Protection Plans Terms

The short version: hosts pick an earnings plan that trades payout share for lower responsibility for eligible vehicle damage; guests can pick a protection plan that trades a per-trip cost for a lower vehicle-damage cap, or explicitly decline an optional plan. These are contractual marketplace terms, and every claim follows one published timeline — no informal, drawn-out back-and-forth.

Insurance status: the vehicle-damage responsibility terms below are not insurance. Afto does not have a signed insurance carrier agreement. Carrier-backed third-party liability coverage is not active. Hosts and guests should not assume a Afto plan replaces insurance required by their personal policy or applicable law; see Insurance Disclosure.

1. Host earnings plans

Every host picks one of three plans per vehicle. The plan sets both the host's payout share and the host's contractual responsibility for an eligible vehicle-damage claim:

Plan	Host share of trip price	Afto's commission	Host's damage responsibility per claim
Max Protection	75%	25%	$875
Balanced	85%	15%	$2,125
Max Earnings	93%	7%	$3,250

A lower damage-responsibility number means less of a claim comes out of the host's pocket — Max Protection is the safest financial position, Max Earnings pays the most per trip but carries the most exposure if something goes wrong. Hosts can change their plan for future trips at any time in listing settings; the plan active at trip start governs that trip.

2. Guest protection choices

At checkout, a guest can pick one of three plans or explicitly decline an optional damage plan. A selected plan sets the guest's contractual responsibility cap for eligible damage to the booked vehicle if they're found at fault:

Plan	Price	Guest's damage responsibility if at fault
Basic	Shown in your itemized trip quote	up to $3,000
Plus	Shown in your itemized trip quote	up to $500
Max	Shown in your itemized trip quote	$0
Decline optional damage protection	$0	no optional damage cap; actual vehicle damage up to the car's value

Declining does not create a separate contractual vehicle-damage cap. If a guest is responsible for vehicle damage, responsibility can reach the actual eligible damage amount up to the car's value. Basic is the safer alternative because it adds a contractual cap.

The carrier-backed program under review would include third-party liability coverage after a carrier agreement is signed. Carrier-backed third-party liability coverage is not currently active. The caps above apply only to eligible damage to the booked vehicle; they are not third-party liability limits.

Guests 18–20 years old must pass driver's-license verification and any additional driver-rating requirements applied at checkout. They cannot book luxury or exotic vehicles and are not required to purchase a particular protection plan.

Afto does not require a security deposit or a separate deposit authorization hold at booking or pickup. A guest's damage responsibility is governed by the protection plan selected for the trip and the claims process below.

3. Filing a claim

Report within 24 hours of trip completion through the trip record, with photos and a description. Either party can file.
Acknowledgment within 1 business day.
Evidence rule: if the reported damage is visible in the guest's own check-in photos, the claim against that guest is automatically rejected — new damage has to actually be new. This is the core of how Afto avoids the "he-said, she-said" damage disputes common on other platforms.
Initial determination within 2 business days of all requested evidence being submitted.
Final resolution within 7 business days of all evidence being submitted.
Appeal: either party can appeal within 5 business days of the decision. A different claims specialist reviews it. Appeal decision within 5 business days.
Payment: approved payouts or refunds are issued within 3 business days of a final decision.

Filing a claim in good faith never results in a fee or penalty to the filer, even if it's ultimately denied. Full walkthrough: Claims SLA: what to expect.

4. What's covered vs. what isn't

Generally eligible under the contractual vehicle-damage program (subject to the applicable damage-responsibility cap and all exclusions): collision damage to the host's vehicle during an active trip and theft of the vehicle during an active trip when reported to police within 24 hours. Third-party property damage or bodily injury is not included unless and until the checkout disclosure for that trip expressly identifies active carrier-backed coverage.

Generally not covered: damage from prohibited uses (see Prohibited Uses Policy — racing, towing, driving under the influence, unauthorized off-roading, subletting), normal wear and tear, mechanical failure unrelated to a trip incident, damage reported outside the 24-hour window without a documented reason it couldn't be reported sooner, and any use outside the trip's authorized dates/times.

5. Relationship to your own insurance