If something about a charge is not right, write to us first at [email protected]. Most questions are solved within a day, and a refund through us is faster than a bank dispute.
What a chargeback is
A chargeback is when you ask your card issuer to reverse a payment. The bank takes the money back and opens a case, and JWguest answers with the evidence of your booking.
Cancellations: what you get back is set by the policy you accepted
When you cancel a confirmed booking, the refund follows the Host's cancellation policy shown in the Listing (Flexible, Moderate or Strict) and in your booking confirmation. You accepted it when you booked. These amounts are not refundable:
- the part of the stay the policy does not refund;
- the Service Fee;
- the 15 EUR / 15 USD fee for a change of dates.
A chargeback for these amounts is not justified: they were charged under terms you agreed to.
What happens if the chargeback is not justified
JWguest contests it with your booking, the cancellation policy and your acceptance of the Terms. If the bank decides against JWguest, or the dispute is unjustified, you still owe the amount:
- JWguest sends you a written payment request for the amount reversed, the processor's dispute fees and an administrative fee of USD 50;
- if it is not paid within 14 days, your account may be suspended and the debt recovered, with interest and collection costs.
See section 7.10 of the Terms of Service.
When a refund is due
- The Host cancels: you get everything back, Service Fee included.
- The listing was not as described or you could not get in: report it within 12 hours of check-in, with photos (Guest Refund Policy).
- A refund was promised but has not arrived: write to us within 30 days.
For Hosts
If a guest disputes a payment, JWguest contests it with the booking evidence. Please send what we ask for (messages, check-in proof, photos) quickly.
- Before your payout: while a payment is under review, disputed or at risk of a dispute, or when the guest has asked for a refund, the amount you keep after a cancellation may be released up to 45 days after the planned check-in date. If the chargeback is lost, the amount is withheld from that payout.
- After your payout: if a chargeback reverses an amount already paid out to you and JWguest has not recovered it from the guest within 3 months, JWguest may deduct it from your future payouts or invoice it to you. This applies when the chargeback concerns the stay itself (the accommodation was not provided, was materially different from the listing, or you did not provide the evidence we asked for), and when a guest disputes the amount you kept under your cancellation policy after canceling.
- Card fraud: chargebacks caused by fraudulent use of a payment card are borne by JWguest.
See section 7.3 of the Terms of Service.