deposit now. pay balance later. to help renters cash flow

[Dave-and-Deb0]

Hi @Richard23,

Airbnb charges the guest the entire amount at the time of booking.

Dave 

[Beth83]

Is there no way to NOT make the renter pay the full amount up front? Shouldn't I be able to change that?

[Dede0]

@Richard23 and @Beth83 Among the reasons that AirBnB charges the full amount at time of booking are that a) the guest could fiddle with their payment method in the interim, making it complicated to collect from them later, and b) depending on a listing's cancellation policy, the host may be be owed money (half, all, etc) at some point down the line, so AirBnB needs to be sure that money can be paid. Also, AirBnB wants to make sure that their non-refundable service fee is collected.

While I agree that, at first think, it might seem odd to collect the full amount days, weeks, or even months in advance, that's really the only way that AirBnB can protect both themselves and (more important to me) the host.

[Sandra126]

I really prefer to be paid when they stay and not in advance, as I would be tempted to spend it. This way I know the money will be paid out without me having to worry about it. Your own cash flow will be built up over time, just work with it!

[Dede0]

@Richard23 and @Sandra126 To make it clear, while AirBnB collects the payment at the time of booking, they don't make the payout to the host until either 24 hours after the guest stay commences OR at the time a guest cancels (if the host, per the terms of their chosen cancellation policy, is due some payment).

[Don82]

what indications do I receive from AIrbb that they have in fact collected the entire or a partila payment?