Airbnb discounts: the types, and how they stack
HostBooking · · 8 min read
Airbnb discounts do not simply add up. Among the listing discounts (new listing, custom promotion, length of stay, early bird, last minute) only one applies to a night, chosen by priority rather than by size. The non-refundable discount is worked out last, on the already discounted price, so the percentages multiply instead of adding.
What discounts does Airbnb offer hosts?
Hosts set discounts in the pricing section of each listing. According to Airbnb’s help center (November 2026), these are the types:
| Type | When it applies | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| New listing promotion | A new listing, until it has 3 reviews or 10 bookings | 20%, the highest priority |
| Custom promotion | Dates and amount you choose | Available once the listing has at least 3 bookings |
| Length-of-stay discount | Stays of 1 week or more (weekly) or 4 weeks or more (monthly) | Rule-sets can add other stay lengths |
| Early-bird discount | Bookings made well in advance | Not available with Smart Pricing on |
| Last-minute discount | Bookings made close to check-in | |
| Non-refundable option | The guest gives up refunds if they cancel | Typically 10%, applied after everything else |
| Top-rated guest discount | Guests rated 4.8 or higher with at least 3 host reviews | Can combine with the discounts above |
Airbnb changes its screens and names fairly often. What follows comes from Airbnb’s help center and host resource pages, listed at the end. The amounts active on your listing always show in its pricing section and in the price preview guests see.
Rule 1: one listing discount per night
If you set several discounts for the same period, Airbnb applies one per night: the one with the highest priority, not the largest percentage. Airbnb’s published order:
- New listing promotion
- Custom promotion
- Length-of-stay discount (weekly, monthly)
- Early-bird discount
- Last-minute discount
Airbnb’s own example: a nightly price of USD 120, a guest booking all of July, a 20% custom promotion and a 30% monthly discount. The guest pays USD 96 a night, only 20% off, because the custom promotion outranks the monthly discount. This surprises many hosts: adding a small promotion can remove a bigger discount the guest would otherwise have had, and make the price look higher than you expect.
Rule 2: rule-sets apply first, discounts work on that price
If you use rule-sets to change prices by date or season, that price comes first. Every discount is then worked out on the adjusted price. Airbnb’s example: a USD 120 base price, a July rule-set bringing it to USD 100, a 20% custom promotion on USD 100, and the guest pays USD 80.
Rule 3: the non-refundable discount comes last
The non-refundable option is a discount (typically 10%) in exchange for the guest getting no refund if they cancel outside the free cancellation period. Airbnb states it applies to the nightly price after all other discounts. Continuing the example: USD 80 less 10% is USD 72. So 20% and 10% do not make 30%, they make 1 − 0.8 × 0.9 = 28%.
- The option is shown only until a cutoff before check-in that depends on the cancellation policy: 1 day for Flexible, 5 days for Moderate, 7 days for the stricter policies.
- It is not shown when checkout is 60 or more days after the booking date, and does not apply to bookings made through an invitation or special offer.
Where Airbnb is not clear
- Per night or per reservation? The host resource page says only one discount applies per night; the help article "How discounts are applied" says only one of this group applies per reservation. For a booking where every night qualifies the same way, both give the same result; for a stay that crosses the edge of a custom promotion we found no clear description.
- The top-rated guest discount can combine with listing discounts, but Airbnb does not say whether it is applied before or after the non-refundable discount. Since the percentages multiply, the order does not change the final price, but the percentage is set in your promotions section, so check it there.
- On the host forums some hosts report early-bird discounts still stacking with weekly ones. Those are personal accounts, possibly from before Airbnb changed the rules. The surest check is the price preview for the exact dates and stay length you care about.
A worked example: an 8-night stay
Assumptions: a nightly price of VND 1,000,000, no seasonal rule-set. You turn on a 10% weekly discount and a 15% early-bird discount. A guest books 8 nights, 4 months ahead, and picks the non-refundable option (10%). You are on the host-only fee at 15.5% (what most hosts pay according to Airbnb; yours may differ).
- Listing discount: the stay qualifies for both weekly and early-bird, but length of stay ranks higher, so 10% applies: VND 1,000,000 → 900,000.
- Non-refundable on the discounted price: 900,000 × 0.9 = VND 810,000 a night.
