New HA / OD credit card charge fee of 3% to owners

OTA = Online Travel Agency, which means those sites that sell the booking and take the payment for you.
b_javea
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New HA / OD credit card charge fee of 3% to owners

Post by b_javea »

Has anyone else noticed that Homeaway / Owners Direct are changing their credit card charge from 1.4%/1.9% to a flat 3% ("due to increased costs" etc etc)

It was hidden at the bottom of an email (which I can't find now) but I noticed I'm still being charged 1.4% (UK card to UK bank account) and 1.9% (EU to UK).... However this link confirms...

https://help.ownersdirect.co.uk/article ... y-Payments

SO does anyone know when this 3% starts, or is it only for new people joining Online Payments?

It's a big leap, and over a season will mean hundreds more in fees.

BTW - I'm reluctant to contact HA directly in case they've accidentally not changed my rate to 3%!
Nigel Goodwin
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Post by Nigel Goodwin »

Owners Direct may not be fully merged with HA yet - there may be some independence in management control. So don't assume that it is across the HA family.
b_javea
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Post by b_javea »

Nigel Goodwin wrote:Owners Direct may not be fully merged with HA yet - there may be some independence in management control. So don't assume that it is across the HA family.

It is.
donnylu
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Post by donnylu »

I disabled online payments immediately after this increase. Also online payments is not a filter anymore so I felt I had nothing to lose.
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Post by Nigel Goodwin »

b_javea wrote:
Nigel Goodwin wrote:Owners Direct may not be fully merged with HA yet - there may be some independence in management control. So don't assume that it is across the HA family.

It is.
Do you mean Owners direct is fully integrated, or that the increase is across the HA family, or both?

Owners Direct was not fully integrated last year. The original founders, i understand, were in an earn-out period, and so had some control, hence why it was so difficult for Owners Direct advertisers like me to have the promised HA deals.

On the other hand I may be completely wrong. But why, when I renewed my advert last year on HA, was it not possible for HA to fulfil their promise and put my advert on Owners Direct?
b_javea
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Post by b_javea »

Nigel Goodwin wrote:
b_javea wrote:
Nigel Goodwin wrote:Owners Direct may not be fully merged with HA yet - there may be some independence in management control. So don't assume that it is across the HA family.

It is.
Do you mean Owners direct is fully integrated, or that the increase is across the HA family, or both?

Owners Direct was not fully integrated last year. The original founders, i understand, were in an earn-out period, and so had some control, hence why it was so difficult for Owners Direct advertisers like me to have the promised HA deals.

On the other hand I may be completely wrong. But why, when I renewed my advert last year on HA, was it not possible for HA to fulfil their promise and put my advert on Owners Direct?

Not sure - but the 3% seems to be across all brands (if you google it you'll find it at HA and OD).
b_javea
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Post by b_javea »

Nigel Goodwin wrote:
b_javea wrote:
Nigel Goodwin wrote:Owners Direct may not be fully merged with HA yet - there may be some independence in management control. So don't assume that it is across the HA family.

It is.
Do you mean Owners direct is fully integrated, or that the increase is across the HA family, or both?

Owners Direct was not fully integrated last year. The original founders, i understand, were in an earn-out period, and so had some control, hence why it was so difficult for Owners Direct advertisers like me to have the promised HA deals.

On the other hand I may be completely wrong. But why, when I renewed my advert last year on HA, was it not possible for HA to fulfil their promise and put my advert on Owners Direct?

Not sure - but the 3% seems to be across all brands (if you google it you'll find it at HA and OD).
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Mouse
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Post by Mouse »

donnylu wrote:I disabled online payments immediately after this increase. Also online payments is not a filter anymore so I felt I had nothing to lose.
Is it not? I thought that was their key goal. What is important to the filters now? Just online booking?

Mouse
x
e-richard
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Post by e-richard »

I don't think filters will really matter.

In the very near future (i.e. less than 1 year), the only properties that will appear in ANY search on any HomeAway site will be those who have online booking and payments.

Its really as simple as that
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Post by AndrewH »

e-richard wrote:I don't think filters will really matter.

In the very near future (i.e. less than 1 year), the only properties that will appear in ANY search on any HomeAway site will be those who have online booking and payments.

Its really as simple as that
Only a rumour, but I think this turn of events, or something close to it, might be scheduled for October 2017.
newtimber
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Post by newtimber »

e-richard wrote:I don't think filters will really matter.

In the very near future (i.e. less than 1 year), the only properties that will appear in ANY search on any HomeAway site will be those who have online booking and payments.
And in another year, it will be only those that have instant booking; another year only those that offer free cancellations...
COYS
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Post by COYS »

newtimber wrote:
e-richard wrote:I don't think filters will really matter.

In the very near future (i.e. less than 1 year), the only properties that will appear in ANY search on any HomeAway site will be those who have online booking and payments.
And in another year, it will be only those that have instant booking; another year only those that offer free cancellations...
+1
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CSE
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Post by CSE »

Did not the EU cap these fees?
http://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press ... -payments/

And no collection of you booking via a portal maybe you will encounter "skepticism" as expressed here.
https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g ... lands.html
Never try to out-stubborn your guests.
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Post by AndrewH »

casasantoestevo wrote:Did not the EU cap these fees?
http://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press ... -payments/
That is interesting and I am trying to fathom it. I think the capping applies to the card provider like a bank or Visa and not what is referred to there as the "retailer".

HolidayRentPayments is the card processor for HA and they operate out of Eire, which is in the EU. But maybe this regulation does not apply to them, being the "retailer" who may still lawfully make a fat profit (at a rip-off 3%) out of the "customer", who in this case would be the rental owner.
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CSE
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Post by CSE »

A half written regulation/law then. Happens everywhere.
Or the Legal-Beagles get around regulation/law some how.
Never try to out-stubborn your guests.
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