Protection plans are optional add-ons your customers can purchase during online checkout — things like a damage waiver, tow coverage, or trip protection. This page explains how the program actually works, what each plan costs, and how to present it to customers correctly.
These plans are not regulated insurance products and are not underwritten by an insurance company. Never describe them as "insurance" in your customer-facing descriptions, website, or printed materials — use "protection plan" or "protection program" instead.
How the program works
Protection plans are an in-house protection pool, formed per business:
- Customers opt in at checkout. Each plan is an optional add-on priced as a percentage of the booking subtotal (with a minimum). The fee is charged once per booking, not per person.
- Fees accumulate into a protection pool for your business. Every plan fee collected across your bookings goes into a pool dedicated to your business.
- The pool covers qualifying damages and claims during the season. When a covered incident occurs — damage to a boat, a tow, a waived cancellation fee — the cost is drawn from your pool instead of being billed entirely to the customer or absorbed by you.
- At the end of the season, the remaining pool is settled via a revenue split between your business and RentalTide.
Your customers' protection fees build a damage fund for your business over the season; claims draw it down, and whatever remains at season end is split between you and RentalTide.
The plans
| Plan | Customer-facing name | Default description | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trip Protection | Trip Protection | Protects against cancellation fees | 3% of booking, $30 minimum |
| Cancel Protection | Cancel Protection | Cancel for any reason up to 24 hours before your booking | 2% of booking, $25 minimum |
| AquaShield | Damage Waiver | Damage coverage up to $5,000 | 10% of booking, $50 minimum |
| AquaCover | Liability Waiver | Liability coverage up to $25,000 | 20% of booking, $75 minimum |
| AquaTow | Tow Coverage | Tow coverage up to $1,000 | 5% of booking, $25 minimum |
| BlueBalance | Blue Balance | Offset your carbon footprint | 1% of booking, $5 minimum |
Pricing is calculated as max(booking subtotal × percentage, minimum) — the customer pays the percentage or the minimum, whichever is greater. Percentages and minimums are platform defaults and are not configurable per location. Protection plan fees are included in the booking total and taxed with the rest of the booking.
Configuring protection plans
Go to Store Settings → Booking & Checkout → Protection plans.
- Toggle each plan on or off independently — only offer the plans your business actually honors.
- Customize the customer-facing description for each plan. This is where you state your actual terms (what's covered, what's excluded, claim limits). Remember: no "insurance" wording.
Enabled plans appear in the protection section of the online booking widget. Trip Protection is selected by default when enabled — customers can untick it before paying.
How customers add (and can't remove) plans
- At checkout: customers tick the plans they want before paying.
- After booking: customers can still add plans from their Next Steps page (linked in the confirmation email), and staff can add them from the booking.
- Removal: once added, a protection plan is final and non-refundable. It cannot be removed from the booking, and the fee is not returned even if the booking is cancelled — the customer is told this before confirming.
Honoring claims
Buying a plan does not change automated system behavior — the platform does not auto-waive cancellation fees or auto-credit damage. Honoring the benefit is a staff action drawn against your protection pool:
- Trip Protection / Cancel Protection: when the customer cancels, staff process the cancellation and choose the refund amount — apply your protection terms there (e.g. waive the cancellation fee for a protected booking).
- Damage Waiver / Liability Waiver / Tow Coverage: when an incident occurs, cover the qualifying cost per the terms in your plan description instead of charging the customer (up to the stated limit).
Because the system doesn't enforce terms, your plan descriptions are the contract — keep them specific about what's covered, what's excluded, and the limits.
Accounting
Each protection plan has a dedicated revenue GL code (configurable under GL Code Overrides in store settings), so protection revenue is reported separately from rental revenue in your ledger and reports.
What to tell customers
Common questions and accurate answers:
- "Is this insurance?" No — it's an in-house protection program. Fees go into a protection fund held by the business, which covers qualifying damages and claims. Customers wanting actual insurance should consult their own provider.
- "Is the fee refundable?" No. Protection fees are final once added, even if the booking is cancelled. Trip Protection covers the cancellation fee on the rental — the protection fee itself is not returned.
- "Can I add it after booking?" Yes, from the Next Steps page or by contacting the business. It can't be removed once added.
- "How much is it?" A percentage of the booking with a minimum — see the table above.
A ready-to-edit, printable customer FAQ template is available in the repository at docs/customer-facing/protection-plans-faq.md — fill in your policy details before distributing.