Vrbo traveler support

Support documentation for partners offering Vrbo properties.

Note: Vrbo bookings are subject to Vrbo terms and conditions, with different policies to standard lodging inventory for relocations, escalations, credits, payment schedules, service fees, and more.

Vrbo agent support on Rapid is provided by specialist Vrbo agent teams, calls to your A2A (agent-to-agent) support will be transferred to the Vrbo agent team for handling. Vrbo support is available in 11 languages (Danish, Dutch, English, French, German, Greek, Italian, Japanese, Norwegian, Portuguese, and Spanish).

Affiliate Voyager will display bookings only, no servicing features will be available for Vrbo bookings.

Travelers can self-service some support queries via Vrbo.com

Vrbo.com facilitates communications directly between your traveler and the host which is the preferred path to address questions about the property and time-sensitive requests (e.g. traveler needing access to the property).
Should extra support be required, your agents can call your dedicated toll-free number for A2A Support who will transfer you to Vrbo specialist agent support.

Vrbo booking management tools

Travelers will receive confirmation emails and host communications from Vrbo, which details the steps to self-service Vrbo bookings on Vrbo.com.

Booking management features on Vrbo.com provide the following:

View booking details.
View payment schedule, payments received, payments pending, payments due, or refund status.
Communication with the host.
Download an invoice for booking and/or service fee.
Booking cancellation.
View Welcome Guide details, property location, and host information.

Support

Accessing Vrbo agent support

When requesting agent support:

Travelers should first contact the host or Vrbo agent support directly using the information provided in the email communications they have received.
Vrbo agent support should be contacted immediately when an issue arises or if the host is unresponsive.
If the traveler is onsite and unable to access the property or the property is not as described/or there is a complaint about the state of the property, the traveler must request agent support immediately.
Travelers should not re-book themselves or wait until post-stay to raise concerns. Vrbo agent support can address the issue while the traveler is onsite.
You can require travelers to contact your own support agents, who will then contact A2A support who will transfer your agent to the Vrbo agent support. Please have the booking email address or Vrbo booking reference available to support the phone transfer. Note: To locate in Affiliate Voyager, the Vrbo booking reference is the 'hotel confirmation ID' on the booking displays.
Vrbo is unable to support email requests for agent support. All support requests should be initiated via phone with A2A support/Vrbo.
Vrbo support agents are not always able to immediately resolve the traveler’s issue. Resolution can require communication with the host, who may not be available in real time. Vrbo will create a ticket and follow up with the host offline.

Note: Issues where the property is not as described by the Rapid API should be escalated to the Expedia Group account manager.

Supporting traveler and host communications

Facilitating communication between the traveler and the host means:

The traveler can ask, and get answers to, questions about the property and destination, in real-time vs. agent support which can take longer.
The facilitation of a seamless entry into the property.
The sharing of important details on the amenities.
Requests to change or cancel a booking can be completed.
The host can share additional information as required.

Traveler/host communication options

Travelers and host can connect in multiple ways:

Host may include information about arrival and include their contact information (phone number or email) in the host welcome pack sent to the traveler.
Host may send an email directly to the traveler. The traveler email contact address is required to be passed on bookings to help facilitate these communications.
Travelers may reach out to host on Vrbo.com.

Note: You will not have visibility on the host and traveler communications via Vrbo.com. Vrbo agents have visibility on these communications.

Best practice is that all communications are self-served via Vrbo.com by the traveler to the host directly.
The Vrbo agent will intervene after the traveler has attempted resolve directly with the host first.

Vrbo payment terms

The host can set up to 3 payment terms per booking, e.g. 30% at point of booking, 40% 30 days prior to guest arrival, and the final 30% 15 days prior to guest arrival.
If a booking request comes in after your last payment request is normally due, the full amount is required at the time of booking. For example, you require 50% of the rental amount due at the time of booking and 50% due 60 days before check-in. If a traveler requests to book your property 59 days before check-in, they’re required to pay in full to complete the booking.
First payment and service fee are required at the point of booking and the next payment terms would kick in depending on the timing.

Managing refunds

Vrbo refunds may take longer to process as property hosts are responsible for initiating a booking status change and refund in many cases.
Vrbo inventory which is managed independently and is known as IPM (this can usually be identified by the Vrbo booking reference which will not have the HA prefix) is managed financially in the host’s systems, which Vrbo agents do not have visibility on.
Travelers should be clearly informed that service fees are only refundable when the entire booking is 100% refundable. Once the booking enters a partially refundable or fully non-refundable state, the service fee is no longer refundable.
If the traveler negotiates with the property to refund a non-refundable booking, the service fee is also refunded. If it is not received, Vrbo support can provide guidance to the host on how to refund the service fee.

Refunds for booking cancellations are initiated either as part of the Cancel API or as a request to the property to cancel and refund a booking. If a refund is not received, Vrbo support can help to prompt the host to complete the refund process. Refunds for damage deposits are typically automatically processed within 12 days of departure. The amount of the refund will reflect any damage communicated by the host to the traveler.

Vrbo cancellation policies

Travelers can cancel their booking through Vrbo.com. They will automatically receive a refund based on the cancellation policy in the rules and policies section of the booking.

