We’re going to Italy next week (!). We have a VRBO apartment in Minori during our second week. The host wants the property balance to be paid in cash, and it’s hundreds of euros for the week. I’ve never paid cash for an Airbnb or VRBO balance. Thoughts?
I’m also finding that many of the transfer and tour operators are wanting cash. And I’m not talking about just 10 or 20 euros. I’m talking about hundreds. We never experienced this when we were in northern Italy. What are your thoughts please? TIA
Posted by
3247 posts
I would consider that to be a red flag on many levels, given that the host is operating on the VRBO platform.
In 2022, we used these transfer services that accepted credit cards:
https://www.topexcursionsorrento.com/
This tour operator accepted credit cards:
All of the above were excellent.
Posted by
Ontario, Canada
4574 posts
In the old days, VRBO allowed hosts to dictate their payment methods, but the eventually went to something similar to an AirBnB system of payment through the portal.
VRBO won't help you if anything goes wrong with the rental and you paid outside their portal.
Do you want to protect your family, or try to keep the host happy? I can seenit can be a dilemma as you may not wish to tick off a host if it is a longer rental, but you also want to have VRBOs protection in case there is other shady business.
Consider a short reply that you booked with the expectation that all payments would be through the VRBO portal and will continue with that plan. No apologies, no discussion. If they argue, threaten or otherwise make you uncomfortable, then report them.
(BTW, I hope all this communication is going through the company message system. If you agreed to another form of communication you are leaving yourself vulnerable.)
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwi_7rjJxamFAxXkLtAFHcX0CiQQFnoECA4QBQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fhelp.vrbo.com%2Farticles%2FHow-do-I-pay-securely-for-a-vacation-rental&usg=AOvVaw2YF7z6EiRmJ8yGsVodsN9y&opi=89978449
Posted by
Ontario, Canada
4574 posts
As to the non credit card payments, everywhere companies pay a percentage of every transaction to the credit card company. In North America, either they marked the original price to cover it, or sucked it up as part of business. As it can be 3-5%, it can add up.
Recently there was a thread in the forum that even American restaurants were starting to charge that fee to the diner that insisted on using their CC.
WISE is a money transfer and travel debit card company with lower fees that bank transfers and may be worth researching.
The other thing is most likely most Italians are walking around with hundreds of Euro in their pocket any given day. You will not have a blinker over your head identifying you as a cash carrier. I grew up carrying several hundred dollars in cash all the time. And when going to Africa, to avoid the CC 5% increase, I carried thousands in my money belt from Canada.
While some countries are going cashless, others are still very much a cash society and some are actually reverting back to it as CC fees for merchants continue to increase. I am encouraging you to get used to it.
Posted by
OP
Indy
57 posts
Thank you all for your advice and comments. I do appreciate it!
Posted by
ATL, USA
422 posts
Last month we rented a VRBO in Amsterdam where we paid the deposit online through VRBO but the host requested the balance in cash when we arrived. They had more than a hundred five star reviews, so I was comfortable with that. The space we rented was one floor of their house and they turned out to be absolutely lovely hosts with a very lovingly equipped space. So I can see why requesting the balance in cash could be a red flag, but it isn't always a red flag.