Airbnb is one of the most famous marketplaces for finding places to stay and things to do, and it is the first place that many people look at when they’re planning a trip.
If you want to use the service, though, then you need to know, does Airbnb accept prepaid cards?
Airbnb does accept prepaid cards as a form of payment for booking stays and experiences. This may require you to include a billing address, depending on the card that you use.
Read ahead to find out more about the payments that Airbnb actually accepts.
What is Airbnb?
Before we get into the payment methods you can use to access their services, we should explain a little more about what Airbnb is as a company.
Airbnb is an online marketplace that primarily offers short homestays and experiences, hosted by users. It was founded in 2008 and was originally known as AirBedandBreakfast.com, which was later shortened to Airbnb.
Through the site, hosts can list places to stay and experiences that guests can book. The majority of Airbnb hosts are independent individuals, although some companies also list their properties for rent there as well.
Airbnb itself acts as a broker, charging commission for the bookings that are made through its website or app.
As of 2021, Airbnb was making revenue of nearly $6 billion and employing over 6,000 people around the world.
The company is based in San Francisco but operates all over the world, offering stays and experiences in almost every country on the planet.
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Can You Use A Prepaid Card For An Airbnb?
While it is possible to use prepaid cards to book an Airbnb, they don’t actually list them as an accepted payment option on their website anymore. Therefore, it is possible that you might encounter some issues.
In the past, prepaid cards were explicitly mentioned as one of the ways to pay with Airbnb, but things have changed a little over time. One of the reasons for this was related to security deposits.
Previously, hosts could set a deposit amount on their listings, which would be held until after the stay was completed.
This was a challenge for prepaid cards, as they do not typically allow for any money to be held over time. More recently, however, this option has been removed.
Now, although prepaid cards are not directly listed on the Airbnb website as an accepted form of payment, you can still use them and guests regularly book stays and experiences with cards of this kind.
You may, however, need to add a billing address when you link your card. As prepaid cards are not directly linked to a bank account, most will not have a standard billing address, but that doesn’t mean that you cannot add one.
What Payment Methods Does Airbnb Accept?
There are a number of different payment methods that are officially mentioned on the Airbnb website as accepted ways to pay.
They can, however, depend on the country that you are in.
For most countries, you can pay using:
- Visa, Mastercard, Amex, and JCB
- Debit cards that can be processed as credit cards
- Apple Pay
- Google Pay
- PayPal
There are some other options that are explicitly listed as being available in specific countries as well.
| Country | Payment Methods |
| Brazil | Aura Elo Hipercard |
| China | Alipay WeChat Pay |
| India | PayU |
| Italy | Postepay |
| Germany | Sofort Überweisung |
| Netherlands | iDEAL |
| United States | Discover |
Can You Pay For An Airbnb With Cash?
One of the most important things to be aware of when you’re paying for an Airbnb is that you cannot pay using any offline methods, like cash.
If your payment does not go directly through Airbnb, then you will be violating their Terms of Service and you can have your account removed.
If a host asks you to pay for your stay or experience with cash, then they may be trying to avoid paying the commission that Airbnb is owed for hosting their listing on the site.
Any off-site payments that you do make are a risk to more than just your Airbnb account. For these payments, Airbnb cannot offer you protection and you are more vulnerable to fraud and other security issues.
How Do You Add/Remove A Payment Method At Airbnb?
Actually, adding a payment method for Airbnb is pretty simple.
- Go to Account Settings on the website or the iOS or Android app.
- Select “Payments & Payouts”
- If you are on the app, select “Payment Methods”
- Select “Add payment method”
Then, all you have to do is put in your details. If you want to remove a payment method from your Airbnb account, then you can click on the three dots next to the payment method and select “remove” on the website, or tap on the payment method and click “delete” on the app.
When Do You Get Charged For An Airbnb Booking?
If you are only staying for a short period of time, then you will pay for the entirety of your trip when you make the reservation. These “short-term stays” are considered to be any that are 27 days or less.
If you are staying for a longer time (28 days or more), then you will pay a portion when you make the booking and the rest a few weeks after your stay is over.
Relatively recently, Airbnb has changed the way that deposits work on their service. Now, hosts cannot request a deposit when you book, but they can submit a charge for any damage that is caused during your stay.
This will be done through the Resolution Centre and, if Airbnb determines that the guest was responsible, then their payment method may be charged.
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Summary
So, does Airbnb accept prepaid cards? They do accept prepaid cards, although their website does not explicitly state this anymore.
The accepted payment methods that are mentioned are Visa, Mastercard, Amex, JCB, debit cards that can be processed as credit cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and PayPal.
You should be able to use almost any form of prepaid card to book a stay or experience at Airbnb, but you might need to add a billing address when you link it to your account.