Frequently asked questions
Last updated : June 1, 2026
Everything you need to know about protected payment, cancellations and refunds on SharingTrip. For the legal details, see our Terms.
Is my money protected when I pay my share to someone I don't know?
Yes. Your payment is held in escrow by a licensed payment provider: it is NOT released to the organiser straight away. The funds are only released after you confirm the stay actually took place, plus a 5-business-day safety delay. If the stay does not happen, you are refunded. SharingTrip never holds your money (it is handled by a licensed payment provider).
When do I pay my share?
Creating the group and organising are free. You only pay your share as the departure approaches (usually a few weeks before), once the trip is confirmed. This avoids tying up your money for too long.
When does the organiser get paid?
After you confirm the stay took place — or, failing that, 48 hours after the end of the stay — plus a 5-business-day safety delay. Before that, the money stays safely held in escrow.
What happens if the trip is cancelled?
Two cases are refunded WITHOUT any step on your side: the trip is cancelled, or the organiser did not evidence their booking within the time allowed — you are then refunded automatically. In every other case where the stay does not take place (the organiser does not show up, the accommodation does not exist), it is up to YOU to report it before the confirmation deadline: absent a report, the stay is deemed confirmed and the funds go to the organiser. Amounts refunded are refunded in full, minus only the non-recoverable payment-processing fees. The refund of the booking itself (Airbnb, Booking, etc.) depends on the cancellation policy of the partner it was made with.
How is the stay validated?
In three steps, to protect everyone: (1) on arrival, you confirm your check-in; (2) during the stay, a unique code is exchanged with the organiser (proof you were actually together); (3) on departure, you use that code to confirm the stay took place. This validation is only about whether the stay happened, not its quality. Failing that, confirmation becomes tacit 48 hours after the end of the stay.
What is the stay code for?
The code, exchanged between you and the organiser during the stay, proves you were really there together — like the arrival code used by some rental platforms. It secures the release of funds and serves as evidence in case of a dispute.
What if I don't respond to the validation request?
Your silence counts as confirmation. Absent a report from you within 48 hours of the end of the stay, it is deemed confirmed: the 5-business-day safety delay starts, then the funds are released to the organiser. We email you BEFORE that deadline. This is the price of speed: without this rule, a simple oversight would block the organiser’s money indefinitely. One exception: if the organiser never evidenced their booking AND you never confirmed a check-in, nothing shows the stay took place — the funds are then frozen and we review the case.
What should I do in case of a dispute?
If you report a problem before the funds are released, the amounts involved are frozen while it is resolved. We may ask both parties for evidence (proof of arrival, messages) to determine whether the stay took place. However, SharingTrip does not arbitrate the quality of the service: that is up to the partner the booking was made with.
Who handles the refund of my Airbnb or Booking reservation?
The partner the reservation was made with, according to its own cancellation policy. SharingTrip is not a party to that reservation: we only facilitate the cost-sharing between you and your co-travellers.
A co-traveller doesn't pay their share — what happens?
SharingTrip calculates the shares and facilitates payments, but does not guarantee payment between co-travellers: an unpaid share is settled between you. If someone drops out of a shared existing booking (Pillar 1), their share is refunded immediately and in full, whether or not their spot is taken by someone else. The other participants’ shares are never increased automatically — it is up to the group to decide how to cover a seat left vacant.
Why is there a service fee? What is it for?
The service fee pays SharingTrip for coordinating the sharing and the secure payment (escrow, identity verification, protection in case of a dispute). It is shown clearly before any payment and is never a markup on the price of your reservation.
Is the service fee refundable?
In case of cancellation, the service fee is refunded minus the payment-processing fees already incurred and non-recoverable, except where the coordination service has already been fully provided.
Is SharingTrip a travel agency?
No. SharingTrip is a technical intermediary and business introducer: we facilitate cost-sharing between co-travellers, connecting travellers with one another, and searching/redirecting to booking partners. We do not sell trips and are not a party to the booking contracts.
Is my payment data secure?
Yes. Payments are processed by a licensed provider compliant with banking security standards. No card data passes through SharingTrip's servers.