Homeaway/VRBO was making phone calls last month to try to get owners (who aren’t enrolled) - enrolled in their online booking. They were even claiming that the average service fee is 6% to guests. That’s a lie. And shame on them for straight out lying about it.
So today I learned they have now increased the service fee to up to 12%…but “sometimes” it may even be more than that. I have no idea how long this has changed. But I just did some testing a few weeks ago and the properties in my area did have 9% service fees on them. Today, those properties have over a 10% service fee.
This comes right after they have increased their annual subscriptions by $50. Those enrolled in online booking will pay $399. Those not enrolled in online booking will pay $549.
If you are listed on the site, just wanted you to be aware. This is what it says on their site:
Paying the fee
Travelers pay the service fee by credit card when paying through the secure HomeAway checkout process. The service fee is only charged to the card once the booking has been accepted by the property owner or manager. The service fee is only charged to the card once the booking has been accepted by the property owner or manager. The service fee is a percentage of the total amount of the reservation, excluding taxes and refundable fees. The service fee is between 5-12% for most bookings but can be above or below, based on the reservation. The percentage rate may change from time to time. Generally, the higher the reservation amount, the lower the percentage of service fee.