What's changing at Vrbo on October 29, 2026
According to Skift's September 29, 2026 report, Vrbo is moving hosts to a flat 12% commission starting October 29, 2026, while lowering the service fee guests pay. It's the second big fee change in six weeks — Airbnb's 15.5% host-only fee arrived on September 15.
Until the switch, Vrbo's pay-per-booking hosts pay a 5% commission on the rental amount and host fees plus a 3% payment processing fee on the total the guest pays, including taxes and refundable deposits (8% in total, as Skift puts it). Hosts connected through property management software pay 5%, so they see the biggest jump. Skift adds that the few remaining annual-subscription hosts also move to 12%.
Worked example: a $1,000 booking
- Pay-per-booking today: $1,000 − 8% = $920 (before taxes and deposits, which add to processing)
- Connected software today: $1,000 − 5% = $950
- After Oct 29 at 12%: $880
To keep the $920 from a pay-per-booking host's typical booking you'd need about a 4.5% raise; a software-connected host needs about 8%. Guests pay a smaller service fee, so some of that raise is absorbed.
What's still unclear
Vrbo's pay-per-booking help page has already been rewritten around "a flat, all-in 12% commission fee" on the rental amount and host fees (cleaning, pet and similar). That wording suggests the 3% processing charge is folded in, but the same page still has a leftover paragraph about a 3% processing fee. We treat 12% as all-in; tick the box above to see the worst case. The page also says bookings from Vrbo's "expanded distribution partners may have higher fees", and that software-connected hosts in some regions (such as Europe, Australia and New Zealand) may pay 12%–15%.
Guest fees are the other unknown. Skift reports Vrbo's guest service fee is currently 11–14% and will drop, but a smaller, flexible fee will remain in most cases.