Summary of changes
Vendor fees now match how experiences are paid: Vendors pay a 15% commission (unless a different rate is agreed in writing) and nothing else, SWFL Vacations pays card processing on Guest payments for Vendors' bookings, and a Vendor who cancels owes no commission. Nothing changes for Hosts or Guests.
SWFL Vacations Fee Schedule
Effective October 20, 2026 · Version 2.1.0
Guests pay a 3% booking fee. Hosts pay a 6% commission and nothing else: SWFL Vacations pays card processing on Guest payments for stays, so neither Guests nor Hosts pay a processing charge. Vendors pay a 15% commission on each booking, unless a different rate is agreed in writing, and nothing else. This Fee Schedule is part of the Terms of Service. We give 30 days' notice before any change, and changes never apply to bookings already confirmed.
| Fee | Who pays | Amount | Calculated on |
|---|---|---|---|
| Booking fee | Guest | 3% | Booking subtotal |
| Host commission | Host | 6% | Booking subtotal |
| Card processing on Guest payments for stays | SWFL Vacations | No charge to Hosts or Guests | — |
| Experience commission | Vendor | 15%, unless agreed otherwise in writing | Experience price |
| Service commission | Vendor | 15%, unless agreed otherwise in writing | Service price |
| Card processing on Guest payments for a Vendor's bookings | SWFL Vacations | No charge to Vendors | - |
| Host cancellation | Host | The commission on the canceled booking, plus any extra rehousing cost, capped at the original booking total | Canceled booking |
| Vendor cancellation | Vendor | No commission; the Guest is refunded in full | Canceled booking |
Definitions and details#
Booking subtotal means the nightly rate for all nights, plus the cleaning fee and any other mandatory fee the Host charges. The 3% booking fee and the 6% Host commission are both calculated on the booking subtotal. It excludes taxes, refundable security deposits and the booking fee.
Stay total means the booking subtotal, plus the booking fee, plus taxes.
Booking fee. The booking fee is SWFL Vacations' charge to Guests for using the Platform, and it covers the cost of card processing. It is 3% of the booking subtotal. Guests never pay a separate processing charge or card surcharge. SWFL Vacations keeps the booking fee.
Host commission. Hosts pay a commission of 6% of the booking subtotal on each booking made and paid on SWFL Vacations. It applies to every Host, including Sands Property Management LLC. The commission is collected from the Guest's payment at booking, as described under "When the Guest is charged," so it is never charged to the Host separately. It is shown on each payout statement. Hosts pay no other fee on a booking.
Card processing. SWFL Vacations pays the card processing costs on Guest payments for stays, including the remainder charged on the Host's behalf. Hosts and Guests pay no processing charge.
All-in pricing. Every price shown to Guests includes the booking fee and all mandatory fees. Before booking, the Guest sees the full stay total, including the booking fee and taxes, and a "Due today" amount showing what is charged at booking, with the amount and timing of the later charge. Guests are never charged a card surcharge.
When the Guest is charged#
At booking ("Due today"). When the booking is confirmed, the Guest pays SWFL Vacations 9% of the booking subtotal: the 3% booking fee plus a 6% deposit toward the stay. The deposit is credited against the stay total, and SWFL Vacations keeps it as the Host's commission. The Guest's card is saved for the remainder.
Before the cutoff. The remainder of the stay total (the booking subtotal less the 6% deposit already paid, plus taxes) is charged automatically to the saved card before the listing's cancellation cutoff: 30, 14 or 7 days before check-in, as shown on the listing and in the Cancellation Policies. We first try to charge it 3 days before the cutoff.
Bookings made close to check-in. If a booking is made after the date we would first try to charge the remainder (3 days before the cutoff), the whole stay total is charged at booking, on behalf of the Host. SWFL Vacations keeps 9% of the booking subtotal from that charge (the booking fee and the Host commission).
