Airbnb has announced that its affiliate program Airbnb Associates will close at the end of March 2021. This means affiliates will need to switch to alternative affiliate programs to continue generating income from apartments and other private places to stay. We’ve gathered a list of the best available alternatives to the Airbnb affiliate program that will largely replace the Airbnb service.
What happened?
on March 1SaintAirbnb has informed its affiliates that it will close its affiliate program on January 31.Saint March 2021.
This means any bookings or listings made after March 31.Saint No payment will be made for affiliates.
How to continue earning income from Airbnb?
Although Airbnb Associates will be canceled on March 31Saint2021, you have the option to continue earning on Airbnb stays even after this date.
Airbnb is a provider of accommodation options for various travel services such as Hotellook.
You can earn on Airbnb reservations by participating in metasearch affiliate programs where Airbnb offers are available (unless otherwise stated in the program terms).
As of now, Airbnb continues to operate as a data provider for major metaservices and you can continue to earn on accommodation options.
Airbnb affiliate program alternatives
Previously, affiliates could earn money through Airbnb Associates by:
- Accommodation of guests
- Listing of new accommodation options
There are not many affiliate programs in the travel market that pay for these two transactions at the same time. That’s why some programs on our list of Airbnb Associates alternatives only pay for one of these actions.
However, it’s rare to win a customer twice for both stays and new signups, so this segmentation of programs shouldn’t negatively impact your revenue.
Hotellook affiliate program
Hotellook is a metasearch engine that compares prices from different providers such as Booking.com, Agoda and others including Airbnb.
If your target audience is interested in apartments and other private homes, then Hotellook will completely replace Airbnb, offering thousands of options in many countries around the world.
You will earn up to 70% of Hotellook’s earnings (approximately 4.92% of the accommodation price).
Affiliates also get access to an expanded list of tools, including widgets and API.
The Hotellook affiliate program offers a long 30-day cookie life; This means that you will earn from all bookings made through you in the month you referred the customer.
Hotellook is a useful solution for customers as there are many other accommodation options on site. This variety will give your audience more choice and will likely help them find a more suitable accommodation option.
The Hotellook affiliate program is available through the Moyens I/O affiliate network without prior auditing.
Vrbo affiliate program
Vrbo is one of Airbnb’s biggest competitors and offers very similar services to Airbnb for both guests and hosts.
You can examine the differences and similarities between these platforms here.
In the Vrbo affiliate program you will earn from both guests and hosts. Vrbo offers:
- Up to 3% for each traveler you report who is chartering.
- $20 for each new listing you refer.
With a huge inventory (over 2,000,000 properties in 190+ countries), an expanded list of vehicles (including API), and real-time reporting, the Vrbo affiliate program is one of the best alternatives to the Airbnb affiliate program.
Vrbo also participates in local services such as:
- Afield
- abritel.fr
- bookabach.co.nz
You can join the above affiliate programs to monetize your local traffic, but the accommodation listing is the same for all these services.
Homestay program
The homestay offers quality rooms in more than 160 countries at wallet-friendly prices.
This platform is much smaller than Airbnb (it offers about 50,000 properties). However, it offers some unique listings and allows you to earn ~30% commission on every booking.
Homestay selects affiliates manually. You will need to go through the moderation process to participate. Homestay’s affiliates include HotelsCombined, Hometogo or Routard. You can also join on the official website.
Hotel affiliate programs
Hotel affiliate programs like Booking.com, Expedia, and others can also be great alternatives to the Airbnb affiliate program.
Platforms like Booking.com had previously focused heavily on hotels. But 2021 trends changed the game. Many hotel platforms now offer private vacation rental options. Here is a list of the best hotel affiliate programs that can partially replace Airbnb Associates:
| program | commission | Cookie Lifespan | |
| Booking.com | 4% of the reservation price | 1 session | Join –> |
| Expedia | 6% | 30 days | Join –> |
| Agoda | 6% | 1 day | Join –> |
| trip.com | 5% | 30 days | Join –> |
| TripAdvisor | 50% of TripAdvisor earnings | 30 days | Join –> |
The full list of top hotel programs can be found here.
When choosing a hotel affiliate program as an alternative to Airbnb Associates, keep in mind that Airbnb customers want to stay in private, one-of-a-kind vacation rentals. If you send the same target audience to hotel reservations, you may see a decrease in your revenue. To avoid losing conversion rates and maintain a similar sales volume, you can:
- Use deep links to specific options that fit your audience and change Airbnb options perfectly.
2. For example, preset your filters to show only flats on advertiser’s websites:
Choose an Airbnb affiliate program alternative based on what kind of traffic you have, what your audience is interested in, and what affiliate tools you need.
In the Moyens I/O affiliate network, you’ll find over 100 travel brands, including Booking, TripAdvisor, Hotellook, Hostelworld and more. Join the Moyens I/O affiliate network to monetize accommodation and other travel services.
