The Airbnb affiliate program is one of the most profitable affiliate programs that marketers and promoters have seen. People were planning vacations with the commissions they received from the program to the point that most marketers’ financial goals were affected when it was brought to an abrupt end. Luckily, there are other alternatives for influencers, marketers, or just about anyone who has an interest in rental affiliate programs. On second thought, you can also sign up as a host with Airbnb if you have a property for rent. Trust me, you’ll make more by listing your property with them than with affiliate programs.
Airbnb Affiliate/Associate Program
The defunct Airbnb prefers to call its affiliate program an associate program. The program was specifically for anyone with a platform and an audience. All they have to do is promote traveling or hosting on Airbnb and earn from it.
What Makes the Airbnb Associate Program Unique?
The company actually provided associates with tools that helped each one of them customize their content. That way, whatever content they release to their audience is uniquely personalized. The following tools were available to Airbnb affiliates:
Widgets: These include visual or interactive content from an Airbnb stay or experience.
Landing pages: This enabled affiliates to create an Airbnb page dedicated to stays or experiences to share.
Referral links: The referral links are affiliates’ unique links to Airbnb stay experiences, or hosting pages.
Airbnb Affiliate Rewards and Commission
Airbnb affiliate gets the following rewards and commission;
- $40 or more for every new listing
- 25% commission of the host’s total amount for the first 500 referrals in a month and 30% for referrals above 500 in a month
What Percentage Does Airbnb Take?
Depending on the subtotal of clients’ bookings, Airbnb does charge guests 14% of their subtotal amount and charges hosts a variable amount of 3% or more of their subtotal amount. The variation in the amount that Airbnb charges hosts depends on the types of Airbnb space in question and, of course, the host. For instance, an apartment host may be charged 3%, but an Airbnb plus host will be charged over that amount. Hosts can also decide to relieve guests of the strain of service fees by including them in their charges and then pay Airbnb between 14 and 16% of the total amount. The feature is available to hotel hosts and basically any host that wants it in their program.
Airbnb Percentage Explained
Mary Brown is a programming expert based in Canada. She was recently invited to speak at the annual tech convention in South Africa. After accepting to honor the invitation, she asked her PA to book their reservation with Airbnb because she didn’t want to stay at the main hotel for the event. Her PA visited the Airbnb site for the booking and the host’s total fee is $750 for the three nights that they’ll spend in South Africa. This includes the nightly rate, cleaning fee, and additional guest fee. Just before checking out, Mary’s PA notices the total amount is now $855 as a result of the extra amount of $105 the company charges. These percentages put together are known as Airbnb service fees.
What is the Airbnb Service Fee Charge?
The Airbnb service fee is a certain percentage of a client’s subtotal bookings charged to both hosts and guests in exchange for the services provided by the platform. Just in case you’re wondering what these services are, they are marketing, administration, 24-hour customer service, and marketing, among services provided.
How Much Do Airbnb Hosts Make?
Airbnb hosts can make as much as $180,000 or more, or as low as $5,500 in a year. How much hosts make with Airbnb depends on several factors, such as the location, the type of property up for lease, the price of the property, and so on. I think the first challenge to how much you make is having your listing approved by the team. As soon as this happens, you can start receiving reservations for your property and increase your earnings. Not to worry, you’ll only have to pay the company when your first dollar rolls in.
How Do I Become an Airbnb Partner?
The first step to being an Airbnb partner is to identify what kind of partner you want to be. So what kind of part do you wish to be? An Airbnb host, affiliate, influencer, or partner company? If you intend to be an affiliate with Airbnb, Business Yield advises you to check other programs. This is because the Airbnb affiliate program ends in 2021. Hey, it doesn’t mean your desire to make passive income with referrals will go to the mud. All you have to do is to look up other affiliate programs aside from Airbnb and live your dreams.
What are the Alternatives to Airbnb Affiliate Program?
