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Click here to get 30% off ANY Trusted Housesitters membership plan with code AFFNPLH26.
So you’ve discovered house sitting, and you’re excited! Maybe you’ve already been scrolling through dreamy listings in Tuscany, Tokyo, or just two towns over.
You’ve signed up for a free Trusted Housesitters account to check out the website (or you’re this close to signing up for a membership), and now comes the big question: which Trusted Housesitters membership plan should you choose?
Trusted Housesitters Membership Options
Trusted Housesitters offers three membership options: Basic, Standard, and Premium for Sitters and Pet Parents. They also offer Combined Sitter + Pet Parent plans.
We’ve been using Trusted Housesitters since 2019, and we’ve had Sitter memberships using all three of the different membership options. We’ll share about our experience using each one later.
Here’s the breakdown we wish we had when we were getting started.
First Things First: What Type of Membership Do YOU Need?
Before you even start thinking about Basic vs. Standard vs. Premium, there’s a more basic question you need to answer: Are you signing up as a Pet Parent, a Sitter, or both?
Trusted Housesitters offers three different types of memberships, and they’re totally separate, meaning the features (and pricing) vary depending on what you’re signing up to do.
Let’s get in to what’s included.
What Do ALL Trusted Housesitters Plans Include?
Before we get into the differences, it helps to know what you get no matter which plan you choose. Every Trusted Housesitters membership includes:
- Unlimited global house sits for one year
- Access to thousands of verified listings
- Member dashboard and mobile app
- Secure messaging with homeowners and house sitters
- ID verification and reviews
No matter which plan you pick, you can apply for sits and find house sitters all over the world, stay in beautiful homes, care for pets in exchange for free accommodation, and enjoy your trip with peace of mind. It’s kind of magical.
Pet Parent Membership (for homeowners)
House sitting is ideal for pet owners who travel once or more per year and want a better alternative to kennels or boarding their pets, which can be expensive and not always a great experience for the animals.
If you’re a pet owner looking for someone to care for your animals while you’re away, this is the membership for you.
Click here to view all three Pet Parent membership options on the Trusted Housesitters website.
We’ll give you an overview of what each Pet Parent membership option includes below.
With the Basic Pet Parent membership you can:
- Post unlimited sits
- Receive applications from verified sitters
- Enjoy peace of mind knowing your pets will be cared for at home.
If you get the Standard Pet Parent membership that includes:
- Home & Contents Plan (You’re covered up to $1 million USD against property damage, theft, and public liability if a sitter has an accident in your home.)
- Dedicated Member Support
- Free 24/7 vet advice line (for you and your sitter)
- Boosting Your Listing
- Ability to View Saved Searches by Sitters so you can reach out to them directly
With the Premium Pet Parent membership you get everything above plus:
- 2 Global Airport Lounge Passes
- Sit Cancellation Plan (Receive compensation in the unlikely event of cancellation by a sitter)
- A Premium badge on your listing
Here’s a Quick Overview of the Three Membership Options For Pet Parents
| Plan | Price (USD) | Key Perks |
|---|---|---|
| Basic | $149/year | Unlimited home & pet care |
| Standard | $229/year | Adds insurance-backed guarantee up to $1 million USD, boost your listing in search results, 24/7 vet support |
| Premium | $299/year | Adds premium listing badge, airport lounge passes, sit cancellation compensation, enhanced support |
Sitter Membership (for house sitters)
House sitting is a favorite among digital nomads, slow travelers, and anyone looking for a more meaningful and affordable way to explore the world.
If you’re someone who wants to travel while taking care of pets in exchange for free accommodation, you’ll sign up as a Sitter.
Click here to view all three Sitter membership options on the Trusted Housesitters website.
We’ll give you an overview of what each Sitter membership option includes below.
Sitter features in the Basic Sitter membership include:
- Access to thousands of house sits around the world
- ID/background checks depending on your membership tier and location
- Reviews and references on your profile
The Standard Sitter membership includes additional coverage such as:
- Free 24/7 vet advice line when pet sitting
- Instant alerts for unlimited saved searches (get alerts when house sits that match your criteria become available)
- Dedicated Member Support
- Accident & Third Party Liability Plan (You’ll be covered up to $1 million USD per incident. Terms and conditions apply.)
The Premium Sitter membership includes everything above plus:
- 2 Global Airport Lounge Passes
- Sit cancellation plan (Receive compensation in the unlikely event of cancellation by a sitter)
- A Premium badge on your listing
Here’s a Quick Overview of the Three Membership Options For Sitters
Click here to get a 30% discount on ANY Trusted Housesitters membership plan with the code AFFNPLH26.
| Plan | Price (USD) | Key Perks |
|---|---|---|
| Basic | $129/year | Unlimited house sits as a sitter |
| Standard | $169/year | Adds insurance-backed guarantee up to $1 million USD, 24/7 vet support, and instant alerts for unlimited saved searches |
| Premium | $259/year | Adds premium badge, airport lounge passes, sit cancellation compensation, enhanced support |
Combined Membership (for people who want both)
If you’re both a pet parent and a sitter, or you think you might want to be, you can sign up for a Combined membership. This lets you list your home and apply for sits under one account.
