DIGITAL LIFE

Airbnb tests tool so hosts get paid faster
The hosting platform is testing a new feature that will allow hosts to be partially paid at the time of booking. The new payment system will send 50% of the money to the hosts three days after the guest has booked a stay and the other 50% will be paid 24 hours after check-in.However, if the host chooses to pay in advance, the Airbnb service will receive an extra fee of 1% from the reservation subtotal. If there is a cancellation after the prepayment has been made, the amount will be deducted from the next booking of the host.The platform has confirmed that preliminary testing is being done with a limited number of hosts because many of them "have asked for early access to payments to invest," a spokesman told Engadget.In January, Airbnb began allowing users to pay only half of the amount at the time of booking instead of the full amount. During a test the company discovered that the new policy had guests booking with twice the waiting time and spending more.



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