Airbnb service fee is often misunderstood, and the way Airbnb calculates it can be confusing. It is not always the same, and several factors decide how much service fee applies to a reservation.
What is Airbnb service fee?
To cover the cost of providing its services and 24/7 customer support, Airbnb charges a service fee to both host and the guest for reservations made on the website.
Airbnb Host pays between 3-5% service fee
It is higher:
- If you are an Airbnb Plus host
- If you are in Italy or mainland China (10%)
- If your listing has a super strict cancellation policy
Airbnb Guest pays between 5-18% service fee
- Typically it is 14.2%.
- More expensive the subtotal, lower the percentage service fee.
- You do not need to pay a guest service fee if you are booking a listing located in mainland China.
How do I find the exact service fee on Airbnb?
Airbnb calculates service fee based on the booking subtotal, which includes the nightly rate + cleaning fee excluding Airbnb fees and taxes.
As Airbnb doesn’t publish the exact criteria it uses to calculate its service fee, the best option is to find it on the reservations.
If you are a host
The easiest way to find out exact service fee for a reservation, just go to your Airbnb inbox and open the guest message thread.
You will see the ‘Service fee‘ under the ‘Payout‘ section on the left.
Alternatively, you can go to ‘Transaction history‘ and look for service fee under payout.
If you are a guest
The best way to find Airbnb service fee you will pay as a guest is to enter your dates and the number of people on the listing you are looking to reserve.
The service fee is be displayed towards the bottom of the rate card.
When Is Airbnb service fee refundable?
Yes, the service fee is fully refundable under three special circumstances.
If cancelled within 48 hours:
You cancel within 48 hours of booking and it meets these conditions:
- You have not cancelled three reservations in the last 12 months
- There is no overlapping reservation on your account for the same dates
- The host’s cancellation policy is not super strict
You are from South Korea:
Travellers from South Korea can get a full refund of Airbnb service fee if the listing is in Italy and it meets these conditions:
- You have not cancelled three reservations in the last 12 months
- Cancellation is done anytime before check-in start time
- There is no overlapping reservation on your account for the same dates
Airbnb extenuating circumstances:
If you are in a situation that comes under Airbnb extenuating circumstances, your service fee is fully refundable in the form of travel vouchers which you can use for future trips on Airbnb.
*Secret-tip* to get a full refund of the service fee from Airbnb
If your situation doesn’t qualify for any of the above conditions, there is an undocumented way to get your service fee refunded.
Speak to your host nicely, explain your situation, and if the host agrees to cancel and fully refund your reservation.
The next step, speak to Airbnb customer services (get Airbnb contact number) and let them know the host agreed to a full refund.
Airbnb will contact the host to confirm, and if it all goes by the plan – your reservation will be fully reimbursed with the Airbnb service fee refunded too.
