‘I also get that some sitters may be in finacial difficulities and not be able to afford the $12 or the upgrade. That’s not any of my business, but if they don’t have the $12, I’d be a little concerned about their ability to buy food or pay subway fare or generally enjoy visiting my city’
How terrible condescending.
Also combined.
When I combined I also upgraded to premium in part because I didn’t want a last minute cancellation from a homeowner to put me in a position where’d I’d have a large unplanned hotel bill or a choice to cancel a trip and use my airfare for a later trip as that would mean cancelling a sitter. With a popular location and an easy sit, I’m less concerned about the cancellation insurance for getting a sitter into my home, although it’s good to have as well. While it was a chunk of change as they say, if you are able to use discount codes the extension is also at the higher level so that helps.
Because I am paying what I am paying for membership, and because I do my own cleaning, and prep for sitters and really work to make sure they have a comfortable stay and everything they need for the sit, a sitter even hinting that I should pay their booking fee, would be a hard no for me.
Clearly we would not be well-matched.
‘It’s probably safe to suggest that generally speaking -with exceptions-, that most hosts, being property owners and having the resources for long vacations for which they require pet care, are in better financial shape than most sitters who care for their pets and property primarily to save money, take vacations and stay in places they otherwise could not afford.’
Oh dear. You think sitters can’t afford their own homes? Not true. I am in contact with many and most are homeowners. Another condescending assumption.
From what I read here. Including harsh replies that I’m arrogant and don’t understand how difficult it is for financially strapped sitters to come up with the money when I suggest that the Premium upgrade is only a few extra bucks and would eliminate the booking fee.
If a person is struggling with a 10 euro booking fee or a 120 yearly membership fee upgrade they’re probably paying rent.
@idocsteve I am a sitter. I own my own nice home. I have just completed 15 months travelling through Europe, Morocco and the UK. So at least 450 nights of accommodation. Did I sit during that time ? Yes. Perhaps 80 nights in total. All other accommodation paid for. Do I appreciate the savings on those 80 nights? You bet! Great experience, lovely people (one of whom has just visited me in Australia) and the best animal experience. Could I have afforded to pay all the way? Yes but I’m glad I didn’t have to. It’s not just dollars and cents for all of us. Personally I also find it a more ethical way to travel than Airbnb, I’m not disrupting local housing when I’m minding somebody’s home rather than hiring it. The booking fee is not make or break for me. What I don’t like is the word salad around improving the experience, I call bulls!!t on that one and I think that’s what a lot of people are angry about. You like to generalise and put us all in one pot but we are as different as the many places we come from. I think perhaps you should book another sitter and take a holiday 
Nice! My comment about sitters not owning their own homes was “generally speaking’ and comes from the countless posts I’ve read, primarily by sitters who state they can’t afford the increased membership costs of Premium, and have gone so far as to chastise me for brushing off the cost as if it’s nothing when to them it’s a hardship.
In fact 2 of the 3 sitters we have worked with (including next weeks trip) are homeowners themselves and are financially comfortable. You’re correct, this forum isn’t necessarily representative of the larger pool of sitters who may in fact be homowners in good financial shape. They are not necessarily driven to post here as they are not as affected by the fee or at least not as put off by it.
Divide and Conquer spring to mind.
Homeowners have to pay a booking fee, too. The same amount as sitters will have to pay.
So should there be a thread about homeowners asking sitters to cover their (the HOs) booking fee?
They can try. Some homeowners ask sitters to pay the utility bills.
Such homes wouldn’t make it onto our shortlist.
I’d like to add that I learned just this morning that premium badges for sitters have been moved to the bottom of the profile, just above the calendar, while HO badges remain at the top under their name. No notification was received - I noticed mine was missing and reached out to support and that’s how I found out. I rarely scroll all the way to the bottom of my own profile! How many HOs are going to assume that the Sitter does not have Premium because they don’t see the badge? Then the booking reimbursement may be offered as a gift to someone who did not separately pay it. Alternatively, if HOs do learn where the badge is now, that is a lot of work scrolling through and trying to find it on every sitter profile. I’m not sure why they did this. I’ve submitted two standalone posts about it and neither was approved yet. I think all members need to know about this!
If the hosts are less likely to see the Premium badge it would naturally follow that hosts would be MORE likely to offer the booking fee as a gift.
I’m not seeing why that would be a problem.
Hi everyone!
I’ve moderated a few posts from this discussion…
This is just a quick reminder to please keep this thread focused on the topic being discussed, rather than on any one individual. If someone’s posts aren’t helpful or relevant to you, you’re welcome to use the ignore or mute features so the conversation can continue productively. I know most of you are aware of the feature, but drop me a line if you need help.
I also want to remind everyone that our Community Guidelines ask us to be kind and respectful, even when we disagree. Different viewpoints are welcome here, but personal focus or hostility isn’t.
Thanks for helping keep this space constructive for everyone at what is quite an emotive time for many.
Jenny 
I don’t know if this helps but I don’t pay attention to badges, I pay attention to reviews and profiles. A badge is earned purely by paying more, I don’t see it as a useful qualification of any kind.
I can only speak from my own experience, but it is one I know is shared by many sitters I’ve met through my travels. I am financially comfortable and fully able to afford accommodation in the cities I visit. I chose to use TrustedHousesitters because I genuinely love cats.
If there were a hotel chain that offered guaranteed cat companionship, I would happily book it. Since there isn’t, THS became my preferred option. Some of my fondest travel memories are returning after a day of exploring to spend time with a much-loved purring pet.
Across the many sits I’ve completed, what made the platform work was the spirit of mutual exchange. Members come to THS for a wide range of reasons, and that diversity has historically been one of its strengths.
I do wonder whether recent changes reflect a shift in the audience the platform is prioritizing. Personally, I would have been willing to pay a higher annual membership fee to help preserve the mutual-exchange ethos that originally drew me to THS. If the business has instead chosen to pursue a different market, that is of course their prerogative — including prioritizing members for whom access to low-cost accommodation is a central motivation, rather than a primary focus on pet companionship.
For me, once money enters the conversation, the dynamic fundamentally shifts. What originally felt like a shared exchange rooted in trust and care begins to resemble a transaction, and that is not the experience I came to TrustedHousesitters for. If the platform is evolving in that direction, then it may simply no longer be the right fit for some of us. Acknowledging that honestly feels healthier than trying to force alignment where it no longer exists.
Yes I’d say ‘generally speaking’ my impression is that a significant sized group of sitters are retired/don’t need to work/or independently wealthy….and simply enjoy pet/house sitting at a location rather than use hotels (memories of business trips) or Airbnb (no pets to play with). This is the group we’re a part of. A few HOs appreciate this group as being perfectly suited to their needs.
I think it’s an insult to the volunteers who sit, pay for their travel, etc. I wonder if THS is in financial problems. 
We agree wholly with your sentiments. Sitters are volunteers and not always treated as such … on occasion as unpaid help.
I wonder if THS are in financial situation.
This oft reported problem would probably be less a problem if sitters’ reviews were more honest rather than too generous/deferential.