There is a bit of confusion about the existence of an Airbnb Affiliate Program. This is because the site decided to shut down its affiliate program back in 2015, only allowing for a few selected partners to continue.
Even though they relaunched a new affiliate program in 2017, there is still a bit of uncertainty in the air.
So, does Airbnb have an affiliate program? Yes! Airbnb has two affiliate programs: Guest and Host. The Airbnb guest program allows you to feature Airbnb listings on your site to earn commission on bookings. In the Airbnb host program, you present hosting opportunities to make a commission for every new sign-up.
If you are interested in exploring the affiliate programs, it is important to know that there is a high standard for joining, and it’s hard to find a lot of information about the program online. To know more about the program, you must first apply and then qualify in order to learn more about specifics, including the commission structure.
Luckily, we have all the information you should know before you apply, so you can determine if these programs are a good fit for your site.
Airbnb is looking for qualified partners and established brands. In order to be part of the Affiliate Programs (Guest and Host) and promote Airbnb’s over four million homes in 191 countries and over 60,000 cities, your site or mobile app must have more than one million visits per month.
Airbnb is looking for the best match partners, so they select sites and apps that are creative, relevant, and popular with an audience that has a high intent of booking or hosting their homes.
Airbnb is also searching for passionate affiliates that leverage their site or app on social channels and through blogs. Some sites you can check out that are promoting Airbnb are Hipmunk and The Amateur Traveler.
The Affiliate programs must not be confused with the Airbnb Referral Program, where users send family and friends a link and get travel credits for the resulting booking or reservation a guest or host makes through the link. With the Referral program, you receive $20 for each new user with a cap of $5,000. These travel credits will expire after one year.
With the affiliate program, you become a partner generating more traffic for the site. Affiliate Programs are not targeted for users, but rather for sites and apps that are in the travel niche and can generate more traffic. You attract more guests and hosts to book and sign up at Airbnb, and as a result, you receive a commission.
The Guest Program is part of the Affiliate program. This program grants access to all Airbnb listings, so you can promote bookings in your site or app. You will be able to offer more than four million homes in 191 countries to your users and receive a commission for every new booking that is completed through your traffic.
There are two ways you can earn money with Airbnb’s Affiliate Program. In their Guest Program, you earn for every booking made by your users. In the Host Program, you receive a commission when through your traffic, new users sign up as hosts.
Unfortunately, Airbnb does not have information about the commission structure in their site. You cannot find information online (believe me we tried!) because they have a closed affiliate network, so only approved members can access where all this information can be found.
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If you have a traveling or hosting site or app, there are great opportunities for you to boost your income. You can find Affiliate Programs that can increase your traffic by promoting listings that are relevant to your niche. If you want to promote more than one affiliate offer, you can definitely do so and increase both your traffic and revenues.
If you do not qualify for programs like the Airbnb Affiliate Program because of their minimum traffic requirement, these are some affiliate programs that you can start using even as a newbie:
Booking.com is the world leader in booking accommodations online.  Their Affiliate Program grants you access to their more than 23 million bookable rooms in over two million properties.
It’s easy and free to sign up.  In just a few easy steps, you can join their network of more than 12,500 affiliates worldwide. It works for big and small sites, and their commission structure is tiered, which means that it increases as you make more affiliate sales. It can go from 25% to a max of 40%.
CruiseDirect.com is an online cruise travel company that offers great deals on cruise vacations worldwide. Their Affiliate Program has a 3% commission that is not as high as other programs, but it is important to consider that the cost of their vacations is fairly higher than other travel options.
One of the best features of CruiseDirect? They have a 45-day cookie, so you will get credit for any bookings that are made up to a month and a half after your user visited their page. There are no requirements or traffic minimums to qualify for the affiliate program, so their program is a great opportunity for new sites and apps.
Hotels.com is another site that offers an interesting Affiliate Program. You will be able to list their more than 290,000 hotels in more than 60 countries. This site handles their affiliates through a third-party service like TradeDoubler, Affiliate Window, and Commission Junction among others.
For starters, you will earn a 5.5% commission on each booking that results in a hotel stay, but there are performance tiers: Â 5.75% for monthly sales that are equal to or greater than $8,000, and 6% commission for sales equal to or greater than $12,000 a month. Â
We're An Affiliate - We are reluctant to allow advertising on this blog, which we believe will spoil the user experience. Instead (so that we can continue sharing our knowledge and expanding our content), we have decided to include affiliate links for the products that we use and/or rate highly.