Airbnb fees vs. direct bookings: what a small B&B actually keeps

Updated Oct 2026

What Airbnb takes from a booking

Airbnb has two ways of charging service fees, and which one you're on decides how much you keep.

Source: Airbnb Help Center, "Airbnb service fees" (checked Oct 11, 2026).

Two things to know:

• The fee is on the booking subtotal: your nightly price plus any extra fees you charge (such as cleaning), but not the guest service fee or taxes.
• Once you're moved to the single fee, you can't switch back, according to the same Airbnb page. If you're still on the split fee, expect that to change.

What a direct booking costs

When a guest books on your own website, there's no commission. You still pay to take the card. A common standard rate in the US is 2.9% + 30¢ per successful card payment. A card issued outside the US adds 1.5%, and a payment that needs a currency conversion adds another 1% (Stripe's published US pricing, checked Oct 11, 2026). Other processors are in the same range.

One stay, three ways

Take a 2-night stay at $175 a night plus a $50 cleaning fee: a $400 booking subtotal.

Our math, using the rates above. Taxes left out to keep it simple.

What this tells you:

• On the single fee (most hosts now), a direct booking keeps about $50 more on a $400 stay, roughly 12 cents of every dollar.
• On the split fee, your payout is about the same either way. The difference goes to the guest: booking direct saves them the $56–$66 guest fee. That's still worth something, because a lower price is a reason for a returning guest to book with you directly.

Over a season

Say your B&B takes 60 stays like that in a year ($24,000 in bookings).

• All through Airbnb on the single fee: about $3,720 in fees.
• All direct with US cards: about $714 in card fees.
• The difference: about $3,000 a year.

You won't move every booking. If one in four stays came direct instead, that's still roughly $750 a year more in your pocket, at the numbers above. Put your own rates and number of stays into the same math.

What direct bookings cost you that Airbnb covers

The fee buys real things. Before you count the savings, count these:

• Being found. Airbnb brings you guests who've never heard of you. Your own site only gets visitors you send it: Google, social media, local tourism listings, signs, word of mouth and past guests.
• Taking the booking. You need a booking calendar on your site that guests trust, takes a deposit or full payment, and sends confirmation emails. That has a setup cost and usually a monthly cost. Compare the yearly total with the savings above.
• Double bookings. If you're on Airbnb and your own site, the two calendars have to stay in sync. Most small sites use Airbnb's calendar link (iCal), which updates every so often, not instantly. Leave a buffer or check new bookings quickly.
• Problems and protection. On Airbnb, host protection and the Resolution Center cover damage and disputes. Direct guests are your own responsibility: you need clear house rules, a cancellation policy, and a deposit if you want one.
• Taxes. In many places Airbnb collects occupancy taxes from guests and pays them to the tax office for you. For bookings made outside Airbnb, you collect and file them yourself. Check your city, county and state rules (Airbnb Help Center, "Areas where tax collection and remittance by Airbnb is available", checked Oct 11, 2026).

Airbnb's rules about moving guests off Airbnb

Airbnb doesn't allow hosts to take payment outside Airbnb for an Airbnb booking, or to push guests to contact them off the platform before they book (Airbnb Help Center, "Off-Platform and Fee Transparency Policy", checked Oct 11, 2026). So don't put your website in your Airbnb listing or messages to steer guests away.

Direct bookings should come from your own channels instead: your website showing up on Google, your Instagram, local tourism and farm-stay directories, partners in town, and guests who found you directly in the first place.

A simple plan for a small B&B

1. Check which fee model you're on. Open your Airbnb payout or earnings details and look at the service-fee line on a recent booking: about 3% means split fee, about 15% means single fee.
2. Work out your own numbers. Your average booking × your stays per year × your fee percentage. That's what Airbnb costs you each year.
3. Give returning guests a simple way to book with you. It doesn't have to be fancy: a phone number or email and a clear way to pay a deposit can be enough to start. Whatever you use, guests mostly want to see which dates are free and get a quick confirmation.
4. Keep Airbnb for discovery. Most small B&Bs shouldn't leave it. Use it to be found, and let your site win the returning guests and the people who look you up by name.
5. Keep your calendars in sync before you open your own booking calendar.

Sources (all checked Oct 11, 2026)

1. Airbnb Help Center, "Airbnb service fees": https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/1857 (single fee 15.5% for most hosts, 14–16% for others; split fee 3% host and 14.1–16.5% guest; split fee being phased out; no switching back).
2. Stripe, "Pricing" (US): https://stripe.com/us/pricing (2.9% + 30¢ per successful domestic card charge; +1.5% international cards; +1% currency conversion).
3. Airbnb Help Center, "Off-Platform and Fee Transparency Policy": https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/2799 (no off-platform payments; pre-booking communication stays on Airbnb).
4. Airbnb Help Center, "Areas where tax collection and remittance by Airbnb is available": https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/2509 (Airbnb collects and pays some taxes only in listed areas; hosts handle the rest and anything booked outside Airbnb).

Fees change. Check the sources above for today's numbers before you decide.