Airbnb payments in USD

[El Vagante]

Mod, you can lock this thread. Thanks to everybody who contributed!

 

[Sequoia1321]

Why would you call airbnb? Book at place for a week or so to see if you like it and then if you do negotiate a rate for subsequent stays directly with the owner. That doesn't break any rules

I used their customer service chat on their website to plan ahead to see what the rules are if I want to negotiate a long term rental. Now I know and won’t be breaking their rules and risking getting banned from their important service. They also mentioned that a good thing about this rule is that I’ll have some protection from Airbnb if something goes wrong as opposed to if I deal only with the host.

No, you can't change the conversion which is the official conversion....you have to rent through Airbnb and then start negotiating with the owner. Remember that you are paying AB a fee and so is the owner. Most would like to avoid the fees...but not all. So communicate with the owner, carefully, before you come if you intend on staying awhile. And once you here do not even think of using your credit cards....nada. Put them away. Same with your bank debit card...forget you have it.

Is it bad to use a credit card on the Airbnb website? I mean, do they charge extra for that, like the additional credit card charges that apply in Argentina? Regarding the AB fee and trying to avoid it, not only would I reconsider that for ethical reasons, since I’d be using AB’s services, but also if a person gets banned from AB for violating some rule then wouldn’t that person have lost a very important membership? AB is ID card/Driver License based right? You can’t just get another username and use their services again like you can on some other online websites, correct?

 

[SecretShopper]

You're not breaking any rules. People use airbnb for the protection. If you and the owner want to risk going without that security then it's your right. I've done it many times and fortunately haven't had a bad experience.

 

[Sequoia1321]

You're not breaking any rules. People use airbnb for the protection. If you and the owner want to risk going without that security then it's your right. I've done it many times and fortunately haven't had a bad experience.

But when I checked with airbnb about this they said it would be breaking their rules. Not sure if there are different rules in Argentina, but they even showed me the exact part of the rule which I posted earlier.

 

[jblaze5779]

I used their customer service chat on their website to plan ahead to see what the rules are if I want to negotiate a long term rental. Now I know and won’t be breaking their rules and risking getting banned from their important service. They also mentioned that a good thing about this rule is that I’ll have some protection from Airbnb if something goes wrong as opposed to if I deal only with the host.



Is it bad to use a credit card on the Airbnb website? I mean, do they charge extra for that, like the additional credit card charges that apply in Argentina? Regarding the AB fee and trying to avoid it, not only would I reconsider that for ethical reasons, since I’d be using AB’s services, but also if a person gets banned from AB for violating some rule then wouldn’t that person have lost a very important membership? AB is ID card/Driver License based right? You can’t just get another username and use their services again like you can on some other online websites, correct?

Just use your US credit card.

 

[Dougie]

But when I checked with airbnb about this they said it would be breaking their rules. Not sure if there are different rules in Argentina, but they even showed me the exact part of the rule which I posted earlier.

If you do it outside of their platform they aren't going to make money. You are paying a premium to have AirBnb as a middleman if something goes wrong.

If you want to make a side deal with the owner after your AirBnb booking runs out, how is AirBnB going to know?

Do whatever you're comfortable with.

 

[Sequoia1321]

If you do it outside of their platform they aren't going to make money. You are paying a premium to have AirBnb as a middleman if something goes wrong.

If you want to make a side deal with the owner after your AirBnb booking runs out, how is AirBnB going to know?

Do whatever you're comfortable with.

I’m comfortable paying with a US credit card and not having to worry about dealing with cash, not having to worry about that the price I’m getting is not the blue rate, if I understood that correctly. And getting a 2% cash back on my credit card purchase which should cover some of the airbnb fees I would save cutting a deal on the side. And not having to worry about maybe doing something crooked. Not having to worry about getting caught by airbnb and losing my membership all over the world where airbnb is used. And as mentioned, having the airbnb protection if something goes wrong with the deal. Maybe airbnb is being unfair with their policy about side deals, I actually don’t know, but it’s not the kind of thing where I’d feel comfortable going outside of the rules. I wonder, how much would one save if they do the side deal instead. I understand there’s a 3% fee charged to the host, but are there some other fees as well in Buenos Aries that an airbnb customer would end up paying?

 

[Sequoia1321]

Ok, looks like there’s also the service fee, which seems very significant, at least 10% is one case I’ve seen, can be up to 14% of the total charge. Yes, that’s very high. I don’t know, still doesn’t seem worth it to me to go outside the rules. But I can see why people don’t like to pay it. Maybe the government can legislate something to stop airbnb having this anti side deal policy if for example someone wants to do a long term lease, say 3 month or longer. Then we got more of a rental situation it seems than a hotel like situation.

This reminds me of similar policies I had to deal with as a temporary employee working for temp agencies and similar companies that source you out to others. They also had rules that if the client wants to hire you as a permanent employee there were restrictions on that.

 

[Dougie]

Why does there need to be legislation?

If after your booking is up with Airbnb and you want to rent directly, rent directly. If you value the extra protection that Airbnb provides, use Airbnb.

They don't want you finding a place on the platform then asking the person to accept cash, as they wouldn't get their cut.

Airbnb can't prevent you from ever having a commercial relationship with the other party after your initial booking on their platform.

 

[Rich One]

Why does there need to be legislation?

If after your booking is up with Airbnb and you want to rent directly, rent directly. If you value the extra protection that Airbnb provides, use Airbnb.

They don't want you finding a place on the platform then asking the person to accept cash, as they wouldn't get their cut.

Airbnb can't prevent you from ever having a commercial relationship with the other party after your initial booking on their platform.

If you come to Argentina for the first time use Airbnb for sure. They have hundreds of rental apts. and have faced all the posible problems. They have legal and accounting local expertise. You are protected.