Need To Cancel Your Airbnb Reservation? It’s Penalty-free Amid Covid-19

By Karissa Lund  •  17 Mar 2020 in News

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It’s better for everyone to be safe than sorry by cancelling any upcoming trips while we wait for this pandemic to die down. To Airbnb users who have booked a place for their vacation before Covid-19 happened, know that Airbnb has revised its reservation policy in light of this global disruption. Wow, I can hear your sigh of relief through the screen right now. 

According to Malay Mail, both guests and hosts can now cancel reservations with no charge or penalty under the company’s updated “Extenuating Circumstances” policy. Usually, cancellation policies are decided by the host themselves whether it be flexible or super strict, but now you can scratch that whole idea since nobody’s risking their lives for a cute lil’ cabana getaway…

This special amendment applies to existing reservations for stays made on or before 14 March, with check-in dates between 14 March to 14 April 2020. This applies to all bookings in the world with the notable exception of domestic travel in mainland China. The company also says it will not collect fees from reservations cancelled under the policy.

This is what Airbnb had to say:

“We understand that this announcement will impact hosts around the world, many of whom depend on the economics they generate on Airbnb. We will be working in the days and weeks ahead to identify tools and initiatives to support our hosts during these very challenging times.”

They noticed that hosts around the world have demonstrated flexibility and understanding during the Coronavirus pandemic with 86% of money returned in the form of refunds over the last month. So, to those who were worried they might not get their money back, I’m happy to be the bearer of this good news!

Let’s hope this disease blows over soon… For now, make sure to practice social distancing.

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