I am now already in a +10 day discussion with Airbnb on an i...
Latest reply
I am now already in a +10 day discussion with Airbnb on an issue of blocked days that are being switched to 'active' in the c...
Latest reply
I have heard that people who forgot to bring cash can ask friends/family to send money to a host for them, and that it is easier and less expensive than using Western Union. Please let me know how to proceed with this.
Thanks!
@Karen782 I have never heard of that!
Can you send a link to where you found out about it? It would be very useful to learn about.
(By the way, this discussion room is a place for guests and hosts to chat. It is not AirBnB itself.)
Hi Matthew,
I heard it from a dive company owner in Cuba. People from the US often don't know there are no ATMs in Cuba that will work with their American credit cards and don't bring enough money for their whole trip. Our dive instructor told us one of his clients used an Airbnb host to receive money.
I guess I will have to ask Airbnb next. Thanks.
@Karen782, so it might not have been a function of AirBnB, but a service that a specific AirBnB host might have been able to provide?
Maybe they used something like PayPal or Venmo or something like that and the AirBnB host was able to provide cash in exchange for a payment via one of the payment services?
Yes, that is correct. I found the link on the reservation page that says "send/recieve money". It says reason: 1. Damaged or missing items 2. extra services or 3. Other trip related services "you can send or request money for reservation-related matters that don't fit into any of the other options". (I would choose # 3). The host would receive the money through PayPal and then cash it for the guest.
Our host wasn't available to do the transaction so we ended up paying a pretty hefty fee (almost $70) and using Western Union.
It sounds like a potential scam to me. I would check it out very carefully
So do you have a friend or family member in Cuba telling you they can't access funds through their card.
A quick search online shows you can do this at hotels and at the airport, so not sure what is going on here.