Your Whimstay stay is paid in full. When you book, Whimstay collects your full payment, then pays your host after you check in. Because of that timing, a host's own system can show your stay as unpaid or partly paid for a while, and once in a while a host who's less familiar with our policies may ask you to pay for the stay directly. Rest assured, your booking is covered.
What your host can ask you to pay directly
Some charges are collected by your host instead of through Whimstay, and that's normal. The most common ones are a security deposit, a resort fee, an early check-in fee, or an extra pet fee. A direct charge like this is legitimate when two things are true: it was shown before or at booking (on the listing or in a message from your host), and it's a specific add-on, not the cost of the stay itself.
When to check with us first
Your host should never ask to pay for the stay again. If a host tells you your booking is unpaid, partly paid, or that you owe a balance before you can check in, that's almost always a mix-up on their end, not a charge you owe. Whimstay has already collected your payment and pays your host after check-in, so you never pay for the same stay twice.
If anything about a payment request feels off, reach out at help.whimstay.com with what you were asked for, and we'll confirm your stay is paid and sort it out with your host.
Still not sure whether a message really came from Whimstay or your host? See Recognizing legitimate Whimstay communications for how to tell the real thing from a lookalike.