Airbnb Partial payment option

Chrystal11
Level 1
Houston, TX

Airbnb Partial payment option

Anyone that is thinking about using Airbnb Partial payment option don’t do it . I used that option to reserve a apt for June due to my new job I had to cancel my reservation. I contacted Airbnb informing them that I never got my refund I was told because I used the Partial payment option that was 50% of my payment that I was suppose to get back so there isn’t a refund BUT if you look online its not written up under Airbnb policy’s at all they are using the Partial payment option to take ppl money . I don’t understand how a company offers different payment option but only have a policy on one then say it apply for all Payment methods when it doesn’t . They ripping ppl off. 

26 Replies 26
Gordon0
Level 10
London, United Kingdom

@Chrystal11 When you make a booking using the partial payment terms, you acknowledge (during check out) that you may incur fees for cancellations pursuant to the host’s cancellation policy, so if the host's terms are in force due to the date, you suck it up. After all, why should the host lose out because your plans change?

https://www.airbnb.ca/help/article/1696/pay-less-upfront-terms 

No it doesn’t . 

It does, thought..."If the booking is cancelled, you will be refunded based on the Host’s cancellation policy. You acknowledge that you may incur fees for cancellations pursuant to the Host’s cancellation policy."  - pulled this directly from the terms page... 

Lilian20
Level 10
Argelès-sur-Mer, France

Hello @Chrystal11 airbnb simply respects the agreements in place. 

 

Keep in mind that once you had made your booking, the host immediately started gettting to work, send you information, replying to your requests on top of blocking your dates on other calendars that may be linked to the same accomodation. 

Ranes0
Level 2
London, United Kingdom

The point she is making here is that if the rules of cancellation do not apply to the partial payment then it should clearly be stated as it is misleading and does not state anywhere what the terms are for making a partial payment. 

@Ranes0 There is NO difference in the policy in how much money you are refunded. None!

If you choose to only pay half upfront when you booked and the cancellation policy says that if you cancel you will get half back then there is nothing left to refund. If a reservation is 100 dollars and the policy says you will get half back if you cancel. 50 dollars. 

If you choose to only pay half upfront (50 dollars) you won't get a refund. As there is nothing to refund.

 

Exactly! It feels like pure theft of people's money. Plus the support was ridiculous trying to figure out why I had no refund even though my host were so nice and thought i should have it by then too!

Idk if I'll ever use airbnb again I know I won't be recommending it.

I will never make any reservation with any host that does not allow a full refund up to a certain number of days before the reservation.  Everyone has their own opinion of what's right and wrong and most are way off base.  Just protect yourself by never renting from hosts who don't allow a full refund up to a few days or a week before the check in date, and watch how fast they hosts will start to change their policies.  

 

I'm having a problem right now where I try to use the pay half now and the rest later, but the Airbnb website still charges the full amount, even when I select the split payment options.  There are definitely LOTS of technical problems within Airbnb's website that they hate to acknowledge...which is why many of their problems take so long to fix, because they waste time being in denial and pushing blame elsewhere.

Fred13
Level 10
Placencia, Belize

 Isn't the applicable cancellation policy shown by the particular host's listing in which one is making a reservation with, before the guest even selects a method of payments? Exactly how do the rules of cancellation change because of the manner in which a guest pays (full, partial or group)?

Howard42
Level 5
Hilliard, OH

I agree with Fred.  It is the cancellation policy that should control, not the method of payment.  Airbnb allows the method of payment as a convenience to guests so they don't have to pay all their travel costs up front for a future booking, in fact I am using it as a guest.  However the host cancellation policy should still control.

City-Limits-Ranch0
Level 10
Watsonville, CA

I think the guest does not understand that the 50% she would have been refunded for a cancellation is 50% of the total cost of the reservation, not 50% of her down payment.

 

If the total cost was $1000 and she paid $1000 up front, then cancelled, the amount she would be refunded would be $500. She would still be out $500.

 

However in her case she only paid half, so she won't get anything back.  The half she paid is the nonrefundable half and the half she didn't pay yet is her 'refund' because she won't have to pay it.

Got it

Zappa0
Level 10
Key West, FL

This partial payment confuses me. Airbnb still has to pay the host per their policy, so if a guest cancels wouldnt airbnb lose.money?

Irine5
Level 2
Cranbourne East, Australia

The same thing is happening to me right now as well. Their policy does not state at all that I wouldn't be refunded if I cancel. Why does the payment method dictate how much the refund is? I cancelled 2 weeks after my initial booking and almost 6 months before my actual trip. Their policy is too vague and misleading. "If the booking is canceled, you will be refunded based on the Host’s cancellation policy. You acknowledge that you may incur fees for cancellations pursuant to the Host’s cancellation policy." So for my refund, I should be getting everything except the service fee. The fee for the cancelling is the service fee they take away in accordance to the hosts cancellation policy.  Messaged my host anyway asking for a refund, hopefully they are kind enough to understand.