Payment options - Paypal - Zelle - Venmo

[jleung80]

Hello - I am new to DISboards and renting DVC points. Hopefully this is the appropriate place to ask this question.

Is there a preferred method of payment for renting points or will this be in the contractual agreement between me and the person I am renting from? Do I best protect myself by paying with PayPal (good and services), or is there something about renting DVC points that removes any PayPal protections? Through reading some posts, I understand that these Forums are very well self policed, however, are there any red flags I need to watch out for, i.e. "I only accept PP Friends and Family"?

I look forward to planning my next trip! Thanks!!!
-Jack

 

[808blessing]

I used to look into Zelle (brother had it) which had less protection than Venmo. I think it was due to direct transfer. Sorry not much help but maybe it will get the convo started.

 

[CraigInPA]

That's between you and the owner of the points.

PayPal: If you use "friends and family", you're not eligible for a refund if something goes haywire. If you use "goods and services", the owner isn't protected against you issuing a dispute that you didn't get the services AND has to pay additional fees. When I've rented (through DisBoards, and once through Facebook), I required "friends and family", having had friends who were previously burned by PayPal.

Zelle: No protections for the renter. Once you send the money, that's it.

I can't speak about Venmo, since I've never used it.

Long story short: You're trusting an individual who you likely met over the Internet with your money in the hope that you'll arrive and the reservation is there. Do your due diligence. Don't send money to anyone who can't give you a reservation number and the lead guest name (your name, preferably) for the full reservation and you verify it through My Disney Experience.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

PayPal officially does NOT support its use to pay for vacation rentals. In case of a dispute you will most likely lose, because it is outside of covered transactions.

I haveb't dug too far intto the Venmo or Zelle T&C, but both companies are very clear in their warnings that they're intended to pay friends, family members, or people you trust. Unless something has changed, using Zelle is the same as completing a bank transfer and once the money is sent, you can't dispute the payment in any way.

Venmo provide very bold warnings on their site that unless you are paying a Venmo Approved business, the service may not be used for any good or service. So, in a vacation rental transaction, there is no protection for any party involved. I have seen Venmo shut down Girl Scouts from taking payments at cookie booths on non-business accounts, so I'd assume a large transaction would get flagged quick.

I suppose via either PP or Venmo you could dispute the credit card transaction, but my understanding is that if there's a dispute they won't get involved, which creates its own issues on the CC side.

 

[jleung80]

Very helpful, thanks for the responses!