Delta SkyMiles

[Pat-And-CC0]

Has anyone received any SkyMiles from Delta through their partnership program with Airbnb?  We signed up as new hosts and have qualified for the bonus miles but neither Delta nor Airbnb customer service has any information or knowledge on the program.  They keep sending us back and forth and no one can give us any information.  So frustrating.

[Christina153]

I reached out to AirBnb to apply my skymiles account to my existing booking.  I did not realize you needed to use a "special link" to make the booking in order to add your Delta Skymiles account. I have spent over an hour on hold between AirBnB and Delta and no one has been able to do anything. Once I finally got a hold of them AirBnb responded:

After consulting with my supervisor, I was advised that unfortunately we do not have the capability to add your Skymiles after your reservation has been booked. A case manager will not be able to assist in this situation either. Since this is a partnership with Delta, we have very little control over the credits and coupons that they distribute. We actually have no record of the credit/promo codes that you receive from them simply because they are coming from the other company.
We strongly advise for you to try to reach out to Delta to see if there is possibly anything they can do.

I then reached out to Delta and Delta does not have access to the Airbnb reservation system so would be unable to add my delta skymiles account to this booking. I do not expect Delta to be fixing this. AirBnB should be the ones to add my Delta skymiles account to this booking. Why is this so hard? Its a simple request- hotels do this ALL the time.

Also impossible to get a hold of customer service at AirBnB. Terrible experience!

[Jeff-And-Cheryl0]

Agree 100%.  Great program - BUT an absolute awful execution and customer/user experience.  There is NO Confirmation when you book an airbnb stay that if was booked with Delta Credit (you can see a link at the bottom of the airbnb page but nothing at final booking – plus I have a $4,000 stay that didn’t get credited to Delta).  Then when you do see the miles in Delta there is no way to cross-reference it with your stays (they don’t match up exactly).  So if you are like me who almost stays in a new airbnb each week it started as a nightmare and has gotten no better (pitiful for a start up tech company).  Now they are offer 3x miles per dollar stay - making the program better but still the same miserable experience.  I do have serous experience within on line UX/CS from my 10 years at Amazon so I can actual comment from an engineering and customer service point of view.

You have to wonder if they make their program managers go thru the user experience before they launch a program like this Delta program - if they did they would never allow it to roll out - then all these complaints roll up to the airbnb community of experts that are NOT company employees (no help) and then if your lucky you get an actual airbnb customer service rep (took me 10 days to get a “sorry you need to see what Delta can do” and “thanks for being such a good customer”). Not a way to scale a business by frustrating your customers – we have choices.

[Richann0]

Well, let me report...just went through similar experience with this program and it's been a year later since you posted.  I just got off the phone with Airbnb about it, but wished I had also said, look let me rate you on this.  What if I promised my guests amenities and then didn't deliver, well, they'd rate me accordingly.  Same here. And, I'm very very satisfied with Airbnb as Host otherwise.  Basically, I suggested they set up a task team on this and work it out or pull-out.  I know it's probably a very low priority compared to all that they have on their plates, but then just pull out and put your energy into programs that do deliver effectively.

[Clare0]

@Richann0 I am not familiar with your issue  with the Delta Sky Miles, but have you contacted Delta?  Airbnb does not award miles, Delta does, and my guess is, like other rewards given through credit card companies, Delta awards the Skymiles by detecting the purchase of an Airbnb reservation.  

https://www.deltaairbnb.com

https://www.deltaairbnb.com/terms-conditions

https://www.delta.com/content/www/en_US/support.html

[Richann0]

Yes, I have contacted Delta Sky Miles and Airbnb.  My issue is that neither was clear on whether Airbnb existing Hosts are eligible for miles, or if that is rather just for new Hosts signing up through airbnbdelta.  And, each seems to tell you to go to the other and then gives you a link to contact them with your issues.  And, as I have read through the Airbnb Community threads here regarding the Airbnb Sky Miles program as a whole, it is clear that there has been many issues regarding the program, repeatedly and not a lot of answers.  And, of course, I'm primarily interested in acquiring sky miles as an already existing host when I get bookings and how to make sure that is happening.  I created a Sky Miles account by going through the airbnbdelta web page links, but it just created a regular old sky miles account for myself, having nothing to do with being an Airbnb Host. When, I called them, I got set up with a call back an hour later, and then told that, and then put on hold, and then disconnected.  When, I called Airbnb they really didn't know anything besides what was available to read on that website's Q^A page, which I had already read, and then sent me a link to contact Delata Sky miles with my issues. I reported that there is threads of discussions here in the Community on this subject and that many people have stated that they have gone through much difficulty, much more than I, and many phone calls and emails, and no solutions.  I agree with Pat and CC here, that AIrbnb needs to either resolve this or pull out of the program.  Or, at least be clear if whether it's of any benefit to existing Hosts.  I'm not interested in putting a lot more time into it, particularly reading that others have and got no where.  I added to the resolution I hope by sharing my experience and my suggestions with Airbnb and the Community.  Back to vaccuuming my Airbnb guest room! Thanks for replying though.

