A little-known ‘Airbnb trick’ could help you secure cheaper deals when booking holidays – and it’s remarkably straightforward to attempt. Chelsea, dubbed ‘The Cheap Holiday Expert’, revealed that this method saved her an impressive 21 per cent on a relaxing barge getaway in Manchester.
Taking to TikTok, she gave viewers a tour of its surprisingly spacious interior, which featured a double bed, shower, and even a bar filled with alcoholic beverages. Chelsea originally discovered the barge on Airbnb, which was priced at £152 per night – but she managed to slash the cost to just £120.
“I saved 21 per cent on this amazing barge in Manchester with a very simple hack,” she explained in the post from last year.
“This is a great hack, I use it all the time.”
Though straightforward, Chelsea’s method primarily involves hunting for accommodations on platforms other than Airbnb. She extracted several words from the listing headline and entered them into Google, which led her to the barge’s official independent website.
This proved more affordable primarily because it excluded Airbnb’s service charge, typically less than 14.2 per cent of the booking subtotal. The fee generally helps Airbnb function effectively and covers services such as round-the-clock customer support.
Captioning the video, Chelsea continued: “There’s SO MUCH CHOICE on Airbnb but as there becomes more and more places for owners to list their properties, it is ALWAYS worth checking to see if you can find the same accommodation on another platform for less.
“…The reason this can sometimes work out cheaper is because Airbnb charges guests a service fee in addition to the cost per night. Another option could also be to check to see if the owner has their own website or social media. This one can often work out the cheapest since they’re not having to give away part of their fee to the platform.”
While these approaches might offer better value, Chelsea cautioned about potential disadvantages. Should problems emerge or alterations become necessary, your safeguards may be less extensive than when reserving through Airbnb. Because of this, it’s always recommended to investigate the accommodation thoroughly in advance.
She continued: “The big flag with all of these is knowing that it’s whoever you part your cash with is the one that you have a ‘contract’ with. Therefore, it’s always worth checking out what protection and customer service is available if anything needs to be changed, cancelled or if anything goes wrong.
“Now, there’s pros and cons for both – some individuals may provide a much better service than a big company, and then for others it would be vice versa. So always check the reviews and whether you’re booking direct or on any platform, always be on the lookout for false listings where someone has simply lifted the photos from an existing holiday let (let me know if you’d like me to cover spotting this in more depth).”
Other booking sites to check
Besides Airbnb, Chelsea also advised checking four other websites to compare holiday deals. These include:
- HolidayLettings
- Sykes
- Booking.com
- Vrbo
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