Airbnb’s ‘Pay Less Up Front’ Flexible Payment Option Debuts for Travellers

Till now, Airbnb guests have been paying 100% of the trip at the time of booking. With the new ‘Pay Less Up Front’ flexible payment option however, travellers will be able to pay for part of the trip at the time of booking, a 50% deposit in most cases, and pay the rest closer to the check-in date.

Airbnb saw a massive demand for more convenient payments in its testing of the Pay Less Up Front feature, with 40% of guests chosing to do so, and opting for higher-value bookings on the whole. The option is found to help the Airbnb hosts as well. Given the ability to pay in installments, hosts won’t lose out on bookings from cash flow-sensitive guests who prefer not to pay the entire amount up front.

• With Pay Less Up Front, guests can pay for part of their trip at the time of booking, and the rest closer to check-in.
• The upfront payment will be a 50% deposit in most cases. The rest can be paid closer to the check-in date.
• To qualify for Pay Less Up Front, the total stay must be $250 or more, and be booked at least 14 days from the check-in date.

The new payment option is available today across all platforms i.e. iOS, Android, desktop and mobile-web and desktop. 

In November last year, Airbnb also became the first major accommodations provider to make group travel seamless, allowing guests to easily split payments with friends or family.