Email Blast June 24, 2025 - Strict Cancellation Policies Could Be Costing You Bookings

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Strict Cancellation Policies Could Be Costing You Bookings

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Hi [first name], 

We noticed your Vrbo cancellation policy is set to a stricter format, either Strict, Firm, or a custom policy requiring cancellation more than 32 days in advance. While you may prefer a firmer stance, knowing how this impacts your Vrbo visibility and performance is important. The following Vrbo policies are recommended:

• Relaxed: 100% refund if canceled ≥14 days before check-in
• Moderate: 100% refund if canceled ≥30 days before check-in

Policies more than 30 days or with no refund are treated as non-refundable, which results in:

• Lower search ranking
• Exclusion from “Free Cancellation” filters
• Reduced traveler trust

Performance Boost:

• 30%+ increase in annual net booking value
• 10%+ higher booking conversion rate
• 3x more listing views
• 2x more property page clicks

What Travelers Want:

• 77% of travelers prefer rentals with a flexible cancellation policy
• “Free Cancellation” is one of the top-used filters on Vrbo
• Listings with any non-refundable fees are excluded from these filters

To resolve this, we recommend updating your cancellation policy to match Vrbo’s exact Moderate or Relaxed options. This ensures your listings show up in as many search results as possible, inevitably gaining you more bookings.