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Airbnb’s Cancellation And Refund Policy [Flexible, Moderate, Strict]
Airbnb’s Cancellation And Refund Policy Explained
Airbnb hosts choose their own cancellation policy (among a few options).
As a guest, your ability to get a refund on a cancelled booking depends on your host’s cancellation policy, plus how much time elapsed since your booking was made and how much time remains until check-in.
In this guide, we’ll cover how cancellations and refunds work on Airbnb.
After breaking down Airbnb’s cancellation policies (flexible, moderate, strict, long term, super strict), I’ll show you how to find the cancellation policy on a listing, explain how extenuating circumstances work, and answer 10 common questions about cancellations and refunds on Airbnb. This guide will explain how policies work. For a step-by-step guide showing how to cancel or change an existing reservation, click here.
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Table of Contents
How Airbnb’s Cancellation Policy Works
As a guest, your ability to get a refund on a cancelled booking depends on your host’s cancellation policy, and whether you cancel your booking during or after the penalty-free grace period. To read Airbnb’s full refund policy guidelines, click here.
Airbnb hosts choose their own cancellation policy (flexible, moderate, strict) for short-term stays (27 days or fewer), while Airbnb enforces a standard cancellation policy on all long-term stays (28 days or longer). Hosts are able to offer a “non-refundable price”, which means you can book their place at a discount (for example, 10% off) as a tradeoff for that booking being non-refundable. For Airbnb’s full cancellation policy terms and conditions, click here.
Airbnb’s cancellation policies include:
Flexible Cancellation
Moderate Cancellation
Strict Cancellation
Long Term Cancellation
Super Strict Policy (30, 60 Day)
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Flexible Cancellation Policy
If a booking has a “flexible cancellation policy”, you can cancel that booking free of charge until 24 hours prior to your check-in time. But if you cancel the booking after that 24 hour mark has already passed, you will receive a full refund minus the cost of your first night and service fee. To learn more about the flexible cancellation policy, click here.
Moderate Cancellation Policy
If a booking has a “moderate cancellation policy”, you can cancel that booking free of charge until 5 days prior to your check-in time. But if you cancel the booking after that 5 day mark has already passed, you’ll receive a 50% refund on all except the cost of your first night and service fee. To read more about Airbnb’s moderate cancellation policy, click here.
Strict Cancellation Policy
If a booking has a “strict cancellation policy”, you can cancel that booking free of charge for the first 48 hours after the booking is made (which must also be at least 14 days prior to check-in). If you cancel the booking within 7 days of check-in, you’ll receive a 50% refund on your total nightly rate and cleaning fee, but won’t be refunded the service fee. To learn more about the strict cancellation policy, click here.
Long Term Cancellation Policy
Airbnb enforces a standard cancellation policy on all long-term stays (28 days or longer). If you cancel a long-term booking within 48 hours from the time you booked it (and at least 20 days prior to check-in), you’ll receive a full refund. But if you cancel after the first 48 hours, you’ll receive a refund for all except the first 30 days and service fee.
After you take these timeline disclaimers into account, Airbnb’s long term cancellation policy may seem a bit inflexible. I believe this is Airbnb’s way of protecting its hosts - as hosts are not able to accept bookings for dates their place is reserved. In other words, if guests could cancel a long-term stay at the last minute (or even 10 days before check-in) penalty-free, this could greatly disrupt a host’s cash flow. To read Airbnb’s full long term cancellation policy, click here. For more on short-term vs. long-term Airbnb stays, click here.
Super Strict Policy (30, 60 Days)
Airbnb’s “super strict policies” are only available to software-connected, experienced hosts who’ve been invited by Airbnb. In my experience. it’s rare to come across Airbnb listings with “super strict policies”.
Super Strict 30 Days
If a booking has a super strict 30 day cancellation policy, your service fee isn’t refundable. If you cancel at least 30 days prior to check-in, you’ll receive a 50% refund on your total nightly rate and the cleaning fee. To learn more about the super strict 30 day policy, click here.
Super Strict 60 Days
If a booking has a super strict 60 day cancellation policy, your service fee isn’t refundable. If you cancel at least 60 days prior to check-in, you’ll receive a 50% refund on your total nightly rate and the cleaning fee. To learn more about the super strict 60 day policy, click here.
