Frequently Asked Questions
Paying with Lightning
Guests
Bookings:
Bookings are made live on the website. If a property is available to book on our calendar, you can book it. The price displayed on the website is the full price a guest will pay, no other fees are involved.
The price is displayed in USD and payment is made in Bitcoin, using the conversion rate on Coinbase at the time of booking.
Guests can pay via the Lightning Network or on-chain. Bitcoin and lightning network transaction fees are payable by the guest.
Hosts can require KYC from guests as they require. At Airbtc, we are aware that your privacy is important to you. Remember that you will be entering another person’s property, and it is not unfair for them to know who you are before entering. We are actively looking into other solutions to these problems.
Cancellation Policy:
Refunds on cancellations will be on a per-case basis and as determined by the host’s rules. However, the following general rule applies:
The maximum amount for any refund will be either the fiat value of the payment made at the time of booking or the current value of the bitcoin as paid by the guest, whichever is lowest.*
*We realize that this seems harsh, but it is the only way to protect from bad actors.
Hosts
Hosting a property on Airbtc:
Hosts can upload a property to Airbtc free of charge. Our team must approve the listing before it can go live.
Bookings on Airbtc are made instantly and in real-time, this means that we expect our hosts to accommodate any booking date available on their calendar. We offer calendar integration and seasonal rate adjustment.
Our fee is 15% of the total amount listed. This means that if you list your property for $100 per night, you will receive $85, with the remaining $15 being our fee. We do not charge any other fees or hidden costs.
Prices on Airbtc are denominated in USD(for now), but all transactions are in Bitcoin. When a payment for a booking is made by a guest, they will pay the equivalent amount of Bitcoin, as determined on Coinbase, to Airbtc. Airbtc will pay all funds, in Bitcoin, to a host when the booking has been successfully completed. The host will receive the amount of bitcoin that the guest paid, minus our fee.
VERY IMPORTANT: Please note that should the USD price of Bitcoin change in the period between when a booking was made and when the host received the funds, the host will still receive the amount of Bitcoin as paid by the guest. We are aware that this could cause frustration to hosts, but this is the only way we are able to operate at this stage. We are looking to implement more options for hosts as we grow.
Once a booking is made, you will be notified via email.
PAYOUT: When a successful booking is made and the stay is completed, our team will contact the host to arrange payment in Bitcoin to a wallet of their choice, either on-chain or via Lightning. We do not keep Bitcoin addresses on our servers and will not ask you to link an address to your account.
KYC and privacy. We respect any KYC rules a host might have. Once a booking is made please reply to your booking email with KYC and/or other documentation required.