The key facts

  • Airbnb introduces optional rain insurance together with Chubb for guests from 10 European countries
  • Payout of €50–1000 per day in case of rain of at least 1.5 mm per hour between 8:00 and 20:00
  • Precipitation monitoring is automatic — based on NASA, ECMWF and NOAA data, no claim needs to be filed

Airbnb adds rain protection at booking

Home rental service Airbnb has announced the launch of optional bad weather insurance that will pay travelers compensation for rainy vacation days. “Rain can spoil a trip that guests have been looking forward to, but it shouldn’t define it,” said Justin Brouse, Airbnb’s director of strategic partnerships, AirCover and insurance. According to him, the company is partnering with Chubb so that guests can recover part of the cost of their trip and spend less time dealing with problems instead of relaxing.

Policy terms

The option is available to guests from Austria, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Ireland, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain and Sweden when added to a booking. The policy covers both domestic and international trips, but is not available for all countries. The insurance is underwritten by Chubb. The daily payout ranges from €50 to €1000 if at least 1.5 mm of rain per hour falls at the place of stay between 8:00 and 20:00 for the minimum number of hours specified in the policy. The number of hours and the payout amount vary by country.

Automatic monitoring without claims

Rain tracking happens automatically using data from sources such as NASA, the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) and the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The guest does not need to submit evidence for a claim — they will simply receive a notification if they are eligible for a payout.

Competitors in the market

A similar service is offered by WeatherPromise, founded in 2022: its policy automatically pays compensation if more rain falls than the agreed amount. To sign up, you need to provide the hotel address, travel dates and the insured amount — the cost of the trip.