@Kalin-And-Marquis0 , thanx for alerting us to this! I never got that email, so I am learning about it here.
So when I carefully read your added paragraph, it makes me think they are adding this as their new default system payout: saying, "host early pay will apply...." it reads to me as that is what is going to happen automatically, not by choice. then also saying, "you can disable...." points to having the choice only then, after they enacted their new payout plan, so we can get out if we want to, but one has to know about it in the first place! I looked around a bit and searched in my account for it under payout preferences, can't find it there, only my payout bank account. I am on mobile, will check later on desktop, maybe I can find it then.
Sorry to say, so underhanded by Airbnb to slip it in - like they could announce that in the Airbnb Updates here, couldn't they?