I have signed up for Homeaway online payments and have had one client ask to use it so far. Between asking for the payment, setting a limit date for the client to pay, receiving notice of the payment and then receiving the money in my bank account you have to count at least 7-10 days. The charges are less than Paypal by a good margin especially for a small time user like me, the costs are according to where the bank accounts are situated (UK/euro/worldwide zones) and not according to how much business you generate on a monthly/annual basis. The rates vary from 1.4% to 2.7% according to where the transfers are being made from and too and I have never paid less than 3.4% with Paypal.Essar wrote:Holiday Rent Payments
Homeaway use a service called HolidayRentPayments this is a Dublin based organisation part of the larger Yapstone Inc.
They take individual owners as well as large groups; I don't know what they charge but I understand that it's easy to call their payments system from your own website or even integrate it for the more techie crew.
(I don't use this service).
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Everything was very clearly set up and I received e-mails as the process advanced, as did the guest.
But as is the case with Paypal and if I understand correctly the guest is paying to a third party CC facility and not directly to me so cannot benefit from CC protection in case of fraud.
Whether offering wire, cheque, Paypal or this Homeaway CC facility, my aim is to offer my potential guests a choice of payment options and contrary to what this radio programme advises, the vast majority of my guests choose to pay by bank wire from all over the world.
Who are they talking to when they prepare their programme content? Like others have said, it seems like a hotel industry based lobby is pushing for this type of programme to promote their own self interests. Have these journalists even bothered to look for satisfied self-catering customers who come back year after year to the same product (and pay by wire or other "risky" methods)?
As a guest I would always weigh up ALL the payment option methods given by an owner. If they offer CC facilities that won't increase the overall price I would always be tempted in the view that I would earn miles or rewards or have some insurance cover using my CC (maybe limited health insurance as apposed to payment protection). In this day and age I would never assume that someone who pays by card does not have the money or is living beyond their means.