A getaway with friends is great for many reasons: it means wonderful memories with your besties, enough Instagram photos to give you months of #tbt shots, and a break from your daily grind. It’s stress-free—that is, until it comes time to settle the bill and then things get #awkward.
Raise your hand if you’ve ever fronted the bill for a trip, only to feel extra uncomfortable asking people to cough up for their share of the cost? Or worse yet, been left with the bill when others just “forgot to pay” or never sent that check they promised? Yeah… we’ve all been there.
Enter, Airbnb’s new group split feature, which lets you immediately split the cost of the vacation, so no one is left on the hook for the entire bill.
The company conducted an online survey, along with DKC Analytics and found that while nearly 4 out of 5 Americans have gone on multiple group trips within the last five years, two-fifths of group travelers have not received the money owed from their fellow travelers. And nearly 43 percent of survey respondents also revealed that they have lost US $1,000 or more (!!!) on group trips because their friends have failed to pay.
No more. Get your money and save your friendships, all in one easy feature.
Though it’s not uncommon for one friend to become the designated point person who researches, plans, and books the trip, the burden of fronting a serious amount of cash can be staggering. The same survey found that 52 percent of people have coughed up $500 or more for the group, and 31 percent have given more than $1,000.
And if you are not repaid — on time, or ever — that’s a serious hit to take.
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“It’s simple to use — when a trip organizer requests to book a listing that qualifies for splitting payments, the reservation is put in an ‘awaiting payment’ state, with the organizer’s portion of the booking charged on their credit card while the host’s calendar is blocked,” the company announced in a statement. “The organizer can hold a reservation for up to 72 hours, giving time to others in the group to log on to Airbnb and pay their portion.”
Now you can actually enjoy your trip and have plenty of spending money for your extra group adventures.
“The ability to split payments is just part of our commitment to make group travel easier,” they continue. “In using the split payments tool, groups will have even more listings to choose from that often fall outside of what an organizer can afford to reserve if they had to front the total cost.”
So, go ahead. Book, enjoy, and prevent possible future squabbles with your friends.
