Deposit

Jane14
Level 3
Cape Town, South Africa

Deposit

Hi,

Is it possible to ask for 50% payment upfront when a guest makes a booking? This is not the same as "security" deposit. Most hotels or B&Bs insist on partial payment in case of cancellation at the last minute. Any help would be most appreciated.

Thanks

Jane

7 Replies 7

Full payment. Airbnb only accepts full payments and pays it to the host when the guest checks in. It takes around 3-4 days to reflect in the bank.

 

Jeet 🙂

Jane14
Level 3
Cape Town, South Africa

Thanks Jeet - good to know.

Dave-and-Deb0
Level 10
Edmonton, Canada

Hi @Jane14,

 

Yes, @Jeet0 is correct.  Airbnb does charge the guest the entire amount at the time of booking but they do not pay you until 24 hours after the guest checks in.  So, Airbnb does have your money in which they hld for you and if the guest cancels, they apply whatever cancellation fee you have setup at the time this guest booked.

 

I would like to add one suggestion for you @Jane14.  If you are concerned about cancellation at the last minute, you should definately change your cancellation policy from "flexible" to something that has more teeth like "moderate" or "strict".

 

Dave

 

David

Superhost Ambassador ~ Host Club Community Leader ~ Community Expert ~ Experienced Co-Host

Thanks Dave, I will change my cancellation policy setting to moderate or strict. Many thanks.

Gail16
Level 2
Broken Hill, Australia

I have had a Guest ask if they could book and just pay a deposit and the balance in a few days. The Guest advised me Airbnb said I as host need to do this via my "special Offer" but I can not see how I can acheive a deposit only with this method, so told the Guest after accepting the offer to rebook once the 24hrs are up when she had the funds and I shall reserve the dates for her. How would someone out there have handled this problem please.

Gail C.

You are being scammed - this is not AirBnB policy....report the user by flagging their name. 

 

Likelyhood is that you will never be paid any oustanding amounts, etc...

 

Be careful out there!

Andrée2
Level 10
Portland, OR

Yes, @Gerry-And-Rashid0 are likely correct. And even if it's not a scam, it sounds like a "blind" guest leading the "blind" host. You are going to get scrambled here pretty frequently until you really go in to read and learn how this site functions. If you don't know how it operates differently, people will be quick to make assumptions at your expense.