We’ve met lots of people who start as pet owners and then later dip their toes into house sitting themselves. If that’s even a slight possibility for you, the Combined plan is worth considering.
Three Membership Options For Combined Pet Parent + Sitters
Click here to get a 30% discount on ANY Trusted Housesitters membership plan with the code AFFNPLH26.
| Plan | Price (USD) | Key Perks |
|---|---|---|
| Basic | $209/year | Unlimited house sits as a sitter |
| Standard | $309/year | Adds insurance-backed guarantee up to $1 million USD, 24/7 vet support, and instant alerts for unlimited saved searches |
| Premium | $399/year | Adds premium badge, airport lounge passes, sit cancellation compensation, enhanced support |
Our Experience with Basic vs. Standard vs. Premium Memberships
As I mentioned in the beginning, we’ve used all three tiers of the Sitter membership plans over the years that we’ve been house sitting with Trusted Housesitters.
We had the Basic Sitter membership when we first started in 2019. It was good enough for us to land several house sits across different countries while traveling in Asia.
After realizing we loved house sitting and wanted to do it more going forward, we decided to upgrade to the Standard Sitter plan because we wanted the Accident & Third Party Liability coverage.
The instant alerts for unlimited saved searches with the Standard Sitter plan immediately made a big difference for us.
Instead of needing to check the Trusted Housesitters website multiple times a day when looking for sits, we could create search criteria with location, dates, and more. Then we get emailed immediately when new sit opportunities matching what we want become available.
That means we can apply for house sits more quickly, giving us a better chance at being chosen for house sits. Since only five house sitters can apply for a house sit at a time, the quicker you can do it, the better.
We also use our proven templates when applying for house sits, which makes the process even more streamlined!
A couple of years ago we upgraded to the Premium Sitter plan. We usually apply to house sits that are for at least 2 weeks, so we liked the idea of having the Sit Cancellation Plan in case a homeowner ever canceled on us last minute (to date this has never happened).
The airport lounge passes are a fun perk too! We used our first one when flying out of Panama City and still need to use the one we have this year.
As Sitters, we think homeowners like seeing the Premium badge on our profile as an added level of trust. As soon as we upgraded to our Premium membership, we noticed that more homeowners were reaching out directly to us, which hadn’t happened before.
Which Trusted Housesitters Membership Plan Should YOU choose?
Whether you’re a Pet Parent or a Sitter, we recommend getting at least a Standard or Premium membership. The additional Home & Contents (Pet Parent) and Accident & Third Party Liability coverage (Sitter) alone are worth it. The extra benefits like 24/7 vet assistance and unlimited saved searches make the experience even better.
Basic can seem like a great deal upfront, but it doesn’t offer much protection if something goes sideways. If you’re applying for high-demand sits or relying on house sitting to travel long-term, Basic probably won’t cut it.
No matter which membership you choose, if you use Trusted Housesitters even once for a few days a year, the membership pays for itself when you compare it to the cost to paying for a hotel or boarding your animals. We save thousands of dollars every year by house sitting!
Is Trusted Housesitters Premium worth it?
Personally, we like having the Premium Sitter plan and will keep using this one going forward.
If you’re relying on house sitting as a major part of your travel lifestyle, then it’s definitely worth it. The visibility boost on your profile can mean the difference between landing a dream sit and never getting a reply. And if a host cancels, those perks more than pay for themselves.
Can you Cancel Your Trusted Housesitters Membership?
Both Sitter and Pet Parent memberships come with a Money Back Promise.
According to the Trusted Housesitters website: “If you do not confirm any sits within 14 days of making your 5th application as a sitter, you’ll receive your money back with no strings attached. Or, if you do not receive any sitter applications within 14 days of posting your first owner listing, you can also claim your money back with no strings attached. Please note that for basic combined members, the money back promise only addresses applying to sits.”
Still Not Sure Which Plan to Get? Ask Yourself These Questions
- How often do I plan to house sit?
- Will I be traveling internationally?
- Can I afford to book a hotel if a sit falls through?
- Do I want to stand out in a competitive listing?
If you answered yes to any of the last three, Standard or Premium will likely serve you better in the long run.
One More Thing Before You Decide
If you’re still on the fence, take a minute to download our free How to Start Travel House Sitting Mini-Guide. It’s packed with tips for building a strong profile, applying for sits, and includes discount codes for Trusted Housesitters and other house sitting platforms. We put it together to help you get started with confidence, because house sitting really can change how you travel!
FAQs
Yes! You can upgrade anytime by paying the difference.
It depends on how often you sit, but for frequent travelers, yes, especially with the cancellation protection and visibility boost.
It depends on your travel style, but Trusted Housesitters does include an insurance-backed guarantee with Standard and Premium memberships. Personally, we always make sure we have travel insurance.
Ready to Hit the Road?
Whether you’re about to book your first house sit or you’re just weighing the options, choosing the right Trusted Housesitters plan is a big step in your journey. We hope this guide helped you figure out what feels right for your travel goals.
And if you haven’t already, don’t forget to grab our free How to Start Travel House Sitting Mini-Guide. It’s our way of helping you get started on the right foot (or paw). Happy sitting!
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