VRBO/Homeaway payment question

[misse336]

We are getting ready to make our first reservation with either VRBO or Homeaway.

For people who have used either of those booking sites - My question is, when you make a reservation with them and pay the balance for your rental, how do you end up paying for it? Paypal, cashier's check, credit card, deposit into a bank account, etc? Is the money paid through the VRBO/Homeaway site or directly to the owners of the property? If paid to the owners of the property, what security do you have if anything goes wrong?

We're really excited to rent a townhouse, but I want to make sure everything goes smoothly and is legit before booking.

Thanks so much for your help!

 

[2Gma]

We always use our credit card for the protection it offers and just in case we need to dispute the claim. We've rented through vrbo 5 times and have never had any issues. Once you have confirmed the dates with the owner/property management person they usually send you an email link with the Homeaway/Vrbo logo on it that requests the money.