Getting your first booking involves four things: accepting it quickly (ideally within the hour), confirming the details with the driver, getting your car ready (cleaning, maintenance, the equipment required by law and a full tank) and arranging the handover. Here's what you need to know as a new host, step by step.
How quickly do I have to respond to a booking request?
Ideally, reply within an hour of receiving the request. The faster you accept, the more confidence you build with the driver and the better your visibility in future searches.
There are maximum response times, and they vary with how far in advance the driver is booking: the closer the start date, the less time you have to confirm. So the safest thing is to reply as soon as you can.
What do I need to check before accepting the booking?
Before confirming the booking, check three things:
Start and end dates and times: make sure you can make the times requested.
Meeting point: choose a safe, convenient location. We recommend places like your home or workplace, or popular spots such as airports, train stations or shopping centres.
The car's actual availability: make sure the vehicle will be free on those dates (no trips of your own, no scheduled maintenance, and so on).
Once you've confirmed all this, accept the booking in the app.
How do I get the car ready for the first booking?
Before the handover, your car should be in top condition. Do the following:
A full interior and exterior clean.
A basic mechanical check: oil, brake fluid, coolant, fuel.
The right tyre pressure.
The equipment required by law in your country. In every market, one of the required items is the spare wheel.
A full tank of fuel (see the next section).
The car's paperwork up to date, according to the requirements in your country.
How does TripWip's fuel policy work?
The rule is simple: the car comes back with the same fuel level it was handed over with.
We recommend handing it over with a full tank, because it makes checking easier: both you and the driver can easily see on the dashboard that the level at the end matches the level at the start. That avoids misunderstandings and arguments at drop-off.
How is the rental paid on the first booking?
It depends on the country:
In Uruguay and Argentina: you collect the rental amount that is yours directly from the driver, at the handover. TripWip has already charged the driver âwhen the booking was approvedâ for the taxes, the insurance and TripWip's commission.
In Mexico: you don't charge the driver anything. TripWip charges the driver the full amount when the booking is approved and then transfers your share to you as the host.
Before the handover, make sure you know which model applies in your country, to avoid confusion with the driver.
What do I have to do at the handover?
The handover procedure (checking the car together, photos in the app, explaining the car's details) is the same for every booking, not just the first. We cover it in detail in How to coordinate the delivery and return of the car, which we recommend reading before your first rental.
The essentials: arrive on time, check the car together with the driver, upload the photos in the app and explain the details of the vehicle (spare wheel, air conditioning, ignition, and so on).
What do I do when the rental ends?
When you get the car back:
Check it together with the driver: bodywork, interior, mileage, fuel level.
Upload the return photos in the app, just as you did at the handover.
Report anything that came up (new damage, something missing, a different fuel level) from the app, and let the TripWip team know as soon as possible.
The full procedure is in the article on coordinating the handover and return.
Good practice so your first booking goes well
Reply quickly to requests and to the driver's messages.
Hand the car over spotless, with a full tank and all the equipment in order.
Be clear and friendly throughout the booking.
Don't skip the photos in the app, either at the handover or at the return.
Those first reviews carry a lot of weight for your future visibility, so it's worth looking after every detail of this first experience.
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