Vrbo Refund Policy and How To Make the Best of It

Vrbo stands for Vacation Rental By Owner, and that’s exactly what it does. It’s a vacation rental service, quite similar to Airbnb. The biggest difference is that Vrbo listings offer whole properties exclusively while Airbnb includes single room listings as well.

According to their website, Vrbo has over two million bookable vacation rentals, including:

• Condos
• Cabins
• Beach houses
• Lake rentals

Everything You Need To Know About Vrbo Refund Policy

The refund policy for a Vrbo listing is determined by the property owner when they put the rental on the website. Vrbo offers five possible cancellation policies that homeowners can choose from:

• No Refund: guests cannot get their money back when canceling under any circumstances
• Strict: only bookings canceled at least 60 days before the check-in date receive a full refund
• Firm: full refunds are issued for cancellations processed at least 60 days before the check-in while 50% refunds are issued for cancellations submitted at least 30 days in advance
• Moderate: guests can cancel at least 30 days before the start of the stay and receive a full refund; cancellations made 14 days in advance qualify for a 50% refund
• Relaxed: bookings canceled at least 14 days before the start of the stay receive a full refund, while those canceled at least seven days in advance receive a 50% refund

Vrbo recommends hosts to use the moderate option. The stated percentages apply to the amount that the guests have paid by the cancellation date, not the total reservation amount. The hosts can override the official cancellation policy and refund a different percentage depending on the circumstances.

To secure a refund, a guest must cancel by 11:59 p.m. on the last day, as seen in the timezone of the property.

The service fee paid by travelers is refunded only when the host agrees to issue a full refund.

Damage Deposit Refunds

Based on the listing’s settings, damage deposits are automatically refunded after seven or 14 days from the check-out date. In case guests caused damage to the property during their stay, the property owner will have to submit a claim for a portion of the deposit or the total amount within the specified period.

How To Submit a Request for a Vrbo Refund

Your Vrbo refund request options depend on the severity of the issue you’re experiencing with the rental. Check out the available methods and our step-by-step guides below:

Vrbo Refunds on the Website

If you need to cancel your Vrbo booking and ask for a refund, you can finish the whole process on Vrbo’s website:

1. Log in to your Vrbo account
2. Click on My Trips
3. Choose the booking you need to cancel
4. Select Manage your booking in the Details tab
5. Hit Cancel booking

This process serves as an automatic refund request if you qualify for one based on the listing’s cancellation policy, which you can review when you click on Manage your booking.

If you see the option Request cancellation, the host or the property manager will have to review the cancellation after you submit the request and respond within 24 hours.

Vrbo Refunds Over the Phone

In case the property is not as described, or there are some other issues after the check-in, Vrbo encourages the guests to resolve the issues directly with the host. If that’s not possible, you can reach out to Vrbo customer support over the phone:

1. Prepare relevant information like your account and reservation number, host’s details, payment information, etc.
2. Dial 1-877-202-4291
3. Use DoNotPay to jump the queue and avoid a long waiting time
4. Explain the issue to the representative and ask for a refund

Vrbo customer support is available 24 hours per day, seven days a week.

Use Live Chat To Ask for a Vrbo Refund

Another way to contact Vrbo customer support is to use live chat on their website:

1. Open the Vrbo homepage in any web browser
2. Hit Help at the top of the page and choose Traveler Help from the drop-down menu
3. Scroll to the bottom of the new page and click on Contact Us
4. Select a category that suits your issue
5. Click on the Chat button
6. Log in to your account, if required
7. Provide the necessary information to the representative and request a refund

What Is the Usual Vrbo Refund Time?

As per one of the answers on Vrbo’s Help page, refunds usually take five to seven business days to show up in the guest’s account. This time frame refers to refunds issued due to cancellations under regular circumstances.

After the refund request is processed successfully, you will receive an email confirmation. The funds are returned to the original form of payment whenever possible.

Possible Issues With Vrbo Refunds

In case you were charged in a different currency and expect a full refund, the refunded amount might differ slightly from the original amount based on the currency exchange rates.

Avoid Issues With Vrbo Refund Policy by Using DoNotPay

Like with Airbnb and their refund policy, things can go south with Vrbo as well. While Vrbo’s refund policy seems transparent at first, what should you do when the host cancels your booking for no reason, doesn’t issue a refund, and deletes their profile? If you add disinterested customer support agents to the mix, you get a real nightmare, like in the case of this Reddit user.

DoNotPay offers a solution even when all other methods to get your money back fail. According to the Fair Credit Billing Act of 1974, you have the right to submit a credit card charge dispute within 60 days from the payment date. Our app provides a fast and secure way to do so by following these simple steps:

1. Set up your DoNotPay account in a web browser
2. Select File a Chargeback when you log in
3. Answer a few questions about your bank
4. Enter relevant information about the Vrbo charge you want to dispute

DoNotPay will send your dispute request to the bank as soon as you finish the short questionnaire. If required, our AI bots can create a letter containing relevant Visa and MasterCard codes and regulations to supplement your case.

The whole process can be done from one app within minutes. No more long, annoying calls, fruitless email exchanges, or browsing lengthy terms and conditions documents searching for a way out of your refund issues. DoNotPay can help whether you’re dealing with Vrbo, Etsy, Fandango, or USPS.

Having Other Problems With Bureaucracy? DoNotPay Can Step In

DoNotPay is not only a refund expert. Our app can be used to appeal parking tickets in cities like Denver, San Jose, Boston, and many more.

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