A “HomeAway” charge on your credit card is almost always a Vrbo booking fee. Vrbo, the vacation-rental platform owned by Expedia Group, was formerly called HomeAway, and many payment processors still use the old name in their billing descriptors. Reported variations include “HOMEAWAY USA*,” “VRBO FEE,” and strings that start with “VRBO HA” followed by an alphanumeric booking reference.1Brex. VRBO Charge Finder If you or someone in your household recently booked a vacation rental, the charge is legitimate. If not, treat it as potentially unauthorized and contact your card issuer.
Why the Old Name Still Shows Up
HomeAway launched in 2005 as a marketplace for vacation-rental owners. Expedia bought it for roughly $3.9 billion in late 2015 and rebranded the platform to Vrbo.2Skift. Expedia’s HomeAway to Follow Airbnb’s Lead and Add a Booking Fee for Travelers The name stuck in billing systems, so a card statement can still read “HOMEAWAY” years after the consumer-facing site stopped using it.
What the Charge Is Probably For
A single Vrbo reservation can generate more than one line item on your statement. Matching the amount to the right fee is the fastest way to confirm the charge is yours.
The Traveler Service Fee
Every guest who books through Vrbo pays a service fee calculated as a percentage of the reservation subtotal, meaning the nightly rate plus mandatory fees like cleaning, but excluding taxes and refundable deposits. The percentage varies with the booking amount and generally falls between 6% and 15%.3Hostfully. Vrbo Host Fees Vrbo says the fee pays for secure payment processing, platform improvements, and around-the-clock customer support, and hosts cannot waive or reduce it.4Vrbo. What Is the Service Fee
Damage Protection or a Security Deposit
Instead of a traditional refundable deposit, some hosts use an optional accidental-damage plan underwritten by Generali Global Assistance. Guests who opt in pay $59 for $1,500 of coverage, $89 for $3,000, or $119 for $5,000.5Vrbo. What Is Damage Protection If a host uses a traditional deposit instead, Vrbo either keeps the guest’s card on file (for amounts up to $5,000) or collects a refundable deposit at booking (for amounts above $5,000).6Vrbo. How Do I Protect My Property From Potential Damage Either amount can post to your card alongside the rental itself.
The Rental Amount
The largest charge, if you paid in full at booking, is the rental cost. Vrbo collects the guest’s total payment and later releases the host’s portion about one business day after check-in, after deducting a roughly 8% cut from the host’s payout.7Hospitable. Vrbo Payment Options From your side, all of it can appear as a “HOMEAWAY” or “VRBO” line.
What to Do If You Don’t Recognize the Charge
Start at home. A spouse, partner, adult child, or anyone else with access to your card number may have booked a rental. Because a single reservation can produce multiple entries (the rental, the service fee, and possibly a damage plan or deposit hold), the count on your statement may not match what you remember agreeing to.
If nobody in your household made the booking, contact Vrbo directly. The company’s support line is 877-202-4291, and it also takes questions at vrbo@partners.expediagroup.com.1Brex. VRBO Charge Finder Have the exact billing descriptor, the date, and the amount ready so support can search for the reservation.
If the charge turns out to be unauthorized, call your credit card issuer and dispute it. The card company holds final authority over whether to reverse the transaction through the chargeback process.8Vrbo. Prevent Chargebacks Reporting the charge quickly matters, since card networks impose their own filing windows.
Can You Get the Service Fee Refunded?
If you did make the booking but you’re trying to cancel, whether the service fee comes back depends on the host’s cancellation policy. When a reservation qualifies for a 100% refund under that policy and the host refunds the full payment, Vrbo automatically refunds the service fee too.9Vrbo. Does HomeAway Payments Automatically Issue Refunds to Travelers Cancellations that fall outside the full-refund window are governed by the host’s specific terms, and in those cases the service fee is typically not returned.4Vrbo. What Is the Service Fee
Vrbo also maintains an Extenuating Circumstances Policy for large-scale disruptions such as severe natural disasters (Category 3 or higher hurricanes, for example), declared public health emergencies, wars, and government-imposed travel bans. When that policy is activated, Vrbo refunds the full service fee to affected travelers, and hosts must refund the reservation cost.10Vrbo. About Extenuating Circumstances Policy Predictable seasonal weather and personal circumstances like illness are not covered.
What the Fee Actually Buys You
The service fee comes with a program called VrboCare, included automatically with every on-platform booking at no extra cost. VrboCare is narrow. It covers four specific problems: internet fraud where an unauthorized party hijacks a listing, wrongful denial of entry by a host, material property defects that were not disclosed at booking (such as a missing bedroom or a serious safety hazard), and a host’s unjustified refusal to return a security deposit or owed refund.11Vrbo. VrboCare Guarantee For host-initiated cancellations, Vrbo may help rebook you into comparable accommodations and cover the incremental cost, capped at 100% of the original booking price.12Expedia Group. Introducing VrboCare
VrboCare is not a general satisfaction guarantee. It applies only to bookings paid through Vrbo’s checkout, and you must first try to resolve issues directly with the host and pursue a refund through your bank before asking Vrbo for help.11Vrbo. VrboCare Guarantee If you paid the host outside the platform, none of this applies, and your recourse runs through your card issuer.
Fee Transparency Rules Now in Force
New rules aim to make surprise fees less common on future bookings. The Federal Trade Commission’s “Trade Regulation Rule on Unfair or Deceptive Fees,” finalized in December 2024, directly targets short-term lodging and live-event tickets. It requires businesses to display the total price, including all mandatory fees, more prominently than any other pricing information whenever they advertise or offer a price. It took effect on May 12, 2025.13Federal Trade Commission. FTC Announces Rule Banning Junk Ticket and Hotel Fees
Several states have added their own rules. California’s SB 478, effective July 1, 2024, broadly prohibits advertising one price and adding hidden fees at purchase, and AB 537 specifically requires short-term rental platforms to disclose the total price, including cleaning fees and other charges (but not taxes), in the advertised rate, backed by a $10,000 penalty for noncompliance. Minnesota enacted a similar junk-fee law effective January 1, 2025. As of mid-2024, Vrbo was described as already displaying both nightly and total rates at first glance across all states.14Skift. Expedia, Airbnb, and Booking Comply With California Junk Fee Law, but in Different Ways For any Vrbo booking you make going forward, the checkout total should already fold in the service fee before you agree, which makes reconciling a “HomeAway” line on next month’s statement easier.