How to get a Discount on Airbnb – 12 Tips & Tricks

Looking to book an Airbnb for your next trip and looking for an Airbnb coupon? Here are some of the most effective ways to get a discount on Airbnb.

Airbnbs used to be a more cost-effective alternative to staying in a hotel. But since its popularity has increased dramatically, so have the prices. It’s not uncommon for a decent Airbnb to be even more expensive than a budget hotel!

Staying in an Airbnb has its pros, but it doesn’t have to break the bank. If you’re set on staying in an Airbnb on your next trip, we’ve got some of the best ways to get a discount (without using random Airbnb coupons!). Let’s take a look!

Disclaimer: If you plan to use Airbnbs, please use them responsibly. There have been many issues with Airbnb where these short-term rentals are taking over popular tourist destinations, driving locals out of the city centres (contributing to the housing crisis we’re seeing in many different countries and cities).

How to get an Airbnb Discount

Here are some of the best ways to get an Airbnb discount:

1. Get a Weekly or Monthly Discount

Most Airbnb hosts give a discount for long-term stays. While it depends on which Airbnb you book, you could be eligible to get a weekly or monthly discount. For Airbnb hosts, it means there is less cleaning work involved, and it also blocks out a bigger part of their calendar.

Weekly discounts kick in if you stay for longer than seven nights, while monthly discounts kick in when you’re booking an Airbnb for more than 28 nights. This is, of course, if the host has made them available.

However, most hosts do offer them. If the Airbnb you’re looking for doesn’t have any automatic weekly or monthly discounts, it could be worth reaching out to the host. If you don’t ask, you don’t get. And if they don’t offer any discounts for long-term stays, you may be better off looking for a different Airbnb nearby, as so many other hosts do offer them.

2. Book an Extra Night (or Two)

Since some Airbnb hosts give you a pretty big discount if you stay for a longer period, it could work out cheaper to add a night or two to your stay. If the weekly or monthly discount adds up to more than one full night, it’s possible for the trip to turn out cheaper!

For example, in this Airbnb in Tokyo, adding two extra nights qualified us for the 39% monthly discount, rather than a 10% weekly discount. Monthly discounts usually kick in when you book an Airbnb for 28 nights or longer.

For 27 nights, we would’ve paid £1,898. But for 29 nights, it only costs us £1,357. That’s two extra nights on top of over £500 discount.

3. Find New Listing Discounts

Finding this Airbnb discount may take a little longer, but if you can find a brand new listing on the website, you could get it for 20% cheaper. The 20% discount works on the first three reservations booked within the first 30 days of the listing being live.

The best way to find these is by going onto the main Airbnb map for the area you’re looking to stay in. Then, click on the Airbnb dots available on the map. Try and find ones that have a star icon with the words “New” written next to it where normally you’d find the number of reviews.

4. Early Bird Airbnb Discounts

Some hosts also enable the Early Bird discount on their Airbnb listing. This is usually a 10% discount when you book 30–60 days in advance. The hosts can decide whether or not to enable this discount, so it’s not available on all properties.

5. Find Last-Minute Airbnb Discounts

Once again, not all hosts have this type of discount enabled on their listings, but some do! If you are looking for a very last-minute booking on Airbnb, there is a chance you’ll be able to find one with an automatic last-minute discount.

This is usually for when you book accommodation for the same day. If you’re looking at Airbnbs very last minute, it can also be worth contacting the host to ask for a discount if their place is still available. Which brings us to our next tip…

6. Ask the Airbnb Host for a Discount

If you don’t ask, you don’t get. Before booking your Airbnb, you can contact the host and simply ask for a discount. Hosts are able to offer a special rate to guests, so it is possible they can offer you a discounted rate.

Obviously, if you’re asking a very popular Airbnb for a large discount when they could easily get guests who pay the full price, you probably won’t be successful in securing a cheaper price. It’s better to try it with new Airbnbs, ones that don’t have many reviews yet or that are a little further out of the city centre.

The same thing counts for booking an Airbnb very far in advance. Why would the host give you a discount if they have a chance someone will pay full price? If you’re booking last-minute and the Airbnb listing doesn’t have the automatic last-minute discount enabled, it’s worth asking for it.

However, remember that hosts are under no obligation to actually give you a discount. Stay respectful and be kind, even if they don’t want to offer you a cheaper price.

