GetawayShield™

Three parts, one name

1. Live

   Guest guarantee

   The host cancels, you cannot get in, or the place is not as described or unsafe: we help you rebook or refund you. A person responds within an hour, around the clock for check-in day problems.

2. Live

   Host Damage Protection

   Claims replace the bond. A host claims for damage within 14 days of check-out; we charge the guest, or pay the host from the GetawayShield fund, up to $5,000 a stay. A guarantee from OzGetaways, not insurance.

3. Not offered

   Liability cover

   OzGetaways does not provide cover if someone is hurt or sues. Hosts need their own policy for paying guests.

For guests: the guarantee

Stays booked and paid on OzGetaways are protected by GetawayShield from the moment the booking is confirmed until check-out. Guests can book from 30 November 2026. Four situations are covered:

What happens, step by step

1. Tell usUse Urgent help on your booking. It opens a GetawayShield case and alerts our team. Say what is wrong and add photos if you can.
2. A person responds within an hourSomeone on our team reads it, contacts you by message or phone, and contacts the host. On check-in day that is around the clock.
3. The host gets a fair chanceWhere it can be fixed quickly (a code, a missing key, a clean), we ask the host to fix it first.
4. We help you rebookIf it cannot be fixed, we look for somewhere similar nearby with you. You choose; nothing is booked without your say.
5. We refund youRefunds go back to the card you paid with, or to your OzGetaways credit if you paid with it. We tell you the amount in writing. Banks usually show it within 5 to 10 business days.

You can follow the case, and add to it, on your booking page.

What the guarantee does not cover

• Money paid to a host some other way. A host asking you to pay outside OzGetaways is a reason to report them, and payments outside OzGetaways are not protected by GetawayShield.
• Flights, fuel, meals or other travel costs, or a change in your own plans. Travel insurance from an insurer is worth a look for a trip that matters to you.
• Cancellations you make yourself. The listing’s cancellation policy, shown before you book, applies.
• Weather, bushfire, flood or road closures that do not stop the host providing the stay. Always follow official warnings.
• Your own belongings, or injury. OzGetaways does not provide cover for either.
• Small things that do not change the stay, like a different brand of coffee machine.

What we need from you: book and pay on OzGetaways, keep your messages in OzGetaways, tell us as soon as you can (within 24 hours of check-in for a place that is not as described, straight away if you cannot get in), and give the host a reasonable chance to put it right where it is safe to.

For hosts: GetawayShield Damage Protection

A guarantee from OzGetaways, not insurance. Damage Protection replaces the bond: no bond is taken from guests, and guests see “Damage is handled by GetawayShield claims, no bond is taken.” If a guest damages your place:

1. Claim within 14 days of check-outFrom the booking, choose Make a damage claim. Say what was damaged and how much it costs to repair or replace, with photos and a receipt or quote.
2. Your guest answers within 72 hoursThey can accept, offer a lower amount, or tell us their side with their own photos. You can accept a lower offer.
3. If you do not agree, we decideA person on our team looks at both sides and approves all, part or none of the claim, and tells you both why.
4. You are paidAn agreed or approved amount is charged to the guest’s saved card and paid to your payout account. We take no fee from it.
5. If the guest cannot pay, we payIf the card is declined or there is no saved card, GetawayShield pays you from its fund, up to $5,000 a stay, and collects from the guest. The guest cannot book with us again until they have paid.

Damage Protection does not cover: wear and tear; damage that was there before the stay; cleaning that is part of your cleaning fee; loss of income or cancelled bookings; claims made after 14 days; or anything over $5,000 a stay. It is not a substitute for your own home and contents or landlord policy.

Your payout for a stay may wait while a guest’s GetawayShield case about it is open. We tell you why on the booking and in your payouts, and release it once the case is sorted out.

Liability cover

OzGetaways does not provide liability cover. If a guest is hurt at your place, or damages a neighbour’s property, GetawayShield does not pay for it. Check that your home and contents or landlord policy covers paying guests; many standard policies do not.

How we pay for it

We set aside 0.5% of the fees OzGetaways earns on every booking in the GetawayShield fund. It pays hosts when a guest cannot pay a damage claim, and some refunds and rebooking costs we choose to cover. It comes out of our fees: it is not an extra charge, and it changes nothing you pay or receive. See Fees.

Why we do not call it insurance

How to reach us

• During a stay: Urgent help on your booking page.
• After a stay: your booking page shows any GetawayShield case or claim and lets you add to it.
• Any other time: the contact form, or email hello@ozgetaways.com.au.
• Emergencies: call 000 first.

This page explains how we help. It sits alongside your rights under the Australian Consumer Law, which GetawayShield does not replace or limit, and our terms of use. GetawayShield is a trade mark of OzGetaways Pty Ltd.