Are Guests Booking Your Airbnb Non-Refundable Rate by Default? What Changed and What to Check

Last updated October 31, 2026.

Changelog. Last updated October 31, 2026. Clarified that Airbnb does not say where the discount percentage can be changed. First version, October 30, 2026: covers what Airbnb's Help Center says about the non-refundable option as of Oct 29, 2026, what hosts reported in an Airbnb Community Center thread on Oct 28, 2026, and a check you can run on your own listing. We will update this page if Airbnb changes its help articles.

If you offer Airbnb's discounted non-refundable option, some hosts say guests may now be picking it without really choosing it. That claim comes from a host thread, not from Airbnb. This guide separates what Airbnb's own pages say from what hosts report, then gives you a short check to see what your guests actually see.

What are hosts reporting about the non-refundable rate?

Hosts in one Airbnb Community Center thread say the non-refundable price is now the price guests see first, and that guests only choose between rates after clicking Reserve. These are host reports from a single thread, not Airbnb statements.

In the thread Non-refundable Default Selection, posted on the Airbnb Community Center on Oct 28, 2026, the original poster, who offers both a moderate and a non-refundable policy, wrote:

• "The non-refundable price is the default selection for guests."
• "Since when do guests have to click "Reserve" before they can choose the policy?"
• "I realize I can turn off the non-refundable offer, but I don't want to hurt my listing search algorithm."

A second host in the same thread replied: "Now it is totally hidden from the guests unless they think to click on that second check out page!!"

The thread had 2 replies when it was captured on Oct 29, 2026. That is a small sample. It tells you what a couple of hosts saw, not how many listings or guests are affected.

What does Airbnb say about how guests choose the rate?

Airbnb says your discounted rate is the one shown in search, and that guests pick between the standard rate and the non-refundable rate at checkout. Airbnb's pages do not say which of the two is preselected.

From Airbnb's host article, Offer a discounted, non-refundable option (help 2600), checked Oct 29, 2026:

• "Your discounted rate appears in search"
• At checkout, guests choose either your standard rate, which follows your cancellation policy, or the discounted non-refundable rate. (Paraphrased from help 2600.)
• "If your guest cancels after any applicable free cancellation period, you keep your entire payout for all nights booked"

Airbnb's guest article, Discounts with non-refundable bookings (help 3045), says the same about search from the guest side: "The discounted price is the one you'll find in search results."

So the first part of the hosts' report, that guests see the discounted price first, matches Airbnb's own wording. The part about it being the default selection at checkout is not something we found on any Airbnb page. Airbnb's guest article does not describe the checkout screen, and we could not verify what that screen shows.

Is the non-refundable option on for every listing?

No. Airbnb describes it as something hosts choose to offer, tied to your short-stay cancellation policy.

Airbnb's cancellation policies article (help 475) says: "When you set your standard cancellation policy for stays of fewer than 28 nights, you can choose to offer a non-refundable option." Airbnb's cancellation help topic also describes it as something hosts "can choose to offer."

A few limits from Airbnb's pages:

• Discount: help 2600 says "You set your discount, which is typically 10% off the base price in everywhere but China." Airbnb's pages do not say where, or whether, you can edit the percentage.
• Stay length: it applies to stays of fewer than 28 nights (help 475).
• Booking window: help 2600 says "A reservation would be eligible if the checkout date is within 60 days."
• Not with offers: help 2600 says the discount applies "if the reservation is not booked with a pre-approval or special offer."
• 24-hour window still applies: help 475 says the option "is still subject to the 24-hour cancellation period that applies to all bookings for shorter stays."

How do I change or turn off the non-refundable option?

Airbnb ties the option to your cancellation policy, which you edit under Listings, then Your space, then Cancellation policy. Airbnb's pages do not spell out the exact switch for the non-refundable option itself.

Airbnb's Change your home cancellation policy (help 3030) gives these desktop steps:

1. "Click Listings and select the listing you want to edit"
2. "Under Listing editor, click Your space"
3. "Click Cancellation policy"
4. "Next to your policy, click Edit"
5. "Make your selection and then click Save"

Help 3030 also says changes "will only apply to future reservations and won't affect any pending or confirmed reservations." If you have several listings, check each one, since the steps start by selecting a single listing.

Will turning it off hurt my search ranking?

Nobody knows from Airbnb's pages. None of the Airbnb articles we checked say anything about the non-refundable option and search ranking.

Hypothesis, not fact: since Airbnb shows the discounted rate in search, switching the option off may make your listing show a higher price in search results, and price is one thing guests compare. Airbnb has not said whether the option affects ranking. Treat any claim either way as unconfirmed.

How can I see what guests actually see?

Open your own listing as a guest, pick dates, and go as far as the checkout step without paying. It takes about five minutes.

1. Log out, or use a second Airbnb account or a private browser window.
2. Open your listing and enter dates with a checkout within 60 days and fewer than 28 nights, so the option can apply.
3. Note the price on the listing page.
4. Click Reserve and look at the rate choices on the next screen. Note which one is selected before you touch anything.
5. Screenshot both options and the total for each. Stop before entering payment details.
6. Repeat on the app and on a phone browser if you can, since screens can differ.

If the non-refundable rate is preselected, you have now seen it yourself rather than taking a forum post's word for it.

Should I keep it or turn it off? Airbnb's pages do not say where, or whether, you can edit the discount percentage

It depends on how much a cancellation costs you compared with the discount. Use your own checkout test and booking history, not the forum thread, to decide.

If you are deciding this alongside a broader cancellation rethink, our guide How to Refill Your Calendar After Cancellations covers policy trade-offs. For other rule changes coming this fall, see Airbnb's Nov 20 guest rules.

Sources

Sources checked Oct 29, 2026:

• Airbnb Help, article 2600: Offer a discounted, non-refundable option
• Airbnb Help, article 3045: Discounts with non-refundable bookings
• Airbnb Help, article 475: Cancellation policies for your home
• Airbnb Help, article 3030: Change your home cancellation policy
• Airbnb Help, topic 1466: cancellation policies
• Airbnb Community Center, Non-refundable Default Selection (Oct 28, 2026), host reports only

Related reading

• How to Refill Your Calendar After Cancellations Without Changing Your Rules in a Panic
• How to Apply Airbnb's Nov 20 Guest Rules in One Afternoon Without Collecting ID Copies

Last updated October 31, 2026.

Published October 30, 2026 · Updated October 31, 2026 / 7 min