Airbnb does not give an option to pay in the local currency on credit card

NiftyDigits

SW17 wrote: »

I'm guessing the 22% reference is 22% increase on the Airbnb fee, which would be 2.5-3% on the entire booking price (Airbnb fee is usually in the region of 12% of the booking cost IME). That's believable if they are using their own exchange rate.

But I don't think that they do use their own exchange rate. When I last made a booking in the local currency, the conversion was roughly in line with mid-market rates. So unless something has changed, the OP has made a mistake somewhere along the line.

SW17

NiftyDigits wrote: »

But I don't think that they do use their own exchange rate. When I last made a booking in the local currency, the conversion was roughly in line with mid-market rates. So unless something has changed, the OP has made a mistake somewhere along the line.

I think you're right, was more trying to make sense of their 22% comment. I would say that it's not always straightforward getting Airbnb to display the local currency for the uninitiated, depending on your device. Once you do, then the mid market rate should be used.

If it does show the price in GBP, they definitely apply 3% conversion fee from local, it is stated on the payment page (actually works out more, as they convert all components separately and round each up).

NiftyDigits

SW17 wrote: »

I think you're right, was more trying to make sense of their 22% comment. I would say that it's not always straightforward getting Airbnb to display the local currency for the uninitiated, depending on your device. Once you do, then the mid market rate should be used.

If it does show the price in GBP, they definitely apply 3% conversion fee from local, it is stated on the payment page (actually works out more, as they convert all components separately and round each up).

Indeed I had to switch it to back to local once again, even after already switching it. So perhaps the OP got caught out by this.
He browsed the site in Pounds(perhaps accidentally) and then of course paid in Pounds for a foreign booking. That is where you get charged.
If he browsed in the same currency as the Host's chosen currency and then paid in Pounds, there is no forex fee charged by AirBnB.

Currency Conversion

When the currency in which you're paying (booking currency) is different from the currency the host has chosen for their listing (listing currency), we convert your payment using one of these exchange rates:
We use the adjusted exchange rate if you are browsing the site and paying in your native currency (according to the billing address on your payment method) and that currency differs from the host's chosen currency.
We use the base exchange rate in all other cases when we need to convert your payment to the host’s listing currency.

If you pay in a currency that’s different from the designated currency of your payment method, your provider or third-party payment processor may apply a currency conversion rate or fees to your payment. Please contact your provider (for example, your credit or bank card issuer) for information on what fees may apply, since these are not controlled by Airbnb.

NFH

eDicky wrote: »

Perhaps if the OP can make his connection appear to be in Norway, by using a VPN or something (I am not techie enough), price in NOK will be quoted.

You can always find a free open proxy at www.xroxy.com for the desired country. A lot of them are unreliable though.

NiftyDigits

NFH wrote: »

You can always find a free open proxy at www.xroxy.com for the desired country. A lot of them are unreliable though.

No need...

NiftyDigits

mapryan wrote: »

I called one of their support people and they say that they always charge in the currency of the card used. Obviously, this will always work in their favour for cross-border bookings

No....as I have indicated above.

NFH

The terms and conditions say the following:

"Booking Currency" means the currency in which a Guest has to pay for his or her booking. At the time the Guest submits a booking request, the Airbnb platform will select the Booking Currency, based on the Guest's country of origin and the payment methods available for that country. Airbnb supports only a certain number of currencies as Booking Currencies. The Booking Currency for a booking may be different from the relevant Listing Currency.

Country of origin is an extraordinary concept. So if someone originates from the US, lives in the UK and books accommodation in France, they will be charged in USD, not in GBP or EUR. How would they know which country someone originates from? Does Airbnb mean the country where the user is located (based on IP address) at the time of the booking?

Peribanu

Apparently you have to change the country of your card's Billing Address to that of the listing country and then hope that this field isn't checked by your card issuer... This is an outrageous money grab by Airbnb. I thought that MasterCard had rules explicitly requiring vendors to allow the purchaser to choose between the local currency and the currency the card is issued in. Any way to make a complaint to MasterCard?

Bungaroosh

I know this is a slightly old thread but it is as relevant as ever.

There is now no way to pay Airbnb other than in the currency of the country of your billing address, i.e. GBP for UK residents. (This is even true for holders of UK-bank-issued cards in other currencies).

So, a UK card holder is forced to pay in sterling with Airbnb's gouging mark-up:

E.g. today I've looked up a room for US$99 total bill for the stay.
The GBP total shows as £80.

That's a rate of $1.2375 to the pound, but the VISA rate is $1.293.
Airbnb then rake in a 4.5% mark-up. For a one-night stay it's bearable but for a week, that 4.5% can add up to a big old chunk.

There's a big old discussion about it here.

I really wish MSE (with the clout they have) would do a report on this as it goes against all their advice (and probably VISA/MasterCard rules, I imagine -- not to give the option to pay in the host's currency).

Ryanair was mentioned further up the thread, but at least there you have the option to pay in e.g. euros (for a booking for a flight that originates in a country that uses euro currency), even if they do try to woo you with the "convenience" of paying in sterling!

dj1471

There's been a more recent thread on here somewhere.

You are paying in the local currency as far as credit card company rules are concerned because Airbnb have a UK company that manages their payments.

I agree that this is a scam. I suggest not using Airbnb.