Here is our hands-on advice on how to avoid Airbnb service fees. Don’t waste your hard earned money on useless service fees!
We’ve updated this blog post to include an example of a 2 bed 2 bath unit in Myrtle Beach. This condo is almost identical to the unit we owned. If you click on the photo to expand it, you’ll see a $404 service fee. That’s just insane! An extra 400 bucks! For what?
Airbnb is one of the largest vacation rental websites in the world. In the early days, it was a place for vacation rental owners to list their respective units for rent. Owners would pay an annual advertising fee and guests would contact the owners and they would mutually arrange the rental details.
Several years ago, that all changed. Airbnb and VRBO switched from an “inquiry based” system to “online booking portals”. If owners do not offer instant bookings, their listing would fall to the bottom of the search function, buried among all the other listings.
The new booking portal came with a heavy price tag – SERVICE FEES. This cost is added to the price of the rental and charged to the GUEST. What a rip off!
Here is our recommended way to avoid those service fees.
Seek out Facebook groups for the area in which you plan to visit. For example, our Facebook group for Snowshoe WV has over 17,000 members and our Myrtle Beach Resort group has over 6,000 members (both as of 1/25/23).
You can post a question such as:
We are a family of 4, no pets, looking for lodging near Snowshoe Village. We plan to arrive on 12/28 and depart on 1/1. Full kitchen and at least 1 bedroom are a must.
Or …
Hello all, we are planning a trip to Myrtle Beach from 6/21 – 6/28. 2 Adults and 3 children. We prefer 2 bedrooms and oceanfront or ocean view condo.
Sit back and watch the owners come to you with links to their websites or private messages with their best pricing.
Many vacation rental owners are doing their best to steer away repeat guests from using AIRBNB and VRBO. We booked a place in Myrtle Beach and the owner actually used old fashion postal mail and accepted a check as payment. She emailed me a lease, which I reviewed, signed and mailed to her with my deposit.
If you found this tip to be helpful, please share it with family and friends so they can save money and avoid those expensive fees.