- Room total for 8 nights: 810,000 × 8 = VND 6,480,000.
- Host service fee at 15.5%: VND 1,004,400. You keep VND 5,475,600, about 684,450 a night.
| Method | Guest pays per night | Total discount |
|---|---|---|
| Adding 10% + 15% + 10% | VND 650,000 | 35% (wrong) |
| Airbnb’s rules | VND 810,000 | 19% |
| If the 20% new listing promotion is still on | VND 720,000 | 28% |
The last row: while the listing is still in its new listing promotion, 20% overrides both the weekly and the early-bird discount, then the non-refundable discount comes on top: 1,000,000 × 0.8 × 0.9 = VND 720,000. Eight nights make VND 5,760,000; less the 15.5% fee (VND 892,800) you keep VND 4,867,200. The figures are assumptions to show the method, not market prices.
Working backwards: what price leaves you what you want?
Because the percentages multiply, the reverse formula is: list price = what you want to keep ÷ [(1 − discount 1) × (1 − discount 2) × (1 − service fee − tax)]. To keep VND 700,000 a night with a 10% weekly discount, a 10% non-refundable discount and a 15.5% fee: 700,000 ÷ (0.9 × 0.9 × 0.845) ≈ 1,022,719, rounded up to VND 1,023,000.
If your homestay takes more than VND 1 billion a year and pays tax at a flat rate (7% for a household lodging business), the list price rises to about VND 1,116,000. The OTA price calculator does this for you: enter what you want to keep, the Airbnb fee, up to 3 promotions (multiplied, exactly as above) and the revenue tax. Enter only discounts that really apply to the same booking: on Airbnb that is one listing discount, plus non-refundable, plus the top-rated guest discount if you offer it. Not sure what tax you owe? Use the homestay tax calculator.
Tips for setting Airbnb discounts
- Set the base price first, discounts second. The base price must cover your costs and the service fee even when a guest gets the largest discount. How to build a floor price and seasonal rates is in homestay pricing.
- Be careful with long custom promotions. They outrank weekly and monthly discounts, so long-stay guests may end up with less off.
- Switch off what you do not need. Many discounts at once do not make the price lower, they only make it harder to predict which one wins.
- Non-refundable keeps the money, not the guest. Guests can still cancel; you keep the payment, but the room is empty unless you resell it in time.
- Keep channels consistent. Your discounted Airbnb price should not undercut your own website, or regulars will move to booking through the OTA. See relying less on Booking.com and Agoda.
Listing for the first time? Creating the listing, the fee types and when payouts arrive are covered in listing a homestay on Airbnb.
Sources
- Combining discounts and rule-sets, Airbnb Resource Center: priority order, the USD 120/96/80/72 examples.
- How discounts are applied, Airbnb Help Center: discount types, new listing promotion, top-rated guest discount.
- How rule-sets work, Airbnb Help Center: weekly and monthly discounts, Smart Pricing.
- Discounts with non-refundable bookings, Airbnb Help Center: conditions of the non-refundable option.
- Airbnb service fees, Airbnb Help Center: host service fees.
Frequently asked questions
Do Airbnb discounts stack?
Only partly. Among listing discounts (new listing, custom promotion, length of stay, early bird, last minute) one applies, chosen by priority. The non-refundable and top-rated guest discounts come on top, and they multiply rather than add.
With a 10% weekly and a 15% early-bird discount, what does the guest get?
In Airbnb’s published order, length of stay outranks early bird, so the guest gets 10%, not 15% or 25%. Check the price preview for the actual dates, since Airbnb can change its rules.
How much is the Airbnb non-refundable discount?
Typically 10%, worked out on the nightly price after the other discounts. It is shown only until a cutoff before check-in that depends on the cancellation policy, and not when checkout is 60 or more days after booking.
Is the Airbnb service fee taken before or after discounts?
Airbnb describes the fee as a percentage of the nightly price and any fees the host charges. In this post’s example the 15.5% fee is taken on the room total the guest actually pays after discounts. The exact amount for each booking shows in its payout details.
How do I know what price to list after promotions and fees?
Divide what you want to keep by the product of (1 − each discount) × (1 − fee − tax). HostBooking’s OTA price calculator does this, with up to 3 promotions and revenue tax.