Travelore Tips: How Not To Get Scammed When Booking A Vacation Rental

© Zoonar GmbH / Alamy

When paying for a vacation rental, be careful of wire transfers and other methods of payment outside the system set up or recommended by the booking platform.

I know I've written about vacation rentals recently. I don’t want to be redundant, but in the last six weeks I've received several letters from readers who have run into difficulties with properties. The most troubling of these involve internet fraud: $3,000 wired to a bank for a Paris apartment (Airbnb); $1,360 wired to a bank for a condo in Florida (Flipkey); $12,000 wired to a bank for a villa near Nice (HomeAway); and there was the case I wrote about in September and March—$3,000 wired to a bank for a chalet in the French Alps (HomeAway). All of those payments went to someone other than the owner of a vacation rental.

Notice any similarity with the transactions? Yes, all wire transfers, which offer little protection, particularly if you have not verified the property with the owner directly. HomeAway, which also owns VRBO, recommends you always speak to the owner before you rent:

“Call the owner or property manager. The cardinal rule for booking a vacation rental is to always pick up the phone and call the number of the home owner or property manager that is listed on the website. With the prevalence of phishing in online industries today, it is always best to communicate with a person live.”

Airbnb handles things a bit differently. It allows you to communicate through the website with ease and requires payment through its system:

“Paying outside the Airbnb system is not secure, and we cannot provide access to [our secure structure] when reservations aren’t booked directly through our website. If someone asks you to pay outside of Airbnb, please report it to safety@airbnb.com immediately.”

Of course, because Airbnb requires payment within the system doesn’t mean people won’t try to circumnavigate the process. Sometimes they may simply want to avoid paying fees, but they also may not be who they say they are.

The bottom line is, no matter which service you use to find and book a vacation rental, remember that it isn't the same as booking a hotel room. Rental agreements are between you and the owner, not necessarily a brick-and-mortar business with accounting and customer service departments. While some booking platforms facilitate payment and offer protections, you still have to follow the rules. And even then, nefarious individuals are looking to beat the system all the time. Remember to verify the listing and the owner through reviews and/or direct communication.

As far as payment is concerned, use a credit card whenever possible. They offer protections against fraud, provided you meet the timeline for filing a dispute, usually 60 days from the date of payment. If you can’t pay with a credit card, then unless you are absolutely sure you are dealing with the actual owner or manager of a legitimate listing, use the secure billing systems offered by the booking platforms. HomeAway Payments, for instance, offers a guarantee of up to $10,000 against internet fraud.

For more information about how to protect yourself and get the vacation rental you bargained for, read the recommendations offered in the September and March Ombudsman posts I mentioned, as well as Paul Brady’s Six Tips for First-Time Airbnb Renters.

Booking a vacation rental, or a shared apartment or house, can be a great way to find a unique place to stay and meet interesting people while exploring your destination. Most of the money wired in the examples above, however, is lost to those readers for good. Please don’t let an avoidable mistake tarnish or derail your plans, too.

Contributed by Eric Jordan, www.cntraveler.com

8 Travel Trends We Hope To See More Of This Year (And Beyond)

 

Flickr/Andres Nieto Porras

2014 was a great year for travel. From the introduction of more budget airlines in the U.S. to new hotel loyalty programs, a ton of trends are giving travelers more choices and better prices. Here are our favorites that we hope to see more of, this year and beyond.

1. Budget Carriers (That Aren't Spirit Airlines)
WOW Air recently rocked the Internet with unbelievable, under-$300 round-trip flights between Boston and Iceland — a rock-bottom price. More flights from Baltimore and Washington, D.C. will be added seasonally starting this summer, and if all goes well, we can expect more cheap flights from other American hubs. We were also excited when Norwegian Air Shuttle launched a route between NYC and London last July — the first budget carrier to do so in 37 years — with round-trip rates up to $400 less than those on the major carriers. Of course, these types of airlines are best suited to travelers who don’t require any frills, but more options can only mean better prices for consumers.

2. Cheap Dallas
Speaking of airfare, can you believe that it used to cost less to fly round-trip from New York City to places like Phoenix, Puerto Rico, and St. Thomas than to Dallas? That finally changed this fall, when Southwest Airlines and Virgin Airlines both brought a whole host of flights to and from either U.S. coast, as well as Denver and Chicago. Pro tip: In general, prices drop whenever Southwest and JetBlue add new routes — that’s where the terms “Southwest effect” and “JetBlue effect” come from.

3. Free, Open WiFi
Setting aside Marriott’s embarrassing, major mistake of blocking personal WiFi, the travel industry is starting to come to terms with how important free and open WiFi is to their customers. Major hotel chains now offer free WiFi to either all guests or members of their loyalty programs, most of which are free to join — including Kimpton, IHG, Hyatt, Starwood, and, yes, Marriott. In fact, hotelwifitest said just a week ago that 85 percent of U.S. hotels offer free wifi. (Speed is a different matter, since many brands do differentiate between basic, free internet and premium-speed paid internet.) Up in the skies, JetBlue takes the cake for being the only American carrier to provide free (basic) connectivity, at least for 2015, if not beyond.

4. Car Sharing
Uber has experienced its fair share of woes as it aggressively expanded last year, but we’re going to go back to the assumption that more competition means more and better choices for travelers. These car-sharing services have meant cheaper prices (surge hours aside), easier hailing, and easier payment for those in need of a ride. Of course, Uber isn’t the only one out there. Lyft has been trying to take them head on, and Sidecar is another one to watch. And even if they don’t drop their prices, perhaps local taxi commissions will take a leaf from the car sharing book and incorporate more convenient technology into the hailing process — which black car companies are starting to do.

5. Brand-Agnostic Loyalty Programs
If it’s difficult to rack up those airline miles, it can be even harder for leisure travelers to accumulate hotel points — especially for those who prefer boutique hotels, independent properties, and inns. Enter programs like Expedia+ Rewards, the less-than-two-year-old iPrefer, and Stash Hotel Rewards. These all allow travelers to earn points at hotels beyond the big chains, enjoy extra perks, and redeem award stays more quickly.

6. Longer Airfare Price-Holding
Want more time for price comparison and shopping around than the 24 hours mandated by the U.S. Department of Transportation? You have more options than ever. Just this fall, British Airways started allowing travelers to lock in your price at 72 hours for $10, and other airlines like United and Virgin Atlantic offer similar services for holds up to seven days. There are also independent websites like Options Away, a start-up that lets you lock in a prices between two and 14 days. Of course, there’s no guarantee that prices will drop when you purchase these holds, but the fees are often insignificant enough that it’s worth the potential bet on saving one or two hundred dollars at some point.

7. Swanky HostelsThe definition of luxury is changing, and, we think, for the better. A ton of chic hostels that are looking more and more like affordable boutique hotels are showing that it’s now about how an experience feels, not just how much it costs. Saving big, making new friends, and still enjoying your privacy — what’s not to love about staying at a hostel as a grown-up?

8. Rental Apartments…Managed by Hotel Chains
We all know and love vacation rentals from Airbnb, HomeAway, and the like. You get more space, bigger savings, and a better feel for the local lifestyle. Also cool? Souped up versions managed by hotel chains, through which guests can access extra services like housekeeping and concierge support. The reservations process also more resembles traditional hotel bookings, for less confusion, and you know who to go to in the even that you need troubleshooting. We’ll say it again: Hooray for more choices.

- See more at: http://blog.shermanstravel.com/2015/8-travel-trends-we-hope-to-see-more-of-this-year-and-beyond/#sthash.27FmVnsn.dpuf

Contributed by Christine Wei

Follow us on Twitter: @TraveloreReport