If you’re not quite sure what to say to negotiate the price of an Airbnb, here is a script you can adjust and use:

Hi [name],

My name is [name] and I’m from [location]. I’m planning to visit [location] from [date] until [date] and I really love the look of your property! I think it would be the perfect place to stay during my trip.

I am travelling on a budget, and sadly the price is just outside of what I can afford at the moment. I know the listing price is at [current price] for the days I’d like to stay, but if you could give me a small discount (I could afford [price]), I would book it right away!

Thank you very much for your time, and I’m looking forward to hearing from you!

Kind regards,

[name]

You can also add a paragraph explaining what you do for a living, or what you’re planning to do when you’re staying at the Airbnb. For example, if you’re working remotely, you can explain that you’ll be working in the morning and exploring the city in the afternoon.

7. Be Flexible and use the Plus/Minus Feature

While this technically isn’t an Airbnb coupon or discount, using the plus/minus feature can help you save a lot of money. If you are lucky enough to be flexible with your travel dates, this feature helps you find the cheapest dates.

Airbnb’s don’t charge the same price per night. It all depends on supply and demand. If there are any events happening, you can expect to pay more, weekends are often more expensive than weekdays, and so on.

When searching for an Airbnb accommodation, you can select either “Exact Dates” or +1, 2, 3 or 7 days. By doing this, the Airbnb search function look for available accommodation for your dates plus a few days on the side. This way, you will be able to find the very best prices available.

8. Find the Same Accommodation Cheaper Elsewhere

While Airbnb is a popular site to find and book accommodation, it’s not the only one. There’s a big chance that the host will have their apartment/house on other platforms too.

And since every platform charges different fees for their hosts, it’s possible that they are listed for different prices on different websites.

Airbnb Alternatives

• Booking.com
• VRBO
• Agoda Homes
• The Plum Guide
• HomeStay.

9. Book Non-Refundable

This tip is a little riskier. Cancellation periods vary widely on Airbnb – some let you cancel a few days in advance, while others only allow you 48 hours after booking the place.

There is also a non-refundable booking option. This lets you book the Airbnb with a discount, but (as the name suggests) you won’t be able to cancel it and get your money back (more info here).

Here are the different cancellation options hosts can choose on Airbnb:

10. Buy Discounted Airbnb Gift Cards

Airbnb also offers gift cards. And as with any gift card, it’s possible to buy them for a little cheaper secondhanded. Some people are gifted these cards but don’t really want to use them, so they sell them on eBay or Facebook Marketplace with a little discount. It doesn’t happen very often, but it’s worth checking anyway.

Do beware of scammers when buying secondhand gift cards online!

11. Use Credit Card Points for an Airbnb Discount

If you use a credit card, it’s worth checking if your credit card provider gives you any Airbnb coupons or discounts. Often, you’ll be able to use your credit card points for discounted Airbnb stays. We’ve used our American Express points for this in the past.

You can also check any frequent flyer programs you’ve signed up for. With some of them, you can earn points if you book accommodation on Airbnb – while it’s not exactly a discount, you can use the miles/points for freebies in the future. This article has all the information you need about how many miles/points you can earn on some of the biggest frequent flyer programs.

12. Create UGC in Exchange for an Airbnb Discount

If you like photography or have any experience creating content, you could offer your photography in exchange for a free or discounted stay. This is called UGC (User Generated Content). Photographers or content creators are not expected to post about it on their own social media, but rather create content for the Airbnb to use as promotional materials.

It works especially well on properties that don’t have the best photos on their listing. Since good photos help an Airbnb gain bookings much more quickly, this is something you could help with. You can message the Airbnb host and offer your services and see what they say.

This guide explains how to find properties and how to start pitching. Obviously, this isn’t exactly a free stay as you’ll be exchanging work in the process, but it’s a great way to build up a portfolio for future paid work while also getting to stay at an Airbnb with a discount (or for free!).

Does Airbnb Have a Referral Program?

Airbnb used to have a referral programme, but it has been closed down. In the program, users were able to invite new members to the Airbnb platform and in return, receive credits. These credits could be used to book Airbnbs.

Both the new user and the user who invited them would get these credits, so it was a great way to get discounts on Airbnb while also helping your friends. It’s a shame it has been closed down, but who knows… it may return in the future!

Airbnb Coupons and Discounts – Conclusion

That concludes my 12 ways to save money on your next Airbnb stay. If you have any other tips on how to get a discount on Airbnb, please comment below so we can test them for ourselves.

Happy travelling!