*For the 5 things you should bring to an Airbnb stay, click here.
How To Find A Listing’s Cancellation Policy
Scroll to the bottom of the listing until you see the “Things to know” section.
Then, find where it reads “Cancellation policy”.
Click “Show more” to see the full cancellation policy displayed, including the timeline for when you are still able to cancel that booking penalty-free (according to the dates you’ve entered).
If you prefer to stick with free cancellation listings, select the “Free cancellation” filter when you search. This filter is only available when searching for short-term stays (27 days or fewer).
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Airbnb’s Extenuating Circumstances Policy Explained
As travelers, sometimes we’re forced to cancel plans due to factors that are out of our control. Airbnb’s Extenuating Circumstances Policy overrides any other cancellation policy and, according to Airbnb, it “explains how cancellations are handled when unforeseen events beyond your control arise after booking and make it impractical or illegal to complete your reservation”.
Airbnb’s Extenuating Circumstances Policy covers the following:
Changes to government travel requirements
Declared emergencies and epidemics
Government travel restrictions
Military actions and other hostilities
Natural disasters
Airbnb provides guidelines for what is and is not covered within these categories. For example, “natural disasters” does not cover bookings made in destinations known to have an annual hurricane season during that specific time of year, or if a lockdown occurs but a public notice was given before you booked in that location. To learn more about what’s covered within these five categories, click here.
Negative experiences or obstacles you experience due to personal reasons (for example, becoming sick) or transportation disruptions (such as a cancelled flight) are also not included as “extenuating circumstances”. Historically, Airbnb will sometimes offer a money back refund if a serious local outbreak occurs (such as the Australian bushfires of 2019-20), even if those bookings have past their “non-refundable stage”.
How To Make An Extenuating Circumstance Claim
From my personal experience and from talking with other Airbnb users, it seems Airbnb is very careful to approve guests’ claims of “extenuating circumstances”, probably due to the effect it could have on their hosts. Hosts don’t receive any payout when their guests are issued an extenuating circumstance refund.
Guests must provide documentation as “proof” in the claim process. If a guest’s claim is granted, they may receive a partial or full refund for the cancelled booking. For Airbnb’s instructions on exactly how to make an extenuating circumstance claim, click here.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
How / When Can I Expect To Receive My Refund?
Airbnb issues refunds to the original payment method you used to complete/pay for a booking. If you want your refund issued to a different payment method, contact Airbnb. You will also receive a receipt email displaying the refund amount.
According to Airbnb, users can expect to receive their refund within 10 days from the time it is initiated. How long the funds take to arrive to your payment account can vary. Expected refund times for popular payment methods include:
Apple Pay (24 hours)
PayPal (24 hours)
Alipay (1 business day)
WeChat Pay (1 business day)
For a list of popular payment methods and their expected refund timelines, click here.
What If My Host Cancels My Booking?
In Airbnb’s words, “we’ll automatically give you a refund”. Preventing last minute host cancellations is key for Airbnb to maintain customer trust. Airbnb penalizes hosts who cancel too many bookings. For example, hosts may only cancel three “Instant Book” bookings per year before they begin to incur cancellation fees for doing so.
Also, never cancel a booking on your host’s behalf, even if they say they “want/need” you to do it for them. From Airbnb’s perspective, it matters which party (host or guest) cancels a booking. You may not receive the full refund amount you deserve if you cancel a booking when your host is the one who wants/needs to cancel it. For Airbnb’s guidelines on sending your host a cancellation request, click here.
How To Get Help With A Cancellation Or Refund
As of 2023, Airbnb does not have a dedicated hotline number or email address for guests to reach out to for support regarding a refund or cancellation. The best way for you to get help with this type of issue is to use Airbnb’s Help Center. For a complete guide on how to contact Airbnb, click here.
Which Fees Are Refundable?
Your ability to get a refund on any booking fees (service fee, cleaning fee) will depend on your booking’s cancellation policy (flexible, moderate, strict, long term) and when in the timeline you’re canceling it. To refer back to the section explaining Airbnb’s various cancellation policies, click here.
Can I Cancel A Stay After I’ve Checked In?
