What the Vrbo service fee is
Vrbo's own definition: "The service fee is a percentage of the reservation total (before taxes and refundable fees) that the traveler pays at checkout."[1] It's the guest's fee, separate from the commission Vrbo takes out of your payout.
- What it pays for: secure payment processing, ongoing product improvements and 24/7 customer support, according to Vrbo.[1]
- How big it is: Vrbo doesn't publish a fixed rate. Its help page says "the percentage varies depending on the reservation amount."[1] Skift reports guest fees are currently 11–14%.[3]
- Taxes: where local law requires it, VAT is charged on top of the service fee.[1]
- Hosts can't change it: "Hosts cannot waive or reduce the service fee."[1]
- Refunds: if a reservation is canceled inside your policy's 100% refund window, Vrbo refunds the service fee to the traveler automatically.[1]
What changes on October 29, 2026
Vrbo is moving hosts to a flat 12% commission on October 29, 2026. Skift reports the guest fee is expected to drop sharply at the same time, but Vrbo told hosts that "a smaller, flexible traveler service fee will remain in most cases."[3] Vrbo hasn't published the new guest-fee percentages. Until it does, nobody outside Vrbo can tell you the exact post-October fee, us included.
Where guests see it
Vrbo uses upfront pricing. The price shown in search results, on the map and on your listing page includes all mandatory fees and the service fee. Taxes are added at checkout, and optional extras aren't included.[2] In some countries and states, the displayed price has to include taxes too, so the same listing can show different prices on different country sites.[2]
That's why Vrbo tells hosts to enter every mandatory fee (cleaning, transfer fees, local taxes) in the owner dashboard or through their connectivity provider.[2][1] A fee you collect outside Vrbo breaks the upfront price, and guests notice.
What it does to a $1,000 stay
Using Skift's current 11–14% range, a $1,000 reservation subtotal (rent plus your fees, before taxes):[3]
| Guest fee (example) | Guest pays before taxes | You keep | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vrbo before Oct 29, 11% guest fee, 8% host fee | $110 | $1,110 | $920 |
| Vrbo before Oct 29, 14% guest fee, 8% host fee | $140 | $1,140 | $920 |
| Vrbo from Oct 29, 12% host fee | Smaller, not yet published | Somewhere between $1,000 and the figures above | $880 |
| Airbnb single fee, same $1,000 price | None | $1,000 | $845 |
The 8% host fee is the pre-October pay-per-booking model (5% commission plus 3% processing).[4] Airbnb's single fee is 15.5% for most hosts, and the guest pays no separate service fee.[5]
What hosts should do about it
- Compare totals, not list prices. A guest comparing your Vrbo and Airbnb listings sees Vrbo's total including its service fee and Airbnb's price with none added.[2][5] Check what your own listing shows on both sites for the same dates.
- Look again after October 29. Run a test search for your listing once the new fee is live and note the service fee in the breakdown.
- Don't promise guests a fee-free Vrbo booking. You can't waive or reduce the service fee.[1]
- Price for your payout. Your payout depends on the host commission, not on the guest fee. The Vrbo calculator shows how much to raise prices for the 12% commission, and Vrbo's 12% host fee, explained covers the host side.