Airbnb Pays Guests Up to €1,000 Per Day If It Rains

Airbnb has launched a rain insurance add-on that can be purchased upon booking, backed by insurer Chubb. The add-on pays the guest between €50 and €1,000 per day if rainfall reaches at least 1.5 millimeters in a single hour between 8:00 AM and 8:00 PM local time at the property location.

The add-on is available to residents of 10 EU countries and covers domestic and international trips, but excludes snow, hail, sleet, ice, and wind. Neither Airbnb nor WeatherPromise disclosed the commercial terms of the agreement with partners.

Airbnb says Chubb automatically measures rainfall using radar, satellite data, and weather models, including data from the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, and NASA, then issues payout without the guest filing a claim.

With this move, the company joins Vrbo, JetBlue Vacations, and Marriott in offering weather protection upon booking. Skift notes that compensation guarantees may boost booking rates among travelers who fear weather ruining their plans, though the question remains whether these guarantees will expand to cover extreme heatwaves.

What do these terms mean?

Weather insurance: Financial coverage that compensates a traveler if a specific weather condition occurs, such as rainfall, in exchange for an upfront fee.

Insurance policy: A contract defining coverage risks, compensation amounts, and eligibility conditions.

Daily payout: An amount paid by the insurer for each day the conditions of the covered event are met.