Guide

How to Avoid Airbnb and Vrbo Fees by Booking Direct

By Terrence Boykin

Man hand holding a credit card over an open laptop keyboard, face mostly out of frame
Photo: Rupixen on Unsplash

Airbnb and Vrbo take a cut of every booking, and that cut is part of the price you pay. Many hosts on those sites also take bookings on their own websites, where there is no booking site fee to cover. Find the stay on Airbnb or Vrbo, then book the vacation rental direct with the host. The same nights can cost less.

What Airbnb and Vrbo Charge

As of November 2026, most Airbnb hosts pay a single fee of 15.5% of each booking. Vrbo hosts moved to a flat 12% fee on October 29, 2026, and in most cases Vrbo guests also pay a service fee on top. On a $1,000 Airbnb stay, the host keeps $845. On their own website, that host could charge you $845 and take home the same amount. That is $155 less for the same nights. The guide to the Airbnb service fee works through the numbers.

Finding the Host’s Website

Start on Airbnb or Vrbo and find a stay you like. Write down what the listing tells you: the property name, the cabin or unit name, the host’s name or business name, and the town. Then leave the app and search.

  • Google: Put the property or business name in quotation marks and add the town. If the listing names a management company, search that name too.
  • ChatGPT: Ask with the name and the town: “Does this cabin have its own booking website?” ChatGPT can search the web and point you to the host’s site if there is one.
  • The match: The host’s site should show the same cabin, the same photos, and a booking calendar.

Not every host has a website of their own. Stays on Overnight Atlas link straight to the host’s own site once the host claims the profile.

Booking a Vacation Rental Direct

Get a quote on the host’s site for the same dates and the same number of guests. Compare it with the checkout total on Airbnb or Vrbo. The direct price is the host’s call, so it can match the booking site. When it is lower, book direct.

Booking direct puts you under the host’s own terms. Get the cancellation policy in writing before you pay, and pay by credit card. The FTC says a wire transfer is like sending cash.

Both booking sites have a few house rules. To protect your Airbnb or Vrbo account, and the host’s, never use the booking site’s messages to ask a host about booking off the site. For what to ask a host before you book, see questions to ask a host.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you avoid Airbnb fees?

Yes, when the host also takes bookings on their own website. Most Airbnb hosts pay a 15.5% fee, so on a $1,000 stay a host could charge $845 direct and keep the same amount.

How do you find an Airbnb host’s own website?

Search the property or business name in quotation marks with the town on Google, or ask ChatGPT whether the cabin has its own booking website. The host’s site should show the same cabin and photos.

Is booking direct cheaper than Vrbo?

It can be. Vrbo hosts pay a 12% fee, and in most cases guests pay a Vrbo service fee on top. Compare the host’s direct quote with Vrbo’s checkout total.