Referral Program Notifications for Azerbaijan – Program Not Applicable in Practice

[Jalal36]

Hello,

This is not an individual payment issue, but a system-level problem affecting hosts in Azerbaijan.

For a long time, I have been receiving notifications from Airbnb encouraging me to refer new hosts and earn referral bonuses. Despite Airbnb being aware that I operate in Azerbaijan, these notifications continue to be sent. This creates the impression that a referral program is available, while in reality it is not applicable in this region.

Acting in good faith, I guided and trained a host who registered using my referral link, received bookings, and generated commission revenue for Airbnb. After the process was completed, I was informed by customer support that the referral program does not apply to Azerbaijan.

The main issue is not only the unpaid bonus, but the continued promotion of a program that is not valid here. This misleads hosts, wastes their time and effort, and results in unfair outcomes.

About one year ago, I was told this issue would be reviewed, but no change or clarification has been made. I believe this needs to be addressed to prevent further hosts from experiencing the same situation.

Has anyone else faced a similar issue? And can Airbnb clarify why referral notifications are still sent to regions where the program is not applicable?

Thank you.

[Rebecca]

Hi @Jalal36 👋

I'm sorry to hear that you're getting these notifications and I can understand your frustration. I'd like to share this with the Airbnb team, however, I wondered if it was possible to get a screenshot of the referral programme notification please? 

[Jalal36]

Hi, the issue is still ongoing. I have already sent the required screenshots to Airbnb Support multiple times. I was encouraged to participate in the referral program and I personally spent hours educating a new host who joined through my referral link. The listing was completed properly and received reservations. I later received a notification showing the reward as pending, which was then cancelled and marked as not eligible due to location. If the location was an issue from the beginning, I do not understand why the system showed a pending reward notification and why I am still able to generate a referral invitation link. This inconsistency is the main source of my concern and disappointment. Thank you for reviewing this.