Anyone who wishes to make passive income with guest house reservations can do so with the following businesses:
#1. Booking.com
If you’re in search of something similar to the Airbnb affiliate program, Booking.com is your perfect stop. With booking.com, you can earn between 24% and 34% commission on any reservation made. Unfortunately, what determines the exact commission you’ll receive isn’t your hard work but where you sign up for their affiliate program. There’s also another downside to booking.com, its cookie duration last for just 24 hours.
#2. Homestay
Homestay, like Airbnb, has affiliate programs available too. Every click through your unique link has a 30-day cookie duration that allows you enough time to woe clients. Its 30% commission is a great deal, but you’ll have to remember that your payout depends on your overall performance. Luckily, they have more than 25,000 listings, which simply means you can meet their affiliate program demand if you work hard enough.
#4. Expedia
If what you want to lease is a hotel, then Expedia is the perfect stop for you. The site is another platform that marketers can promote and earn from as an affiliate, aside from Airbnb. Your unique links have a one-week cookie duration, which is unlike Homestay, which has a 30-day cookie duration. You’ll be getting about 2–6% commission for referrals. The variation is based on a number of factors. However, you can avoid this with CJ.
#4. Homes and Villas by Marriott International
Marriot is quite different from Airbnb. One of the distinguishing points between them is that Merrit owns properties they put out for leases. It is indeed an international Hotel that also runs its own vacation rental platform, Homes and Villas by Marriott International, which has private properties for rent in over 45 countries around the world. If you are an affiliate, you can check them out for possible opportunities.
#5. Vrbo
Vrbo is a platform that allows users to book their reservations at rental properties. It has an affiliate program you can join as an alternative to Airbnb. Although it doesn’t have the same commission rate as an Airbnb affiliate, it’s still a fair deal. New listings and traveler referrals are the two ways to earn a commission with Vrbo. New listings give affiliates a 20% commission, while Travelers referrals give affiliates a 2% commission.
You’ll be getting support from Vrbo if you sign up as an affiliate. This includes, but is not limited to front-end widgets for easily advertising listings as well as backend APIs.
#6. Blueground
Blueground is another option to consider if you’re looking for a longer-term apartment rental. They focus on providing fully furnished apartments for stays of 30 days or more. As an affiliate, hope you know what you stand to gain when a client books a place for a period of 30 days. Just check out their affiliate’s program.
There is something about Blueground though, like Airbnb, they do not actually own the apartments. But then, no one cares who owns the apartment especially when it has great furnishings and interior design, all thanks to Blueground.
Presently, Blueground operates over 5,000 properties in 18 cities across North America, Europe, and the Middle East. Chances are, the numbers will increase in time to come.
Stepping up your Affiliate Game
Since the Airbnb Affiliate program ended in 2021, bloggers, travel websites, or anyone interested in joining leasing companies’ affiliate programs, have searched for other alternatives to earn from their comfort zone. One of the possible means of achieving this is through a CJ affiliate. With CJ Affiliate, interested people can join and promote different brands and earn a fair percentage of commissions.
Will Airbnb Reopen Its Affiliate Program?
Judging from how well they are doing without affiliate programs, they may likely not bring it up again, however, the decision is solely up to Airbnb. Besides, the main reason why they introduced an affiliate program was to increase the number of bookings on their site during the post-COVID period. With the number of hosts and business partners and the effort their team puts into promoting their brand, it seems impossible.
Is Airbnb Still Profitable In 2023?
Of course, it is. A goldmine is always profitable. There are several ways of making money with this company in 2023. You can make money with Airbnb as a host, affiliate, or influencer. As a host, you lease out your property to guests and earn money from it. You’ll definitely record more passive income than long-term rental property owners will do. As an influencer, you’ll also get to receive payment when your followers use their services.
Can Airbnb Partner With Other Companies?
