How do I turn on instant booking on VRBO?

To determine your preferred booking type, follow the steps below:
  1. Log in to your account.
  2. Select your listing.
  3. Select Property.
  4. Select Rules and policies.
  5. Select Booking type.
  6. Select Instant Booking or 24-hour review.
  7. Select Save.




To enable Instant Booking on your VRBO listing in 2026, you must adjust your "Booking Type" settings within your owner dashboard. First, log in to your VRBO account and select the specific listing you wish to update. From the navigation menu, click on "Property," then select "Rules and Policies." Inside this section, you will find a sub-category labeled "Booking Type." Here, you can toggle the setting from "24-hour review" to "Instant Booking." Once you select Instant Booking and click "Save," travelers who meet your basic requirements (such as a minimum age or a positive review history) can book your property immediately without waiting for your manual approval. In 2026, VRBO heavily incentivizes Instant Booking by giving these listings higher "search rank" visibility and a special badge that appeals to last-minute travelers. However, before turning it on, ensure your calendar is 100% accurate and synced with any other platforms like Airbnb, as canceling an "Instant Booked" reservation as a host can result in significant penalties, fees, and a negative impact on your "Premier Host" status if you have one.

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How do I enable instant booking on VRBO?
  1. Log in to your account.
  2. Click the property icon in the left-hand navigation of your dashboard.
  3. Click 'Rules & Policies'
  4. Click 'Online Booking'
  5. Choose Instant Booking as your booking method.
  6. Press Save.


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Instant bookings are confirmed automatically, which means you no longer have to accept manually or worry about expiring booking requests. You'll receive your payout as usual, 24 hours after the travelers' arrival at your property. Instant Book is only available to accounts that meet certain criteria.

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However, we often encourage potential guests to “book direct.” In other words, we advise guests to forego platforms like VRBO, Homeaway, or Airbnb. Trust us – there's a good reason for this! It's because these platforms charge guests an additional fee for their services.

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The cost of the service fees is typically much lower with Vrbo. Although the total price will depend on the cost of your rental, a Vrbo rental tends to be cheaper than an Airbnb rental. The cost of the listing depends on a variety of factors, including location, size and length of stay.

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The customer care costs for Airbnb are often more costly than those for VRBO. On Airbnb, customer service charges range from 14.2% to 16%. Meanwhile, VRBO charges a reservation fee of 3% for handling payments and 5% for commission on the overall rental price. Taxes are not a part of these costs.

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Vrbo's Book With Confidence Guarantee also protects against an owner cancellation, although it does not specifically say it will refund your stay. “If the owner unexpectedly cancels your reservation within 30 days of your stay, we'll help you find a comparable property,” it says.

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If you've chosen 24-hour Review as your booking type, travelers can submit a booking request and you'll have 24 hours to accept or decline. We ensure you stay informed by sending email notifications whenever you receive a booking request.

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