Question 1

What is the total cost? Setup, monthly, and any per booking fees?

Accepted Answer

$149 one time setup plus $19 a month for one rental. There is no per booking fee and no commission: KeepItDirect takes no cut of your nightly rate, your cleaning fee, or any booking. We build a free preview of your site first, so you see it before you pay anything. If you have already paid, the $149 is refundable if you ask in writing within 7 days, and the monthly plan can be canceled anytime by email.

Question 2

Is Stripe required?

Accepted Answer

No. Stripe is optional and only needed if you want guests to pay by card. Without Stripe, your site does not offer card payments and guests pay you directly with the methods you list, such as Venmo, Zelle, Cash App, PayPal, or cash. If you want card payments, you connect your own Stripe account and card payments go straight into it.

Question 3

Can I use Helcim (or another card processor) instead of Stripe?

Accepted Answer

Not today. Stripe is the only card processor the booking system connects to. You can still list other ways to pay, like Venmo, Zelle, Cash App, PayPal or cash, and guests pay you directly.

Question 4

Does KeepItDirect add anything to my payment processing fees?

Accepted Answer

No. KeepItDirect never processes or holds guest payments and takes no application fee. Card payments run through your own Stripe account, and Stripe charges its standard processing fees to your account. KeepItDirect adds nothing on top. Venmo, Zelle, Cash App, PayPal and cash go straight from the guest to you.

Question 5

How fast do bookings block dates on Airbnb and Vrbo?

Accepted Answer

The calendar syncs both ways by iCal, the standard calendar link Airbnb and Vrbo use. Airbnb or Vrbo booking to your site: your site checks your Airbnb and Vrbo calendars every 15 minutes and blocks those dates. It checks again the moment you approve a request, so a booking that just came in on Airbnb is caught before you say yes. Direct booking to Airbnb and Vrbo: as soon as you approve a guest, or block dates in your Host Portal, those dates are in your site's calendar link. We add that link to your Airbnb and Vrbo calendars with you during setup. Airbnb and Vrbo refresh linked calendars on their own schedule, which KeepItDirect does not control. The sync covers availability. Nightly rates you set on your site are not pushed to Airbnb or Vrbo.

Question 6

Can I use my own domain name?

Accepted Answer

Every site comes with its own keepitdirect.com web address, like yourhouse.keepitdirect.com, with secure HTTPS. Using a domain name you own instead may cost extra, and we confirm any fee with you in writing before charging anything. How domains are handled is covered in our Terms .

Question 7

What booking controls do I get? Minimum stays, deposits, approvals?

Accepted Answer

You approve every guest. Guests pick dates, see the full price, and send a request. Nothing is booked until you approve it. There is no instant booking. Minimum and maximum stays. Set from your Host Portal, along with nightly, weekend and seasonal rates, a cleaning fee, and taxes. Deposits. Optionally ask for a deposit to hold the dates, and choose when the balance is due (at booking, at check in, or a set number of days before), with reminders. House rules. Shown on your site so guests see them before they request. Cancel a stay. You can cancel an approved stay from your Host Portal and the dates open back up.

Question 8

Do I keep my Airbnb and Vrbo listings?

Accepted Answer

Yes. KeepItDirect works alongside Airbnb and Vrbo. Your listings and existing bookings stay exactly as they are; the site is an extra place for repeat guests, referrals and your own followers to book you directly.

Questions hosts ask before signing up