Cash payment

[Marcella34]

I was wondering if it is possible to pay the costs of the Airbnb for a part in cash and a part via Airbnb. The problem is that we are with students from different parts of the world which makes it expensive for us to transfer money to everyones bank account, plus the fact that we have a creditcard limit which is lower than the total cost. The host agreed with paying a part in cash and a part via Airbnb for the security etc. Will this be allowed by you?

[Wendy-and-Frank0]

How do you plan to send the cash to ABB?

All payments need to go through the platform to protect all parties.

Never trust a host who will take your cash and I'll never trust a guest who will pay with cash.

It sucks to be cynical but we live in different times.

The cost of transferring funds is part of the cost of travelling.

[Leigh3]

I have had numerous requests from people wanting to pay me cash direct.  They ask to see the property prior to booking and to meet up.  It's dangerous to meet people that are not honouring the system.  

Just today, I had a request from a female telling me she needed to find housing right away after her current landlord had a baby and asked her to leave.  She wanted to pay cash and wanted to arrive immediately.  I told her Airbnb doesn't accept cash payments and that she could pay by credit card or paypal to arrange payment from her account.  Still she insisted on cash payment. 

When I refused, she told me Airbnb couldn't verify her quick enough to make payment and asked how she could secure the room until Airbnb verified her card payment.  She told me she was extremely stressed and needed the room right away.  Her banter went on and on trying to find a weak spot to allow her to arrive unpaid.   None of her reasons seemed credible.

She even told me she had another Airbnb account but couldn't remember her password.  If she had used Airbnb before, she would know already the system for payment does not include a cash option.  She was too desperate and the whole thing has a creepy feeling about it.

I'd like to see the Airbnb system have a facility to alert other Airbnb Hosts in the area that this person in operation seems quite dodgy.  There is a "Report Member" button to click on, but I am hesitant to do that (just in case she is legitimately having issues with Airbnb system - I don't want to black list her).  However an alert for other hosts seems essential as someone fairly new might be inclined to fall for the trick.  My bet is arranging to meet this person would result in yet another problem with payment and a disaster waiting to happen.

It's dangerous practice to enable strangers to your property that aren't verified, haven't paid, and pressuring you to do things that aren't protocol.

[Rosemary54]

i agree wholeheartedly with you .. there should be some kind of protection strategies in place to ensure  the safety and security of those who are hosting.  however even more greater measures need to be in place to protect individuals from scam artists who use airbnn as their vehicle to practice fradulent activities.. many so called host are scaming people daily with offers and payment methods which often a person losing out on thousands of dollars.  if airbnn is using such individuals and know of these practices then they should be held accountable as well

rr

[Rosemary54]

hi wendy  i have to disaagree with you when you say that you should never trust a host who asks for payment or trust a person who is renting to pay in cash..excuse me wendy but not everybody has the luxury of having a credit card or other forms of money exchange. i can trust a host who asks for payment if that is how he wishes to proceed. least i can pay in a money order or check. if he is a legitimate host he will give you a legitimiate receipt.. i rather speak to a person up front and make my negotiations up front as opposed to going thru a system such a airbnn. if im paying your rent every month on time and with cash then what is the problem with that? am i not to be trusted because i do this??  you can send rent money thru airbnn and it a faud. so now what? half the time you can't even verify payments or lack there of from airbnn or on airbnn. being a old school girl myself, i rathar meet with my prospeective landlord,  check out his credentials and see whether this is a person i wish to give rent to.. we sit down and we negotiate a contract and everything is out in the open .no surprises in the end..  i was almost defauded a thousand dollars from a guy using airbnn who asked me to wire him money okay and this was before i even saw the apartment and guy lives in spain..

so i rather take my chances with cash .

rr

[Steve143]

Hello @Marcella34,

Airbnb doesn't actually charge the guest the security deposit when the guest books. So you should definitely not have to pay a security deposit in advance. This is against Airbnb policy.

How does Airbnb handle security deposits?