Vrbo cancellation policy types

No refund: No refund is offered for any reason or timeframe.

Strict: Bookings cancelled at least 60 days before the start of the stay will receive a full refund.

Firm: Bookings cancelled at least 60 days before the start of the stay will receive a full refund. Bookings cancelled at least 30 days before the start of the stay will receive a 50% refund.

Moderate: Bookings cancelled at least 30 days before the start of the stay will receive a full refund. Bookings cancelled at least 14 days before the start of the stay will receive a 50% refund.

Relaxed: Bookings cancelled at least 14 days before the start of the stay will receive a full refund. Bookings cancelled at least 7 days before the start of the stay will receive a 50% refund.

Service fee refunds

The service fee is a percentage of the total amount of the booking, excluding taxes and refundable fees paid by the traveler.
The service fee amount varies. Generally, the higher the booking amount, the lower the service fee percentage. A value-added tax is charged on top of the service fee, if required by local regulations.
If the traveler is within the window to receive a 100% refund window and you’ve refunded the full amount, we'll return the service fee.
If there’s a partial refund, service fees would remain as charged.

Damage deposit refunds

Refundable damage deposits are held for 7 or 14 days after check-out, depending on the property. If damage occurs during a stay, there are 7 or 14 days for the host to claim all, or a portion, of the refundable damage deposit. The refund amount is automatically sent back to the traveler after that time. The host has the authority to charge this directly via Vrbo.com with a claim.
Cash on-site: If the house rules or rental agreement states a cash deposit, the host can collect cash for the damage deposit directly from the traveler at check-in.
Card-on-file: The host can take a credit card number or payment info to charge within 14 days of the stay.

Bookings charged in different currencies

If a booking was charged in a different currency, the payment and refund totals might vary based on currency exchange rates and bank-issued exchange fees.

How to check refund status (non-IPM Vrbo bookings)

These are the steps the traveler will need to follow to check the refund status:

Sign into Vrbo.com.
Select the account name and choose My Trips.
Select the booking.
From the Details page, select Get Refund Status.
A Vrbo chat window will open with the refund information.

Note: This feature is only available for any refund that has a non-zero amount. For any bookings with a property management company (IPM with the non-HA Vrbo booking reference), you will need to reach out to the property manager directly. If the Vrbo confirmation ID does not start with HA, then it is likely a booking created via an independent property management (IPM) company.

Vrbo book with confidence (BWC) guarantee

Vrbo's book with confidence guarantee applies to your bookings made via the Rapid API. Please see here for more details. The book with confidence guarantee is a back-up, Vrbo support will make every effort to resolve the issue with the host first. Vrbo support may advise you or the traveler to initiate a charge-back with the card provider as an interim step, this may also be the process with IPM Vrbo bookings.

The BWC guarantee protects travelers who book Vrbo inventory and protects the traveler if their booking is wrongfully canceled or their stay is unsatisfactory.

A BWC-eligible stranded traveler is defined as:

Booked and paid for Vrbo inventory.
In transit to, or already at, the property.
Unable to access the property at or after check-in time on the day of scheduled check-in.
Not in violation of the rental agreement or house rules.

BWC guarantee exclusions:

Bookings cancelled at the traveler's request (regardless of reason).
Bookings cancelled due to natural disasters, pandemics, or other unforeseeable events.
Damaged caused by the travelers in the group.
Traveler is in violation of the rental agreement or house rules.

Hyperwallet

Refunds may be processed using the payment provider Hyperwallet. When the Vrbo agent processes the refund payment on the Hyperwallet website the traveler will receive an email with instructions on claiming their refund.

There are three separate emails from Hyperwallet to complete the payment process.
The first email will contain information on your preferred payment method and how to track your payment.
The second email will ask you to claim your payment to complete the refund process. By following the link in that email, you will be able to claim these funds via bank transfer or PayPal/Venmo.
Once the process is complete, you will receive a third confirmation email.
Depending on the payment method used, funds should appear in the traveler account within 5 business days. The traveler should check their spam inbox if unable to locate these emails.

Relocations

Relocations for Vrbo bookings are handled by Vrbo support. Relocations may occur in the following circumstances:

Property does not exist.
Property is not as described.
Property cannot locate booking.
Property is double-booked.

Vrbo will attempt to find a similar accommodation within 30 days of the check-in date but in the case of same-day relocations they will often look for a hotel, or combination of hotel and vacation rental for longer stays. Outside of 30 days from the check-in date, a full refund will be offered.

Host cancellations and other unacceptable behaviour

Every Vrbo property is unique, as are their owners and management. As a result, Vrbo hosts have more flexibility to cancel bookings. However, excessive cancellations will incur penalties with Vrbo for the host.

Host cancellations may arise from the following:

Host receives multiple bookings on the same day before they have updated their calendar.
Host has a booking request on another platform.
Host has identified a third party involved in the transaction and refuses the booking.

Hosts may also attempt to abuse the Vrbo platform. Please ensure any such issue is reported to Vrbo so the behaviour is noted and addressed by the Vrbo supply team:

Host cancels at the last minute.
Host asks the traveler to take the booking offline for a better price.
Host offers the traveler a discount to book directly next time.
Host asks for additional fees, or a higher rate than originally booked.