How to split a payment between guests?

Answered!
Nikolaos12
Level 2
Grenoble, France

How to split a payment between guests?

We are trying to make a reservation(long term) but are not able to split the bill between the guests during confrim & payment.

How is that possible ?

1 Best Answer
Bhumika
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Community Manager
Toronto, Canada

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26 Replies 26
Steve143
Level 10
Limerick, Ireland

Hello @Nikolaos12,

 

The article below says that you'll see the option to split the bill if the reservation is an eligible one.

If you don't see the option then the reservation isn't an eligible one.

 

From what I remember the reservation has to be for fewer than 28 days and of a value of more than US$250 to be eligible.

 

Steve.

 

 

Nikolaos12
Level 2
Grenoble, France

Thanks for your reply @Steve143 ! Are you sure its less than 28 days and not more ? I tried that too and the option doesn't appear on the confrim & pay page.

Does one of us has to complete the reservation first by giving his credit card details etc. and then add more guests after the request is approved by the host and unlock the option to split the bill ?

 

In my point of view if this is true, it doesn't make sense since once you send your request and the host accepts you get charged... so how can you split the bill once you are charged ?

Confirmed.  Tried to do it today (I had done in 2017 and LOVED that feature) and couldn't.  Called help center and they removed it Sept 2018.  Worst move ever.  If there is an issue with hold up then shorten the payment window to 24-36 hours or something.  

Steve143
Level 10
Limerick, Ireland

Hello @Nikolaos12,

 

Sorry, in my previous post I referred to an article and then forgot to add the link.

Can I split a reservation payment with other guests?

 

No, one person doesn't complete the reservation and then add more guests after acceptance by the host.

That way, as you say,  that person would be charged the full amount.

 

If the reservation is an eligible one, the person selecting the listing pays their own share of the cost and then sees the option to invite the other guests to pay.

 

How does splitting the cost of reservation work?

 

If the reservation is not an eligible one then you won't see the option to invite others to pay.

 

Airbnb told me just now that, to be eligible, the reservation has to be

1) for fewer than 28 days

2) for a date 10 or more days away from the date you make the reservation

3) the amount per person must be at least US$1 so 10 guests can't split a reservation that's less than US$10

 

Steve.

 

For anyone still looking for this option, I've just been informed by Airbnb support, that splitting the bill isn't supported anymore. Helpcenter hasn't been updated to remove the option unfortunately.

That was probably their best feature.

 

@Marsha66  Not for most hosts or for Airbnb it wasn't. Guests had 72 hours to come up with the total payment. That meant the host's calendar was blocked for those days so they couldn't accept any other bookings. So while you and your friends and family may have always gotten it together to pay up on time, many groups didn't. The host loses out by maybe not being able to rebook those dates that were showing as unavailable for 3 days, and Airbnb doesn't get their fees, because the group backed out after 72 hours. Unfortunately, as with many things in life, the irresponsible ruin things for others. Had it been a lucrative feature for Airbnb, you can bet they wouldn't have done away with it.

To me it seems like a no-brainer, if people want to take a trip together, that one person books it and the others pay that person their share. Even if you don't live near each other, online transfers, Paypal, etc, are easy as pie and instant. If someone can't trust the other people in the group to pay their share, or can't collect all the funds from them before booking, why would anyone want to go on vacation with people they couldn't trust?

  Not about trust but about funding.  It means that one guest has to have the funds to pay and then get the money back from other guests.  Simple enough on a low end trip but a week at a beach house that is $18,000 for 6 families to share for a week is a bit different. Cost them our booking a trip as we had to get it all organized before we could hold the house and because of that we booked it through home away instead.  Better customer service not provider service. 

@Scott574   Why does it mean one guest has to have all the funds to pay and only recoup the money from their friends after? You find a place, you right away let all the others know how much their share is, then they right away transfer the money to you. You have 24 hours to come up with the funds after booking- this should be plenty of time to arrange this. 

For me, it's more about the receipt - each guest getting a receipt they can claim for the correct amount. 

Strongly disagree. Worst move ever.  If there is an issue with hold up (sounds like there is, and that's fair) then shorten the payment window to 24-36 hours or something (I can't imagine folks are losing THAT much business in such a short window). 

 

For example, I am trying to book a 6 bed house for 6 folks in different states for a conference who all need to use a different university purchasing card to pay only their share (and get a receipt that reflects that) from different grant pots of money.  We literally CANNOT use airbnb if it isn't split because not all of us can afford to front the money (and wait 6-8 months for our university to reimburse us), and we can't put an amount more than our share on that purchasing credit card.  So bye bye conference and big business and making money.

 

Like Scott said, not about trust.  If Airbnb is convenient then people won't use it and I plan to look elsewhere after today learning that I couldn't split it anymore.

If you can split Uber rides, this should be a no-brainer...

Racquel6
Level 1
West Palm Beach, FL

thats crazy that they have taken away this  feature.  it was the best feature for people who did group trips.  just shorten the payment window if 72 hrs was too long.

Jad377
Level 1
Montreal, CA

Why not simply allow it for people who already have airbnb accounts with a linked credit card, and then one would only only be able to split the amount with other registered users with verified credit card info. easy... payment would be charged instantaneously across all credit cards. no need for a wait.

It's really unfortunate that they removed this very useful feature instead of optimizing it. They could've simply just made it more strict at the guest side so that it's fairer for the host.