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Airbnb has introduced a parametric weather insurance product in partnership with Chubb, offering eligible guests in 10 European countries financial compensation when rainfall reaches specified thresholds during their stays.
The optional product, called Weather Protection, provides daily payouts ranging from €50 to €1,000, depending on the insurance policy. Payments are triggered by independently verified rainfall measurements rather than documented financial losses, eliminating the need for guests to submit traditional insurance claims, photographs or supporting evidence.
- Airbnb has launched weather protection insurance underwritten by Chubb European Group SE, covering eligible guests in 10 European countries for domestic and international trips.
- The parametric insurance product provides daily payouts ranging from €50 to €1,000 when rainfall exceeds specified thresholds, without requiring guests to submit traditional claims.
- Coverage uses independently verified weather data, with payouts triggered by rainfall of at least 1.5 mm per hour during a minimum number of covered hours between 08:00 and 20:00.
Announced on October 8, 2026, the product is underwritten by Chubb European Group SE and is available to eligible residents of Austria, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain and Sweden.
Coverage applies to both domestic and international Airbnb stays, excluding trips to the United States and certain restricted territories. For guests in Denmark, Poland and Sweden, the launch represents the first insurance product available through Airbnb.
The arrangement extends Airbnb’s travel protection offering through a parametric insurance model, in which predefined weather conditions determine whether a policyholder receives compensation.
Unlike conventional travel insurance, which typically requires proof of an insured loss, the product pays a predetermined amount when measured rainfall satisfies the conditions specified in the policy.
Rain can cast a shadow over a trip guests have been looking forward to, but it shouldn’t define it.
Justin Brouse, Airbnb’s Director, Strategic Partnerships, AirCover and Insurance
Brouse said the partnership with Chubb was intended to provide guests with financial compensation when rainfall disrupts their travel plans, without requiring them to spend time managing a conventional claims process.
How Airbnb’s parametric weather insurance works
Weather Protection uses a parametric insurance structure that links payments to objectively measured weather conditions at the location of an Airbnb booking.
Guests qualify for a daily payout when rainfall reaches at least 1.5 mm in an hour for the minimum number of hours specified in their Certificate of Insurance.
Only rainfall recorded between 08:00 and 20:00 local time at the insured property is considered when determining eligibility.
The number of qualifying hours and the payout amount depend on the individual policy. Daily compensation ranges from €50 to €1,000, or the equivalent in the policyholder’s local currency.
The precise amount payable is established when the insurance is purchased and documented in the Certificate of Insurance.
Guests do not need to demonstrate that rainfall caused financial damage, prevented planned activities or resulted in additional travel expenses. Eligibility depends on whether the insured rainfall threshold has been reached.
Coverage is restricted to the location of the booked Airbnb property. Rainfall experienced during excursions, day trips or stays at alternative accommodation does not qualify for compensation.
The product is therefore designed around weather conditions at a defined location rather than the guest’s movements or actual travel expenditure.
Rubén Rivero, Head of Travel Insurance EMEA at Chubb, said the companies developed the product to operate without the administrative requirements associated with conventional claims.
With Airbnb, we set out to make weather protection that simply works in the background. No forms, no calls, no waiting to find out if you’re covered. If it rains enough to trigger your policy, you get a notification and a payout.
Rubén Rivero, Head of Travel Insurance EMEA at Chubb
He described the offering as an automatic insurance solution intended to provide customers with clear coverage conditions and simplified payments.
Weather data automatically determines insurance payouts
The insurance uses independently sourced weather information to determine whether rainfall conditions meet the contractual requirements for payment.
Chubb’s weather service provider collects and verifies rainfall measurements using meteorological radar networks, satellite observations and forecasting information.
The underlying sources include the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), forecasts from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF), NASA satellite data through the IMERG GPM programme and national meteorological radar networks.
The data is verified in real time by Chubb’s designated weather service provider. This process allows the insurer to assess qualifying rainfall events without requiring policyholders to report weather conditions or supply supporting documentation.
When the specified rainfall threshold is met or exceeded during a covered day, the guest receives a notification through email, the Airbnb platform or both.
The notification confirms eligibility and provides instructions for receiving the payment.
The system removes the need for a conventional claim submission, although customers must complete certain payment requirements before funds can be transferred.
How guests receive weather insurance payments
Once a qualifying rainfall event has been identified, Chubb sends the insured guest a secure link to its payment portal.
For the first qualifying payout, the policyholder must provide bank account information. Identity verification may also be required in certain circumstances.
