On September 27th the home exchange network GuesttoGuest launched their new paid membership option. The cost is 130€ per year, with discounts given for length of membership. I’ve been a member since 2014 and my price was 100€. Members save 5€ per year for renewals until they get down to 100€, which is the lowest price available. Members also get 500 bonus points when they pay the annual fee.
This paid membership system is part of a new GuesttoGuest insurance plan, which is now required for all exchanges. Members who don’t pay the annual fee can instead pay 10€ per day for the insurance.
When I wrote about this change in July, GuesttoGuest said that it would be implemented in 2019. It looks like the Service Plus 10€ per day is still optional. But people have an incentive to sign up for the Optimal paid membership. First, the discount for years of membership is apparently only available until November 1. And second, many hosts will require insurance, even though it’s optional. Paying the annual fee is a better deal if you plan to use home exchange services more than 13 days in the year.Here’s a summary of what Service Plus provides:
- Cancellation protection: Up to 700€ per week if GuesttoGuest can’t find a replacement home swap
- Compliance guarantee: If your swap home doesn’t match the description they will provide an alternative solution
- Damage and theft protection: Up to 500,000€ to cover damages and theft at the host property
- Emergency assistance: 24/7 personal assistance
In the case of accidental damage the member doing the damage still has to pay a 100€ deductible.
My earlier post evaluated the pros and cons of this insurance in more detail.Here’s the GuesttoGuest announcement:
Over the past year, we’ve heard your feedback and dreamed of a future when GuesttoGuest, and it’s engaged community, have evolved into a better, smoother, and more secure experience…
In July, we launched Service Plus, an enhanced offering that combined all the formerly optional services, to provide you an expanded level of support and guarantees for the low cost of 10€ per night.Today, we are proud to launch: Optimal an annual membership which provides all the benefits of Service Plus for 12 month. Now you can host and travel as many times a year as you might like, without having to pay for Service Plus every night you are a guest. Now, more than ever, your GuestPoints allow you to travel, wherever you want to go.