[Clare0]

@Richann0 From what I am able to see from the Delta webpage, it would seem that the Skymiles offer is for new hosts only.  Here's a copy of what they say: 

NEW HOST OFFER DETAILS

Only valid when originating from deltaairbnb.com.

SkyMiles Members who sign up as a qualifying new host are eligible to earn up to 25,000 bonus miles upon achieving the following Host Earning tiers:

• Earn 2,500 bonus miles when you reach your first $250* in qualifying Host Earnings
• Earn an additional 7,500 bonus miles when you reach a cumulative $1,000* in qualifying Host Earnings
• Earn an additional 15,000 bonus miles when you reach a cumulative $2,500* in qualifying Host Earnings

*Applicable for US dollars or foreign equivalent. Excludes taxes and fees. Offer ends November 30, 2018.

[Richann0]

Yes, I have come to that same conclusion.  What a nice deal.  But I hadn't noticed till you shared it that it also ends Nov. 30, 2018.  I just wonder how potential new hosts know that this exists.  Thanks for your response Claire.

[Clare0]

@Richann0 Yes, unless you scour the Delta website, it might be next to impossible to find the offer unless Delta sends out an email announcement.  For those that were able to navigate their way in, yes, it seems like it was a sweet deal!

[Richann0]

wait, I located the link where I first read about this program, where it said it is open to "all hosts" and that's why it got me intersted.  But, perhaps they mean that all hosts can earn sky miles when booking as a guest. Idk, like it said it is not clear, and neither were those I spoke to.
https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/1545/delta-skymiles--airbnb-partnership-program

[Jeff-And-Cheryl0]

From a frequent guest the program is very nice and does add up (got my wife and I a "free" delta flight from from Tokyo to Seattle).  Its just the execution is poor.  It's something that should be easily fixed with some software creation.  Plus as many have reported - many Hosts and Guests don't even know it exist.  

My opinion - Its only a matter of time until Airbnb offers a cobranded credit card that will give you points, concierge service and maybe some trip protection/cancellation.  Or maybe an Amazon Prime type of service now that they hired the Amazon executive that ran Amazon Prime.

[Clare0]

@Jeff-And-Cheryl0 I agree! I'm sure the boys and girls at Airbnb are working on it right now. It only makes sense to expand the brand.  

[Jeff-And-Cheryl0]

The program continues to frustrate me.  I just booked a stay - code [Reservation number hidden] - for $1082usd and forgot the go thru the Delta Link. Hard enough to manage all on a 4 inch screen in a foreign county where wifi/mobile signal comes and goes and you just want to make sure the booking goes thru! Now I don’t get credit for the stay.  I thought a start up tech company like airbnb was supposed to make things simple?  Now they are no help in doing anything.  Still frustrated as I was when the program started. 

Nice program but horrible user experience and execution.

Jeff and Cheryl

[Pat-And-CC0]

They really need to get their act together;  should have prior to launching this program.  Can you imagine if a frequent flier credit card offered you bonus miles to sign up and start to charge and no one got their miles without fighting for them.  What a mess that would be.  I have no idea if and when we will ever get our host or guest miles, and we have qualified for both.  We even went through Deltaairbnb...to no avail.

[Pat-And-CC0]

We FINALLY got our Delta SkyMiles...exactly 2 months after they were promised to us.  And all 25,000 miles came on the same day.   I guess you do get them eventually...but I wonder if I would have gotten them if I hadn't pushed so hard and made so many inquiries.  Now let's see if we earn them from our stays!  Good luck everyone!

[Jeff-And-Cheryl0]

Thats great on the Host side.  Good luck on the guest side - as a fulltime traveller I see some post and some dont.  Plus they post with slighlty different amounts vs your receipt - cant figure that out - its not the net number or the amount with the all the service fees added in.  

How hard would it have been for airbnb to just show on your invoice that it was booked under the Delta Program - with the airbnb customer service so bad now why should they have to deal with this crap when technology could have done it and humans could have dealt with all the urgent issues for Hosts and Guests.  Airbnb better make good on all mine that dont post.