If you notice your place/accommodation isn’t as described (at check-in or during your stay), Airbnb wants you to contact your host first. Your host may be able to work to resolve the issue, or offer reimbursement. If you and your host don’t agree on what the issue is or on how to compensate for it, you can raise the case to Airbnb’s Resolution Center.
Depending on what Airbnb determines as the outcome of your case, you may receive a full refund, partial refund, or no refund at all. To read Airbnb’s exact words on the topic, click here.
Reasons why a guest may request a refund include: bugs (ants, bed bugs, roaches), no WIFI when listing stated there was, the property is uncomfortably dirty or not as described, or an event made a place unsafe. But context matters - for example, a host isn’t at fault if a few bugs enter an outdoor cabin, an apartment loses power due to bouts of extreme weather, or if a neighborhood isn’t as safe as you hoped it would be.
Also, not all negative experiences warrant action from hosts or from Airbnb, like if you experience poor air quality in a city known for being smoggy, or hear street noice in an area known as a nightlife hub. Hosts are not allowed to kick out guests during a stay - unless they’ve broken the house rules.
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Can I Get A Refund If I Check Out / Leave Early?
If nothing is wrong with your stay but you want to check out early, submit a request to change the dates of your reservation by following the instructions provided here. Keep in mind, hosts aren’t required to accept booking change requests after a reservation has already been confirmed (before or after check-in).
If your change request is accepted, you may receive a refund for the dates you’re no longer booked for. If your request is denied, you will not receive a refund for the dates you’re not there (if you decide to leave early). For a step-by-step guide showing you how to change or cancel your booking, click here.
Which Cancellation Policy Is Best On Airbnb?
If you want the most flexibility on a short-term booking (27 days or fewer), “flexible cancellation” is the best option. To filter your search so you’ll only see flexible cancellation listings, select the “Flexible cancellation” filter on the search results page. For an example showing you how, click here.
How Do I Cancel An Airbnb Experience?
According to Airbnb, “you can get a full refund for any experience if you cancel at least 7 days before the experience is scheduled to start, or within 24 hours of purchasing the experience”. For Airbnb’s words on cancelling or rescheduling an Experience, click here. For the complete guide to Airbnb Experiences (with 20 popular examples), click here.
Can I Get A Refund On A Purchase Made With A Gift Card?
Purchases made using an Airbnb gift card (whether it’s a stay or Experience) are non-refundable. For the full guide to Airbnb gift cards, click here.
Are Coupons / Vouchers Refundable On Airbnb?
If you’ve booked using a coupon, and your host cancels the booking, the value of your coupon will be refunded and is applicable towards a future booking. However, if you’re the one who cancelled the booking, your coupon value will not be refunded.
Does Travel Insurance Cover Cancellations?
This depends on how much coverage your travel insurance policy provides. Check with your insurance provider to see which cancellation circumstances are covered in your insurance policy.
Can I Get Booking Credit Instead Of A Refund?
As an alternative to a refund issued to your debit or credit card, Airbnb allows certain eligible guests to opt-in to receive booking credit for future bookings. To learn how booking credit works, click here.
*For the 5 things you should bring to an Airbnb stay, click here.
Conclusion
Hopefully you found this guide helpful.
We covered how cancellations and refunds work on Airbnb - including answers to ten frequently asked questions. If you’ve already booked a place and want a step-by-step guide showing you exactly how to change or cancel your reservation, click here. To learn more about Airbnb, explore our other guides below.
Enjoy your travels!
Learn More About Airbnb
Introduction To Airbnb
Understand Your Options
Airbnb vs. Hotels Comparison [Atmosphere, Price, Safety, Amenities]
Airbnb vs. VRBO, HomeAway, FlipKey, TurnKey, OVO [Comparison]
Get Started With Airbnb
Know Before You Go
Specific Types Of Bookings
How To Find An Airbnb With A Specific Feature [Or Unique Stay]
How To Find An Airbnb That Allows Pets [Airbnb’s Pet Policy]
How To Find An Airbnb With A Pool, Hot Tub Or Jacuzzi [Step-By-Step]
Can You Throw A Party In An Airbnb Rental? [Party Policy Explained]
Cancellations, Refunds And Changes
Airbnb’s Other Listing Categories
Airbnb’s Other Features
Help With Your Account
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