Trust & safety
Your money is protected from the moment you book. Escrow payments, objective weather guarantees, and cash refunds when schools cancel — not vouchers, not credits.
How we protect you
Escrow-protected payments
Your money is held securely by Stripe until the course begins. Funds are never released to the school early — if the school cancels, you get 100% back in cash.
Weather guarantee
If an official BMS Force 7+ storm warning is issued for your area, you get an automatic 100% cash refund. No grey areas, no “captain’s discretion” — objective weather data triggers the refund.
School cancellation = cash refund
If the school or instructor cancels your booking for any reason, you get a full 100% cash refund — not a voucher, not a credit. Cash back to your card, always.
Verified schools & reviews
Every school on Odysail is verified. Reviews come from real students who completed real courses. Schools with reviews get 3x more bookings — so schools are motivated to deliver quality.
3-step dispute resolution
Disagreements happen. Our process is clear: 24h for direct resolution, then 5-day platform mediation, then external arbitration for larger claims. Fair, fast, transparent.
Secure Stripe infrastructure
All payments run through Stripe Connect. We control the escrow — we process refunds, we hold deposits, we protect your money. Schools never touch your funds directly.
How Odysail compares
We're the only platform that refunds platform fees when the school cancels and offers objective weather guarantees.
| Platform | Commission | Cash refund if school cancels? | Objective weather guarantee? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Odysail Trust & lowest commission | 5–15% | ||
| Click&Boat Volume / marketplace | 13–20% | ||
| SamBoat Volume / generalist | 15–25% | ||
| GetMyBoat US-centric | 15–20% | ||
| Boatsetter Insurance-based | 15–25% |
For schools: how payments work
Commission on new students only
Commission (15%/9%/5% depending on your plan) only applies to students who discover your school through the Odysail marketplace. Your existing students book through your page commission-free, always.
Fast payouts via Stripe Connect
Funds are released 24–48 hours after the course begins. No 30-day holds.
Transparent commission
Commission is charged to schools, never to students. You pay 5–15% on new students only — your existing students are always free. Stripe processing fees are included in the commission, not deducted separately.
Chargeback protection
Our escrow model and clear cancellation policies dramatically reduce chargebacks. If one does occur, our team handles the dispute on your behalf.
Book with confidence
Every booking is protected. Every refund is fair. Every policy is transparent.