This Major Change On Airbnb's Website Will Make Traveling With Friends So Much Easier

Traveling with friends is always a great idea until someone is faced with a bill and forced to ration the price evenly between everyone involved. Sometimes it's a dinner bill that wasn't previously split, and sometime's it's a bar tab that everyone kind of forgot about. In other cases, it's the hotel bill for a room that everyone crashed in during their stay. If you're always "that" person paying for the entire room and never getting repaid, have no fear. You can finally split Airbnb payments with friends online before you book a trip so you're never stuck paying the entire bill by yourself again.

The process is quite simple. Whether you're exploring countries abroad with your college pals or staying in your favorite local city for the night with your family, you'll be able to easily split the cost of your Airbnb before everyone even arrives. By doing this, you won't have to keep reminding your friends and family to pay their portion of the bill during the trip (that can put a damper on any vacation). Instead, you'll be able to enjoy your getaway knowing your Airbnb is already paid for and that no one owes you anything.

How To Split The Cost Before You Book

If you're the group leader of your friends (aka, the person who's booking an AirBnb), the cost-splitting process is super easy. First, all you have to do is request to book an AirBnb that qualifies for splitting payments. After you find one you like and request to book it, you can invite your friends to pay for their portions of the cost (keep in mind that they need to have an Airbnb account in order to do pay). At this point, your portion of the price will be charged to your credit card, and the reservation will be categorized as "awaiting payment." Your pals will have exactly 72 hours to complete their shares, and if the entire balance isn't paid in time, the reservation will be cancelled.

So, what if everyone pays their portion except for that one friend who keeps forgetting? Don't fret, because there's still a solution. Believe it or not, anyone can pay for anyone's share before the time is up. That means if one friend forgot to pay and there's only an hour left to fulfill the balance, someone else can pay for their portion to prevent the reservation from being cancelled. Of course, you probably don't want to be the person who forgets — but you don't have to beat yourself up over it if you are.

If you're the trip organizer, you can keep track of who's already paid their share and who hasn't. To do this, log into your Your Trips page and take a look. AirBnb will also email you 24 hours before your time is up to remind you and your procrastinating friends that you need to pay soon or your reservation will be cancelled.

Again, if you have a friend or two who can't pay at the moment, you can pay their share in order to reserve the room. Just because someone doesn't have the cash in the moment doesn't mean they can't pay you back after it's booked.

Now that you know how to easily book an Airbnb and split the payment with your friends, you can start planning epic trips for the new year. If you're hoping to ring in 2018 with a vacation, read these cheap New Year's Eve flight tips that'll help you save money before you embark on your next journey.

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