Airbnb Resolution Center: Money Requests & Refunds

Airbnb Resolution Center: Money Requests & Refunds

Vanio AI can now open Airbnb Resolution Center cases on your behalf — requesting money from guests for things like damages or extra cleaning, or sending refunds when a guest deserves one. Every action is grounded in Airbnb's actual policies, gated by the approval rules you set, and logged so you always have a clear record of what happened and why.

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What It Does

When a situation calls for a Resolution Center action, Vanio AI handles the legwork: it looks up the relevant Airbnb policy, determines the right amount, and then either processes the action automatically or prepares a one-tap draft for your approval — depending on your settings and the amount involved. You stay in control of every financial action without having to manage each one manually.

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Getting Started

Before Vanio AI can handle Resolution Center actions, you need to configure two things: your money threshold (the amount below which Vanio acts automatically) and your refund policy (whether refunds can be issued without your approval).

Step 1: Set your money threshold

1. Go to Settings → AI Autonomy.
2. Under Money Threshold, find the Auto-approve up to field.
3. Enter the maximum amount you want Vanio to process automatically — for example, $150.
4. Make sure the currency shown matches your preferred billing currency.
5. Click Save.

Note: The default threshold is $0, which means every action will be drafted for your approval until you set a higher limit. This is the safest starting point if you're new to this feature.

[Screenshot: AI Autonomy settings page showing the Money Threshold section with an "Auto-approve up to" input field and a currency selector]

Step 2: Enable or disable autonomous refunds

1. Still in Settings → AI Autonomy, scroll to the Refunds section.
2. Toggle Allow autonomous refunds on or off.
   • On: Vanio can issue refunds automatically, as long as the amount is within your threshold.
   • Off: All refunds will always be drafted for your one-tap approval, regardless of amount.
3. Click Save.

[Screenshot: Refunds toggle in the AI Autonomy settings panel]

Once these are configured, Vanio is ready to handle Resolution Center actions.

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How It Works

When a conversation or situation requires a Resolution Center action, here's what happens behind the scenes — and what you'll see:

Vanio checks the policy first

Before taking any financial action, Vanio looks up the applicable Airbnb policy — for example, Airbnb's guest refund policy or their rules around damage claims — and uses that as the basis for the amount and justification. This grounding step is required; Vanio will never open a money request or refund without a cited policy reason.

The autonomy gate decides what happens next

Vanio then compares the action against your settings:

Situation	What happens
Amount is at or below your threshold and refunds are enabled (for refunds)	✅ Executed automatically
Amount is above your threshold	📋 Drafted for your approval
Refund requested but autonomous refunds are disabled	📋 Drafted for your approval
No threshold set (threshold is $0)	📋 Drafted for your approval
Action currency differs from your threshold currency	📋 Drafted for your approval

Automatic actions

If the action falls within your threshold, Vanio processes it and you'll see a confirmation in the conversation thread, including the amount, the Airbnb policy it was based on, and a link to the audit record.

[Screenshot: Conversation thread showing a completed automatic money request with the amount, reason, and policy basis displayed]

Drafted actions — one-tap approval

If the action needs your approval, Vanio prepares a draft and you'll see an approval card in the conversation or in your Pending Approvals inbox. The card shows:

• The action type (money request or refund)
• The amount and currency
• The reason and Airbnb policy it's based on
• The decision reason (e.g., "exceeds your $150 threshold")

Tap Approve to send it to Airbnb, or Decline to dismiss it.

[Screenshot: One-tap approval card showing a drafted refund with Approve and Decline buttons]

Every action is logged

Whether automatic or approved by you, every Resolution Center action is saved in your Activity Log (go to Activity → Resolution Center Actions). Each record includes the amount, the policy Vanio cited, the decision made (automatic or drafted), and the outcome.

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Key Features

• Policy-grounded actions: Vanio always ties a money request or refund to a specific Airbnb policy before acting — no guesswork, no unsupported claims.

• Configurable money threshold: You decide how much Vanio can handle on its own. Set it conservatively at first and raise it as you build confidence.

• Separate refund control: Refunds can be toggled independently of your threshold, giving you finer control over outgoing payments.

• One-tap approval flow: Drafted actions surface as simple approve/decline cards — no need to log into Airbnb manually or hunt through messages.

• Full audit trail: Every action — automatic or manually approved — is logged with the reason, policy basis, and outcome, so you always have documentation if a guest or Airbnb questions a decision.

• Currency safeguard: If the reservation currency doesn't match your threshold currency, Vanio automatically drafts for your approval rather than making assumptions about exchange rates.

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Tips & Best Practices

• Start with a low threshold. Setting your threshold to $50–$100 to begin with lets you see how Vanio handles these actions before giving it more autonomy. You can always raise it later.

• Review your audit log regularly. Even when actions are automatic, a quick weekly review of the Resolution Center log helps you stay on top of any patterns — like a property that frequently needs extra cleaning charges.

• Keep refunds toggled off if you're cautious. Autonomous refunds are the higher-trust setting. If you're not yet comfortable with fully automatic refunds, leave the toggle off and use one-tap approval instead.

• Check your threshold currency. If you manage properties in multiple currencies, make sure your threshold is set in the currency used by most of your reservations. Cross-currency actions will always go to approval.

• Use the reason field context. When Vanio drafts an action for approval, read the reason and policy basis it has included. If they look right, approve with confidence. If something seems off, decline and handle it manually.

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Common Questions

What happens if Vanio can't send the action to Airbnb automatically?

Vanio will record the action in your audit log and flag it as pending. You'll be notified so you can take action manually. This can happen in cases where Airbnb's systems are temporarily unavailable — Vanio will never silently pretend a request was sent when it wasn't.

Can I change my threshold after it's been set?

Yes, at any time. Go to Settings → AI Autonomy and update your Auto-approve up to amount. The new threshold applies to all future actions — it does not affect actions that have already been executed or drafted.

Does Vanio ask me before acting on every money request?

Only if the amount exceeds your threshold, the currencies don't match, or refunds aren't enabled. Below your threshold, Vanio acts automatically so you don't have to review every small charge. You can always set your threshold to $0 if you want to manually approve everything.