Giving a partial refund for canceled reservation

[Kelly230]

Hi, one of my guests had to cancel and I would like to give a partial refund. However, it says that it will be charged to my account. . . I have not yet been paid out for these guests as it is in August. How does this work? Will they charge my bank account? Also, if I rent it, I want to refund the guest the rest of the money. Is this the same thing? 

Thanks! 

[Linda108]

@Kelly230  Your cancellation policy is what the automatic system will process when a guest cancels.  If there is less than 100% refund, the remainder will be paid to you at the time of the booking, just as if the guest had stayed there.  Meanwhile if you decide to offer more refund than what your cancellation policy allows, it will be taken from your own credit card.  Then you will be paid at the time of the  booking.  

What I have done when a guest cancels, especially if the booking is several months in advance, is to notify the guest I will refund if I am able to book the space.  Then I send the refund after I am paid out for the cancelled booking.  My refund was taken from my credit card but I already had been paid.

[Shannon111]

@Kelly230 @Linda108 My guest cancelled his reservation in accordance with the cancellation policy I had set for my flat, therefore he has a right to receive a refund for his booking. However, I responded to his payment request in the Resolution Center to pay him the requested amount, and this money was taken directly from my account. AirBnb never payed me for his booking therefore I am currently out 200 euro. It has been over 24 hours (approx 3 days) since he would have been staying at my place if he had not cancelled. Should I wait to see if AirBnb ends up paying me for his booking? 

Thanks! 

Shannon 

[Linda108]

@Shannon111  I would suggest you give a call to Air BNB.  Here is a guide for contacting Air BNB

https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/Help/Contact-Airbnb-A-Community-Help-Guide/m-p/16165#M728

Call at low call volume times like really early in the morning to reduce hold times.  Good luck!

[Tina237]

I want to give a guest a partial refund for the same reason but when I try to do it the 'Partial Refund' option doesn't appear to be available.  The only option on the page where this should appear (ie under 'Reasons for Refund') is 'Refund due to Cancellation'; I believe selecting this button will issue a full refund and that's not my policy (the guest accepts that).  I've already had an email from Airbnb informing me of the cancellation (which I already knew about) and displaying a big red button for me to select to instantly offer a full refund: I know this is the preferred option for Airbnb so I don't want to take any risks.  How did you manage to issue a partial refund Kelly?

[Clare0]

 @Tina237 If the guest cancels prior to check in (on Airbnb's system, not verbally) you will receive a notification of the cancellation with the option to refund any amount up to the amount that you would normally receive under your Strict cancellation policy.  Here's what you will see: 

In this example, the $250 amount is the 50% that the host would receive under the Strict cancellation policy.  The host could indicate an amount less than $250 if they want to.  If the host chose to refund $250, he or she would not receive any payout for the cancelled reservation. 

Does this help?

[Tina237]

Nope, because that's not what I'm seeing.  The only option I was given was to make a full refund.  How did you get to the screenshot you're showing?

[Clare0]

@Tina237 that's odd.  The screen shot I sent was obtained from one of my guest's cancellation.  I got the notice and the invitation to refund.  I actually gave him all the refund that would have come to me under my Strict cancellation policy but I could have entered a lesser amount if I had wanted to.  

Has your guest actually cancelled through Airbnb and have you received a notification that they cancelled?  What does the reservation status say under your Reservations?

[Tina237]

They have cancelled through Airbnb having first messaged me.  I received an email notification from Airbnb which only had a provision for a full refund.  I have a strict cancellation policy for a reason, I can't afford to lose confirmed bookings and believe guests should take out holiday insurance if they can't afford to lose out if an emergency or anything else results in a cancellation. 

I told the guest I would make an ex-gratia refund of £30 (full amount to me is £161) as the other dates I offered her were inconvenient for her and she was grateful for that but now I can't action it.  I think things may be clearer after Airbnb have paid me tonight, so I'll have another look later but I'm not being offered the option you show.  If I go to the Resolution centre it doesn't display in the way the help menu describes. 

[Clare0]

@Tina237 Ok, that information is helpful.  It sounds like the guest cancelled on the check in date, is that correct?  If so, then, yes, you will need to use the Resolution Center if your payout has been released by Airbnb.  In the example I gave you previously the guest cancelled before the check in date (weeks before).  

See if your options change once your payout has been received. 

https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/165/how-do-i-refund-my-guest

[Tina237]

No, she cancelled on Wednesday, the day before check-in which was Thursday,  and I should receive payment today.

[Clare0]

 @Tina237 seems odd that you weren't able to refund like I did, but see if you can do a refund through the Resolution Center after you receive payment.  If that doesn't work for you, I'm afraid I'm out of suggestions.  You might need to contact Airbnb for assistance if the Resolution Center does not work. 

[Tina237]

Thanks anyway Clare.

[Magic3]

If this answer works for you, please click the Thumbs Up button to help move this to the top of this list and easier for others to find. This fix is as of 1/14/21 on the USA version of Air BNB. I'm not sure if other countries work the same way. 

1. Go to Reservations | Cancellations.
2. Find the Reservation you wish to refund and click the Details button next to it.
3. Scroll down, find, and click the Send or Request Money button.
4. From here, you should see the option to Send money. Click Next and you should see the reason "Refund for Cancellation" is selected. Click Next.
5. Select "Partial Refund" and enter the amount you wish to send. Add a note if you wish. Click Next. 

A few things to note:

- You won't get your payout until the original check-in date.

- The money may come out of your next payout. See screenshot below.

- I offer a maximum refund of 50% of WHAT I ACTUALLY WILL COLLECT FROM AIR BNB

- Include a note reminding the guest that this is a voluntary exception to your Strict policy

If you have a Strict cancellation policy, then offering anything to a cancelling guest is out of your generosity and should be appreciated by person cancelling. I find it to be a good idea to gently remind these folks of this fact.

See the amount you will be paid by Air BNB in the Booking Details window.