After the initial payment details have been registered, subsequent eligible payouts are processed automatically. Chubb may send a maximum of three reminders requesting the bank information needed to complete payment.
Once the required details have been submitted, the insurer transfers the amount to the customer’s nominated bank account in their local currency, subject to Chubb’s payment processing timeframe.
Policyholders can track both pending and completed payments through the policy details page of their Airbnb account. The same page provides access to Chubb’s payment portal.
The automatic rainfall monitoring and payment notification process means guests are not required to monitor weather forecasts or initiate claims when an insured event occurs.
Who can purchase Airbnb Weather Protection?
The insurance is available to eligible Airbnb customers residing in Austria, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain or Sweden.
Applicants must be at least 18 years old when purchasing the policy and must reside in an eligible country at the time of purchase.
The policy covers the person who books the Airbnb accommodation, rather than automatically extending separate insurance benefits to every person included in the reservation.
Coverage must be associated with a confirmed Airbnb stay that has not been refunded. The accommodation reservation must remain active throughout the insured trip.
Eligible guests can purchase Weather Protection during the Airbnb checkout process.
The product can also be added after an accommodation reservation has been confirmed, provided there are at least seven days remaining before check-in.
In that case, guests can access the insurance option through the “Add to your trip” button in their booking confirmation email or on the reservation details page.
Customers who have previously purchased and cancelled Weather Protection for a particular stay cannot purchase it again for the same reservation.
Following purchase, Airbnb sends an insurance confirmation email containing the Certificate of Insurance, the Insurance Product Information Document (IPID) and the full policy terms and conditions.
These documents specify the applicable rainfall thresholds, benefit amounts, coverage conditions and exclusions.
Policy exclusions and coverage limitations
Weather Protection applies specifically to qualifying rainfall at the insured Airbnb accommodation and does not provide general protection against adverse weather or other travel disruptions.
Snow, hail, sleet, ice and wind are excluded, as are weather conditions recorded outside the area of the booked property.
The product is unavailable for Airbnb stays booked for 30 days or longer. If an initially eligible reservation is subsequently extended to 30 days or more, insurance coverage is limited to the first 29 days of the trip.
Cancelled accommodation reservations are also excluded from ongoing coverage, with separate provisions governing policy termination and premium refunds.
Certain rainfall events associated with natural disasters are excluded when the disaster was already known, foreseeable or publicly reported before the insurance was purchased.
Coverage is also excluded for relevant events involving travel to destinations subject to an official advisory against travel issued before purchase by a national or international foreign affairs authority.
The policy additionally excludes nuclear reactions, contamination, ionising radiation and radioactivity.
Insurance coverage, payments or benefits are unavailable where providing them would violate applicable laws or sanctions restrictions, including those imposed by the United Kingdom, European Union, the policyholder’s country of residence, the United States or the United Nations.
Policyholders are advised to review their Certificate of Insurance and policy conditions to establish the specific benefits, limitations and exclusions applicable to their booking.
Changes to reservations, cancellations and premium refunds
Airbnb and Chubb have established separate arrangements for changes to accommodation bookings and cancellation of the associated insurance.
If a guest changes an Airbnb reservation before the trip begins, the Weather Protection policy is automatically updated to reflect any applicable adjustments to the insurance premium and payout amount.
The customer receives an updated Certificate of Insurance containing the revised terms.
Once the trip has started, the policy cannot be amended, even if the dates of the accommodation reservation subsequently change.
Guests can cancel Weather Protection independently of their Airbnb accommodation booking.
Cancellation at least 10 days before the scheduled start of the stay qualifies for a full refund of the insurance premium.
If a customer cancels the policy within the 10 days preceding check-in, or after the stay has begun, the premium is not refunded. Customers seeking cancellation during that period must contact Chubb.
Different rules apply when the underlying Airbnb reservation is cancelled.
If the guest, host or Airbnb cancels the accommodation booking before the trip starts, the insurance policy is automatically cancelled and the premium is refunded in full.
Where the guest cancels the accommodation after the trip has begun, insurance coverage ends on the cancellation date. The premium is not refunded, and no further payouts can be triggered for subsequent days.
Any insurance payouts already triggered before cancellation remain payable.
If the host or Airbnb cancels the accommodation after the trip has started, the policy also ends on the cancellation date, but the premium refund is adjusted accordingly.
Payouts triggered before cancellation remain valid, while rainfall occurring after the cancellation date no longer qualifies for compensation.