If the charge fails. We retry the charge several times before the cutoff and email the Guest a secure payment link after each failed attempt. If the remainder is still unpaid at the cutoff, the booking is canceled automatically, and it is treated as a Guest cancellation at the cutoff under the Cancellation Policies.
Who the Guest is paying. The amount paid at booking goes to SWFL Vacations, which is the merchant of record for it. The remainder (rent, cleaning fee, other mandatory fees and taxes, less the deposit) is charged on behalf of the Host, and the Host's Stripe account is the merchant of record for it. SWFL Vacations takes no further fee from the remainder. The Guest may therefore see two charges on their statement.
Example. A stay with $600 in nightly rates and a $100 cleaning fee:
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Booking subtotal ($600 nights + $100 cleaning) | $700 |
| Booking fee (3% of $700) | $21 |
| Taxes (example rate of 12% on $700) | $84 |
| Stay total shown at checkout | $805 |
| Due today (3% booking fee $21 + 6% deposit $42) | $63, paid to SWFL Vacations |
| Remainder, charged before the cutoff on behalf of the Host ($805 − $63) | $742 |
| Host receives ($700 − $42 commission + $84 taxes) | $742 |
| SWFL Vacations keeps ($21 booking fee + $42 commission) | $63 |
The tax rate in this example is illustrative only; the taxes on a booking are the amounts the Host has set up for the listing.
Refunds of the booking fee and the deposit#
When a Guest cancels before the cutoff, the Host's portion (rent, cleaning fee, other mandatory fees and taxes, less the commission) is refunded in full. The booking fee and the 6% deposit have their own rules:
- Booking fee: not refunded when the Guest cancels. It is refunded in full when the Host or SWFL Vacations cancels, or where the law requires.
- 6% deposit (the Host commission): refunded when the Guest cancels before the cutoff. It is refunded in full when the Host or SWFL Vacations cancels.
When a Guest cancels at or after the cutoff, nothing is refunded, including the booking fee and the deposit, unless the Host or SWFL Vacations cancels or the law requires a refund.
Host cancellations#
When a Host cancels, the Guest receives a full refund, including the booking fee and the deposit. A Host who cancels a confirmed booking owes the commission SWFL Vacations would have earned on it. If the Guest is rehoused in a comparable listing that costs more, the Host is also billed the difference between the new booking and what the Guest paid, capped at the original booking total. For example, if the original stay was $300 per night and the replacement is $400 per night, the Host is billed $100 per night. If the replacement costs the same or less, the Host owes only the commission. These charges are deducted from future payouts or invoiced.
No cancellation charges apply when a Host cancels because of a mandatory evacuation order, because the property became uninhabitable, or for another reason we accept as valid.
Other details#
Vendor cancellations. A Vendor who cancels earns nothing on the booking and owes no commission on it. The Guest always receives a full refund, including the commission.
Payouts. Host payouts are released 24 hours after guest check-in. Vendor payouts are released 24 hours after the scheduled service or experience ends. The Host commission is collected at booking, so it is not deducted again; any other amounts a Host owes us are deducted before payout. All of these are shown on each payout statement.
Security deposits. Each Host chooses whether to require a refundable deposit, a card hold, a non-refundable damage waiver fee, or none of these. No fees are charged on refundable deposits.
Taxes. Hosts are responsible for reporting and remitting rental taxes. The tax amounts a Host sets up for a listing are collected from the Guest as part of the booking charge and paid to the Host with the booking proceeds.
Listings offered by Sands Property Management LLC. Sands Property Management LLC is a Host like any other. The same fees apply to its listings: Guests pay the 3% booking fee, and Sands Property Management LLC pays SWFL Vacations the same 6% Host commission as every other Host.
Effective date. This version takes effect on the effective date shown at the top of this page and applies to bookings confirmed on or after that date. Bookings confirmed earlier keep the terms of the version in effect when they were booked (Fee Schedule 1.2.0).