Airbnb is making trip planning a bit easier as they’ve rolled out their “Reserve Now, Pay Later” option globally.

Airbnb is taking a page from many hotel chains, allowing would-be guests to book stays on its marketplace without a deposit. Prior to this, those looking to book on Airbnb either had to pay the full price, or were given the option to pay part on booking with the remaining share due at a later date.

In the second half of 2025, Airbnb started testing the option of letting users reserve stays in the United States at no cost, allowing them to pay closer to the date of stay. That’s pretty similar to what many hotels currently, allowing anyone to reserve a room with just a credit card number, only being charged closer to the date of stay.

airbnb pay later
Credit: Airbnb

In their experiment, they saw a 70% uplift in bookings on eligible bookings. These results fell inline with their survey data where 60% of respondents said having flexible payment options is important when it comes to booking a holiday. Additionally, 55% said they use a flexible payment option with one in ten saying they always use that option when available.

Almost half of respondents pointed out that they’ve missed out on booking opportunities because of how much time was spent ironing details out with other travel partners. Even though I prefer to book hotels on solo trips, I typically use Airbnb or Vrbo for group vacations, and I know all too well the sad feeling of losing out on a property due to slow planning.

The new feature will only be applicable to bookings with a moderate or flexible cancellation policy anywhere in the world. I’m guessing hosts may also have an option to limit this feature if they don’t feel comfortable with the odds of cancellations.

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