Airbnb is finally addressing a long-standing user gripe: hidden fees. Going forward, the homestay booking site will show the total price by default in the search results.

The change, announced Monday, is rolling out now across the site and app. The San Francisco-based company suggests it’s a way to address ongoing economic uncertainty, which threatens to depress travel worldwide. “One thing we’ve consistently heard from our community is the importance of affordability and transparency—issues that are top of mind now more than ever,” the company said in a blog post. 

(Credit: Airbnb)

The only catch is that Airbnb won’t include taxes in the total price upfront if you’re a US user. So, don’t be surprised if your final price jumps during the checkout process. In other markets, “taxes are included in the total price displayed,” Airbnb says. 

This isn’t totally new. Amid complaints over fees and checkout demands from Airbnb owners, the company launched “total price display” in 2019 in select markets, including Europe, Canada, and Australia. Airbnb finally brought it to the US and globally in 2023, but at the time users had to manually turn it on by switching on a toggle in the search results. 

“Since we added the toggle, almost 17 million guests have used the feature to book travel on Airbnb, which shows how much our users appreciated this option. Now, we’re making total price display the standard pricing format globally,” the company said. 

Airbnb is marketing the change as a benefit for consumers. But it comes as the Federal Trade Commission is cracking down on hidden fees. Bloomberg notes that the agency’s “Rule on Unfair or Deceptive Fees” is slated to take effect on May 12. 

“The rule further specifies that it is an unfair and deceptive practice for businesses to misrepresent any fee or charge in any offer, display, or advertisement for live-event tickets or short-term lodging,” the regulation says. The same document notes the “rule permits businesses to exclude government charges from total price.”

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About Michael Kan

Senior Reporter

I’ve been working as a journalist for over 15 years—I got my start as a schools and cities reporter in Kansas City and joined PCMag in 2017.

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