What If My Host Cancels?
If your host cancels on you, you always get a full refund — and if it happens late, Carvia will cover the extra cost of a pricier replacement car, up to 1.5× your original trip price.
The short version
A host cancelling on a guest is one of the most disruptive things that can happen on Carvia, so we don't leave you to absorb the cost of it. No matter when your host cancels:
- You get a full refund, always — trip price, service fee, and protection cost, all of it.
- If it happens late — inside 72 hours of your trip start, or after your check-in window has already opened — Carvia's funded rebooking guarantee kicks in automatically.
How the funded rebooking guarantee works
If your host cancels inside that late window and you have to book a comparable replacement car at a higher price, Carvia pays the difference — up to 1.5× your original trip price. You're not stuck eating the cost of a last-minute price jump because your host backed out.
This is on top of your full refund, not instead of it. The math: original trip refunded in full, plus the gap between what you originally paid and what a comparable replacement costs you, covered up to that 1.5× cap.
What actually happens on the host's end
Hosts face a real cost for cancelling late, which is part of why this guarantee exists:
| When the host cancels | Fee to host |
|---|---|
| 7+ days before trip start | none |
| 3-7 days before trip start | $30 |
| Inside 72 hours, or after check-in window opens | $75, plus the funded rebooking guarantee activates for you |
Hosts who cancel late repeatedly (3 or more times in a rolling 90 days) get their account reviewed, which can mean losing Instant Book eligibility or being moved to a lower-earnings, lower-exposure plan. Carvia takes this seriously because a last-minute cancellation isn't just an inconvenience — it can wreck a trip you planned around.
What to do in-app when this happens
1. Check your Trips tab. You'll see the cancellation notice and refund status there first — your refund is issued automatically, you don't need to request it.
2. If it's inside the late window, look for the rebooking guarantee prompt. Carvia surfaces this directly on your cancelled trip if you're eligible, along with next steps.
3. Search for a replacement. If you need a car, search again for your same dates — Carvia proactively helps surface comparable options when a host cancels inside 3-7 days.
4. Book the replacement, then submit it for the guarantee. If the replacement costs more than your original trip, submit the new booking through the rebooking guarantee flow on your cancelled trip so Carvia can reimburse the difference, up to the 1.5× cap.
5. Contact support if anything's unclear. Reach us in-app or at support@carvia.app — have your original trip and (if applicable) your replacement booking ready to reference.
Why this happens at all
Occasionally a host has to cancel for a legitimate reason — illness, a mechanical issue, an emergency. If your host's cancellation was due to a documented emergency, it may fall under our Extenuating Circumstances Policy, which waives the fees above but doesn't change your refund or your rebooking protection — you're covered either way.