Of course, they can. In fact, they do. Airbnb has become a household name across the globe. What started out as two friends allowing a stranger to spend the night at their home is now a global vision. They got to this point not just through resilience and hard work, but through partnerships with diverse companies. For instance, the company partnered with WeWork to provide office space for guests in various locations who needs it.
While it’s true that the company accepts partnership deals, it must be in line with its vision or serve a purpose that relates to it. Other partner companies include;
- Track A TravelNet Solution
- Avantion
- Bed24
- Broker tools
- Hostfully
- Uplisting
- Rentilo and so on
How Can I Reach Out to Airbnb As An Influencer?
Amongst the eligibility criteria that enlist you as an Airbnb influencer, the most important ones are having a good number of followers, at least up to a million, and your site or app must be under hospitality or travel, or tourism.
#1. Look Out for Existing Influencer Programs
Except you see a band call for influencers, it’s actually unreasonable to reach out to a brand when you aren’t sure if they need one. The first thing to do when you want to become an influencer is actually to find out if there’s a need for one. You can also run a background check on the business website if you don’t have a contact within the business.
#2. Get the Right Contact to Address Your Letter
Reaching out to be an influencer is more of an inquiring letter. Like every inquiry letter, it must be addressed to the right person. Do not start your letter with “to whom it may concern.” Get in touch and address the letter to the right person.
I must be honest though, getting the contact of the person you’ll be addressing your message to, isn’t easy. However, you can get tips on how to get in contact here.
#3. Apply to be an Influencer
Pitch an attractive message and send it to your Airbnb contact. Remember to include who you are, your relevant skills, your app or website, and how you will add to your organization’s goals should they accept you as an influencer. Viola, wait for a response, if they do not respond, you can follow up.
Can You Bid on Airbnb?
Yes, you can bargain for your Airbnb stay, is the quick response. Simply get in touch with a host and suggest a lower price or ask for a discount to do so. When that happens, the host has a chance to give your account a unique opportunity, like a special discount.
What Does an Airbnb Co-host do?
Co-Hosts provide assistance to listing owners in taking care of their guests and home. Frequently, they are a member of the family, a close friend, a neighbor, or a professional the host has hired to assist with the listing. Co-hosts can be reached by phone or email at any time by the hosts.
How Do I Collaborate With Airbnb?
Fill out the online form to submit your membership application. Your company information will need to be provided, along with information about your target market and your advertising strategy for Airbnb products. In 2 to 3 business days, the representatives will respond to you, though in some circumstances, it might take longer.
Can I Use My Airbnb Income to Buy a House?
Yes. In accordance with Fannie Mae guidelines, lenders are permitted to submit conventional loan proposals that include projected rental income from platforms for short-term lodging, including but not limited to well-known vacation rental websites like Airbnb and Vrbo.
How Much Does an Airbnb Cohost Cost?
Co-hosts of an Airbnb listing typically charge 10–20% of the nightly rate without cleaning the rental home. You could expect to make between $3,000 and $6,000, for instance, if you co-host an Airbnb that brings in $30,000.
How Much Do Airbnb Partners Charge?
The Host service fee, which is typically 3% of your booking subtotal ($10.80 USD), is deducted from your earnings, and a service fee of 14% ($50.40 USD) is charged to guests and included in the total price they pay.
Conclusion
The associate program was great while it lasted, fortunately, there are better alternatives for bloggers, influencers, and marketers who want to promote leasing brands online. Some of these offer commissions above 30% and have fewer demands to earn this much.
Affiliate Airbnb FAQs
Will Airbnb reopen its affiliate program?
Judging from how well they are doing without affiliate programs, they may likely not bring it up again. Besides, the main reason why they introduced an affiliate program was to increase the number of bookings on their site during the post-COVID period. With the number of hosts and business partners and the effort their team puts into promoting their brand, it seems impossible.
How much commission do Airbnb give its affiliates?
Airbnb gave affiliates $40 or more for new listings; 25% of the host’s total amount for the first 500 people that use your unique links; and 30% commission for more than 500 reservations made using your links.
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