Hipcamp product to let Hosts charge security deposits right now, but we want to make sure that you're able to feel covered before, during and after each booking! To do this, we charge Hipcampers at the time of booking, so we always ensure that payment is set before they arrive.
You are paid by us the Tuesday (US & CA) or Wednesday (AU & NZ) after they check out of camp, but in the meantime, if they cancel outside of your cancelation policy that you've selected, you will still be paid for their booking unless you'd like to issue a refund for any reason outside of your policy.
So in essence, collecting their card info at the time of booking works similarly to a deposit!
We always make sure you're covered re: payment, and in the case of any damages, we do have the Hipcampers' cards on file at all times, and you're covered under our Property Protection Plan.