@pietkuip
I understand it as you get unlimited saved searches if you upgrade and those are a once a day email.
The instant notifications are for the ones you favorite, individual listings .
This is how receive my notifications and I think I have my settings to receive notifications correct.
@pietkuip I agree and will be checking on this with support.
Source: https://www.trustedhousesitters.com/accounts/explore-plans/
I think this is unambiguous.
And it is as false as a three-dollar bill.
Yeah, that’s not true. I have premium membership and saved search alerts are NOT instant but delayed up to an hour. That makes a difference.
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We upgraded and “saved” dozens of listings so we can get early notifications. But so far that has just continued to be an exercise of frustration. I no sooner get the alert, open the listing, scroll through the information so I can formulate a personalized response with my application and BAM, it has 5 applicants and I’m locked out. This has happened half a dozen times just this past couple of weeks!
The 5 app limit continues to be a thorn in the side of many, many members.
Yes for me.
Have not needed cancellation insurance but do like the lounge passes which clubs have now increased prices and my preferred credit card no longer offers any real perks in that area.
I do have several saved searches and get regular notifications on my phone. Can’t say how instant they are but the listings are new with zero applicants.
I think it’s a personal choice according to one’s comfort level and of course budget.
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This question comes up often and everyone has different opinions, and yes even strong emotions about the different levels.
So let’s break this down logically and perhaps it will help with personal decision making.
Informed decision making vs influence of others opinions.
Looking at the three membership levels one can see what each tier offers.
(Had to include to see all benefits of premium.
Obviously anyone can see this but breaking it down the questions to ask yourself are how valuable do you feel these features are to you?
Is it important to have access to a vet for your own inquiries and peace of mind?
What do know about airport lounges?
If you’re thinking of visiting an airport lounge
There are many reasons to use airport lounges. If you value comfort, fewer crowds and like to have time to relax before your flight, you may want to visit an airport lounge the next time you fly.
Be sure to check out the airports you’re traveling through and find out which lounges are available to you. Whether you have access through your credit card, elite status with an airline or just opt to purchase a day pass to find out what it’s like, visiting an airport lounge is likely easier than you might think.
Is the peace of mind of having cancellation insurance and liability insurance worth it to you?
Sitter’s insurance in the US is about $13 a month.
Again, is that important to you? To your HO?
Airport lounge passes are about $40-50 per person a visit (food, beverages, comfortable seating, some have showers)
How often do you travel?
Are notifications of your saved searches and favorite listings important to you?
The difference in price from basic and premium is $130 USD for a sitter member. That’s $10.83 a month
Is that worth it to you?
How would a HO feel about someone who is a premium member vs basic?
Who are the kind of people you want to attract?
The other question is whether one trusts this information.
I know that the promise of “Instant alerts for unlimited saved searches” is not true: there is a limit of 50 and the alerts are delayed by up to an hour.
For me, that casts some doubt about the extent of those other benefits.
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Since I don’t get ANY alerts on my phone, I sincerely doubt I would receive instant alerts.
Lounge passes are nice, but not enough value without instant alerts.
As for covering hotel costs if the host cancels, there are so many restrictions that it doesn’t seem valuable to me. I would rather find cheap accommodations in the location that is convenient to me.
So for me premium isn’t worth it.
Now, if THS could assure instant alerts and override the 5 app limit, i would pay for that.
I’m premium and probably won’t renew that level, because I don’t want to hassle with claiming for hotels in case of cancellations — I actually had a valid claim that I didn’t pursue, once I learned how time consuming it can be. I’ll figure out my own fallback.
I also find the alerts useless and have no need of airport lounges.
Are there any other reasons to pay for premium?
I have removed all Saved searches that I created on the app. Those notifications are often for listings that already have 5 applications. They just give an annoying blank screen.
So now the only notifications that I get are for my favourited listings.
Even Basic membership seems overpriced. I use free hospex services (run by volunteers) with better software.
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Really? The limit is 50? I had not read that anywhere.
I agree there seems to be a delay because we get the alerts and there are already 3 or more applicants. How can this be?
We upgraded but may not continue if we feel the benefit isn’t paying off.
All those undocumented features is why one needs to read the forum…
@ExploreDreamDiscover ran into this limit and wrote about it:
Favourites are alerted first, so that is how there can be already 3 or more applicants. It also happens quite often that notifications are sent out after a listing was closed at 5 applicants (that is how I interpret it when the white screen comes up with my saved searches).
We still have the original universal plan which is fixed for ever at a lower premium than any of the new three tiers. We often use saved searches and get alerts so our plan must be a mixture of the lower two tiers. We have never felt the need for an airport lounge pass and have never, in 5 years, been in a position to need to claim on the insurance.
So I would say NO, for us, its not worth it.
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I’m not sure how you’re fixed on the original plan. When I had to renew I was forced to choose from the new tiers which were basically a devious shrinkflation continuation in Basic or upgrade to get the same features you always had.
I’m fixed on the orginal plan as I have stayed on AutoRenewal. If you come off that, I think it upgrades you onto the next tier up.
Don’t quote me!!
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It never did that for me. It just renewed onto the lowest level which was the same price which then had the now critical alerts. Hope it continues for you.
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@keldin Our price is fixed at our 2018 joining price because we have always used auto-renewal. If you just pay annually, or if you cancel or stop payment for any reason, you will lose that benefit and have to pay whatever the new going rate is.
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