Airbnb operates by taking the full cost of the booking at the time that the booking is made. For bookings of 28 or more days the cost of the first 28 days is taken from the guest at the time of booking and each extra month is charged as it passes.

Paying by cash or any other method outside of the Airbnb system is expressly forbidden.

The host and the guest will not be covered by Airbnb insurance and will not receive any support from Airbnb should there be any problems. What if you pay to some host's bank account and then they disappear or deny that you have a booking? You will have no comeback whatsoever.

The Airbnb policy encourages guests to report any hosts who demand or suggest payment by cash.

What should I do if someone asks me to pay outside of the Airbnb website?

It looks like Airbnb is not the site for you. There are probably others whose policies may be better suited to your requirements.

Steve.

[Rosemary54]

steve . right on point. i was emailing this guy who said he was from spain and wanted to rent out his condo. i saw this advertisment on apartments.com. i just took a chance and emailed the guy who got back with me saying how the apartment was available but that i needed to first send a thousand dollars via airbnn,using vanilla one debit cards which can be purchased at any pharmacy, specifically cvs. i thought it strange because he didn't provide me with a direct account number in which i would be transferring these funds.it wasn't like he gave me information such as send money to this account number or confirmation number so i found that to be strange. im just going to send a thousand dollars to airbnn? without any other identifying information?  okay..

i was also told by this guy that i did not need a account with airbnn to send the money  and to just follow the instructions on this customer invoice i received from airbnn.  it appears the host had made the reservation for me via spain and sent me a airbnn notifiication which included a confirmation number as well as a receipt number.  i was never given instructions to include this receipt number or confirmation number when i send payment to airbnn.

 come to find out that the host was never supposed to make the reservation and that i do have to have a account. the listing was not able to be found on airbnn and it just became questionable at best. i had my girlfriend try to confirm the confirmation number and receipt from airbnn and it could not be verified.

having never ever used airbnn i would have gotten caught up in the loss of a thousand dollars.  it is silly to me that airbnn is not aware of indiiduals defrauding people thru their organization.. nobody has ever explained to me how airbnn works or what you need to do or not do. airbnn has no steps to show the first time user and they don't even want to walk you thru .. im not doing business with airbnn if they cant better police their organization.. people are being defrauded and airbnn is the tool to make it happen.

rr

[Rosemary54]

you gave very good advice.. now only if someone can run thru the process step by step for a better clarity.. still unknown as to how airbnn works.

rr

[Clare0]

Hi @Marcella34.  Airbnb does not allow for reservation payments to be paid in part or in full in cash.  This is for the protection of the host and the guest. Why is that?  On the host side, it nullifies the Host Guarantee that they will be paid.  On the guest side, cash payments to the host could invalidate the Guest Refund policy. 

Depending on the length of the stay, maybe you could make 2 reservations by different members of your group.  That would cut down on everyone's having to transfer money to each other.  Use the Contact Host link to discuss this plan with your host.  If she has a cleaning fee, she can send a Special Offer to eliminate that one time charge on the second reservation. 

Also, keep in mind that Airbnb offers a referral program to invite new users to Airbnb.  If anyone in your group is not currently a member of Airbnb, you can invite that person to join and they will get a Travel Credit to use towards the reservation.  Here's where you start: 

www.airbnb.com/invite

I hope this helps!

Clare

[Rosemary54]

first of all can somebody first explained the process of how airbnn is utilized. no one has yet explained the process of airbnn at this time. we need to have a walk thru. as in first you sign up for a account,,.. then... this is nowhere on airbnn. vague instructions are given and you wind up in a ball of confusion. is this design for  confusion purposes? when someone or representative takes the time out to give a fulll and thorough explanation then can the process be understood better and forms of deception can be dealt with asap if you don't know how the process works then how will you know if you are being frauded? still waitiing on answer from sombody

rr

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[Gordon0]

>>I was wondering if it is possible to pay the costs of the Airbnb for a part in cash and a part via Airbnb<<

No.