We all want to book our accommodations as cheaply as possible, so we will try to show you how to get a great Airbnb discount. So, what are tips and tricks on how to get a great Airbnb discount? Let’s find out more.
First, we’d like to stress that we don’t expect any magical super promo codes. There isn’t any! However, if you make the booking correctly, you can still profit and book accommodation at reasonably lower rates.
We have reviewed their website and some bloggers to see what they offer and where the offers don’t match. Let’s take a look to see what they are offering.
Table of Contents
Make the proper plan.
Do the web research as early as possible. It is crucial for each journey you plan, especially if you have a specific destination in mind. Why? Because more accommodation is available then. Besides, prices will likely rise in the TOP season (In summer). Thus, if you plan your travel outside of the high season months, you will probably get a lower price for your accommodation.
Tip: We usually book an apartment three to four months before our vacation.
Negotiate, negotiate, and negotiate!
When you make a reservation via Airbnb, you will probably pay only a partial advance and not the entire amount. So, use this time to negotiate with an owner. He will most likely give you a discount himself. More importantly, you will receive the host’s contact details immediately.
- You see, Airbnb provides a special discount that each host can use on their platform for some customers.
- In other words, do the negotiations the old-fashioned way. It worked for us; why shouldn’t it work for you too?
- That’s where you can earn the most significant discounts, much more than on other platforms. So, use it well.
Be more intelligent than the search engines
What was that supposed to mean?
Well, the Airbnb website installed the tracking devices. Practically, they follow all your steps once you visit their site. Consequently, when you revisit the same accommodation (a hotel, a room, an apartment), their machine will think you are very interested in that particular accommodation. So, what happens now? Whenever you visit the same apartment, the price will increase slightly.
Is there anything I can do?
Well, here comes a trick. We advise you to do the research on one device and book the apartment on the other device. For example, if you do all the research on your PC, you will secure it through the app on your phone.
Airbnb referrals
How do I book a trip with travel credit from referrals?
- Suppose you earned travel credit by joining Airbnb through an invite link. In that case, If you signed up for Airbnb using a referral link, your referral coupon will automatically appear on the checkout page when you pay for your first qualifying reservation. Your voucher can only be used once. If you use referral credit on a reservation and then cancel that reservation, it can’t be used again.
- Suppose you earned travel credit by inviting a friend to join Airbnb. In that case, If your friend signed up for Airbnb using your referral link and completed a qualifying reservation, travel credit will be automatically added to your account. Your travel credit will appear on the checkout page when you pay for your next reservation.
Remember, you’ll get travel credit once your friend completes a qualifying trip.
Note-1
- Travel credit expires one year from the issue date
- If you apply travel credit to a reservation request that’s declined or expires, it can take up to 24 hours for it to appear back in your account
- Referral credits can’t be used with domestic India-to-India reservations
Note 2: The Airbnb Guest Referral Program has ended. The information below is only relevant to the program’s participants before its closure.
Airbnb coupons
How do coupons work?
Make sure you apply the coupon before you book, and remember that if you cancel a reservation, the coupon can’t be used again.
How to use your coupon?
You’ll enter the coupon during the booking process.
- Click or tap Enter a coupon (below your payment method) on the checkout page.
- Enter your coupon code
- Click or tap Apply
Additional details
- You can’t apply a coupon after you book: Even if you contact Airbnb Support, we can’t apply a current or expired coupon after you’ve booked a reservation (future or past).
- If you cancel, coupons are not refundable: Refunds are based on the host’s cancellation policy, and we can’t restore or reissue a coupon you redeemed in the past.
- Expiration dates can’t be adjusted: Extending the expiration date or getting a replacement coupon is impossible once a coupon has expired. Expired coupons can’t be used toward past reservations.
- Limit one coupon per reservation: There’s no way to apply multiple coupons.
Tip: You may be able to check your coupon amount (and the expiration date) on the payments page in your account.
How do you know when a coupon expires?
Sender credits will be honored till they expire. For prior referrals, you will receive credit upon completing a successful stay if the coupon is used before expiry (credit amount based on offer).
Airbnb gift cards
How do Airbnb gift cards work?
Airbnb gift cards can be used to give the Gift of travel or a unique experience. They can be purchased online or in stores.
Note: Currently, gift cards can only be purchased and redeemed by individuals in the United States with a payment method issued in the United States.
Purchasing gift cards
You can buy their Airbnb digital gift cards on their Airbnb gift cards program page.
Airbnb gift cards can also be purchased at various retailers in stores throughout the United States.
You can purchase a gift card for an Airbnb Experience by selecting Gift this Experience in the availability section on the listing. The gift card can be used for that experience or any Experience or Airbnb stay.
Gift card purchases are non-refundable.
Redeeming gift cards
Note: You’ll need to have a payment method issued in the United States before redeeming a gift card.
To redeem a gift card, add the funds from the card balance to your account:
- Sign in to your account or sign up for Airbnb
- Go to our gift card redemption page
- Enter the gift card number (numbers only; do not include spaces or dashes).
- Enter the alphanumeric PIN
- Click or tap Redeem gift card
The funds won’t expire once a gift card has been added to your Airbnb account; the funds won’t expire. The redeemed funds cannot be transferred to another Airbnb account.
Gift card funds can be used to pay for most stay and experience bookings on Airbnb. When you book, the balance of any gift card funds in your account will be automatically applied.
Checking the balance
To view your redeemed gift card balance, go to payment methods in your account. You’ll find a section called Airbnb gift credit with the current balance. Expand to review a list of gift cards applied to your account. Gift credits will only appear after successfully redeeming gift cards and the credit has been used to your Airbnb account.
Airbnb’s ‘Superguest’ Program
There has been much talk about the Airbnb Supergues program lately.
In February 2018, Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky announced that they would launch the Superguest program, a companion to its Superhost program, to provide membership benefits to its most loyal customers. The initial plan was to deploy the pilot program to 10,000 Superguests during the summer and to everyone else at the end of the year. The details of what it would include have been left out. And then, at the Skift Global Forum in September, the company’s new Head of Homes, Greg Greeley, broke the news: “The team was scrapping the plan and going back to the drawing board….”
In the meantime, no news has been heard about it. It would be great, especially for dedicated travelers. But with the COVID-19 crisis at its peak, it is doubtful that anything similar will happen soon. Let’s wait and see; we are very patient.
The Conclusion of the How do I get a great Airbnb discount? “Tips and tricks” post
As you can see, Airbnb offers fewer possibilities of getting a discount, primarily through coupons and referrals, since they have decided to close down their programs. However, they are leaving more to you. In our opinion, the most significant advantage of their program is that you can lead negotiations with the host and earn a substantial discount, even more significantly than with Booking.com or other booking platforms.
Do share with us your experiences in the comment below. And if you’d like to suggest any new ideas on how to book a cheap apartment, just let us know. We are looking forward to hearing from you.
