How do I cancel and get a refund for my room bookings with Airbnb?

I managed to get a full refund for my bookings in Osaka, Japan - calling them via their hotline @ 66227306 is much faster than in-app chat!

Summary: Looks positive and likely to get a Refund processed

• Reservations made on or before 14 March 2020 for stays and Airbnb Experiences, with a check-in date between 14 March 2020 and 14 April 2020, are covered by the policy and may be cancelled before check-in.

• Guests who cancel will receive a full refund, and hosts can cancel without charge or impact on their Superhost status.

• Airbnb will refund all service fees for covered cancellations.

You can find the full version here.

Further details:

The host’s cancellation policy will apply as usual to reservations made after 14 March 2020, and to reservations made on or before 14 March 2020 with check-in dates after 14 April 2020.

If a reservation has already begun (the check-in has passed), this extenuating circumstance does not apply.

Domestic reservations in mainland China are covered under the existing mainland China extenuating circumstances for COVID-19 statement. Luxe or Luxury Retreats reservations are covered under the Luxe Guest Refund Policy.

What reservations are covered

Reservations made on or before 14 March 2020

Reservations for stays and Airbnb Experiences made on or before 14 March 2020, with a check-in date between 14 March 2020 and 14 April 2020, may be cancelled before check-in. This means that guests who cancel will receive a full refund, hosts can cancel without charge or impact on their Superhost status, and Airbnb will refund all service fees.

Reservations for stays and Airbnb Experiences made on or before 14 March 2020, with a check-in date after 14 April 2020, will not be covered under our extenuating circumstances policy, except where the guest or host has contracted COVID-19. The host’s cancellation policy will apply as usual.

If a reservation has already begun (the check-in has passed), this extenuating circumstance does not apply.

Reservations made after 14 March 2020

Reservations for stays and Airbnb Experiences made after 14 March 2020 will not be covered under our extenuating circumstances policy, except where the guest or host has contracted COVID-19. The host’s cancellation policy will apply as usual.

Please remember to carefully review the host's cancellation policy when booking and consider choosing an option that provides flexibility.

How it works:

If your reservation is covered, it will be marked as such on the reservation details page (found in Trips if you’re a guest, or in your hosting dashboard if you’re a host).

• For guests: If you cancel a covered reservation, you’ll receive a full refund and Airbnb will refund all service fees. You don’t need to contact us in this case. More about how refunds work.

• For hosts: If you cancel a covered reservation, you will not be charged, there will be no impact on your Superhost status, and Airbnb will refund all service fees. You don’t need to contact us in this case.

If your reservation is not covered, the host’s cancellation policy will apply as usual. We encourage you to contact your host or guest to discuss cancellations and refunds.​​​