Which Membership Level Should You Choose?

TrustedHousesitters offers three membership levels for sitters. (Check the TrustedHousesitters website for current pricing.)

Before diving into the tiers, understand this: if you're still deciding whether house sitting is even worth it, read my breakdown on whether TrustedHousesitters is worth the investment. Once you know you're joining, the membership decision becomes about risk tolerance and travel frequency.

Understanding the Three Sitter Tiers

All three levels let you apply for unlimited sits worldwide. The differences are in:

• Per-sit booking fees
• Insurance and liability protection
• Support priority
• Additional perks (vet line, airport lounges, etc.)

Critical to understand: Both the Basic and Standard tiers charge a booking fee for every confirmed sit. Only the Premium tier has no booking fees.

Basic: The Bare Minimum

Best for: Someone new to house sitting who plans to do just 1–2 sits per year and is comfortable with minimal protection.

Standard: The Middle Ground

Best for: Regular sitters who do several sits per year and want liability protection but have backup housing if a sit cancels.

Why it matters: The liability protection covers you if someone gets injured on the property while you're sitting, or if you're found negligent in an incident. The vet line is also incredibly helpful when you're in an unfamiliar area and need urgent pet advice.

The math: Standard costs more upfront than Basic, but the added protection is significant. However, you still pay per-sit fees, which add up if you're doing many sits.

Premium: Frequent Sitters

Best for: Full-time nomads who rely on house sitting as their primary accommodation, frequent sitters, and anyone who wants maximum protection.

The two key features:

• No booking fees: If you're doing 8+ sits per year at regular pricing (or 6+ with a 25% referral discount), this alone can make Premium worth it financially.
• Sit cancellation insurance: If an owner cancels at the last minute, Premium covers emergency hotel costs.

How to Decide

Ask yourself these questions:

1. How many sits will you do per year?
   • 1-2 sits → Choose Basic unless you want the extra protection that comes with Standard.
   • 3-7 sits → Standard is usually the best value.
   • 8+ sits → Premium generally becomes the better financial choice because there are no booking fees.
2. Do you have backup housing if a sit gets canceled?
   • Yes → Basic or Standard is likely enough.
   • No → Premium's sit cancellation insurance is incredibly valuable.
3. What's your comfort level with risk?
   • Comfortable without liability coverage → Basic.
   • Want liability protection → Standard or Premium.
   • Want the most protection and no booking fees → Premium.

If you plan to use TrustedHousesitters regularly throughout the year, Premium generally offers the best long-term value.

The Break-Even Math

At current pricing as of June 26, 2026 (check the TrustedHousesitters website for updates):

• Basic: $129 annual membership + $12 booking fee for each confirmed sit.
• Standard: $169 annual membership + $12 booking fee for each confirmed sit.
• Premium: $259 annual membership only (no booking fees).

Premium becomes the less expensive option starting with your 8th confirmed sit. New members using my referral link receive 25% off their first year's membership. That brings the prices to approximately $97 for Basic, $127 for Standard, and $194 for Premium. With discounted pricing, Premium becomes the less expensive option starting with your 6th confirmed sit.

My Recommendation

I average around 20 house sits per year, so Premium is an easy choice for me. At that volume, the lower cost per sit, included cancellation protection, and lack of booking fees more than justify the higher membership price.

If you only do a handful of sits each year, Standard is likely the better value. It includes the liability protection most regular sitters need without paying for features you may never use. Basic only really makes sense if you're trying house sitting for the first time and expect to complete just one or two sits.

For a deeper look at whether the membership investment makes sense at all, read my breakdown of the actual travel math.