{"id":48075,"date":"2026-08-27T11:14:05","date_gmt":"2026-08-27T11:14:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rentalsunited.com\/?p=48075"},"modified":"2026-08-27T11:14:10","modified_gmt":"2026-08-27T11:14:10","slug":"blog-airbnb-high-rated-guest-mobile-only-discounts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rentalsunited.com\/fr\/blog\/blog-airbnb-high-rated-guest-mobile-only-discounts\/","title":{"rendered":"Airbnb\u2019s new host discounts: High-rated guest and mobile-only explained"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Airbnb is rolling out two new merchandised discount programs built directly into its booking flow: the&nbsp;<strong>High-Rated Guest Discount<\/strong>&nbsp;and the&nbsp;<strong>Mobile-Only Discount<\/strong>. Both are host-funded, Airbnb-controlled promotions delivered through Promotions API V2, and both are separate from the pricing-rule promotions (Early-bird, Last-minute, Length-of-stay) most hosts already use.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Rentals United is an Airbnb launch partner for both programs. That means Rentals United clients can enroll and manage High-Rated Guest and Mobile-Only discounts the day Airbnb releases them to the public, directly from Property Settings, with no follow-up integration wait.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"tl-dr\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>TL;DR<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Airbnb is launching\u00a0<strong>High-Rated Guest Discount<\/strong>\u00a0(15% off for guests rated 4.8+) and\u00a0<strong>Mobile-Only Discount<\/strong>\u00a0(10% off for bookings placed in the Airbnb app), both via Promotions API V2.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Both are\u00a0<strong>host-funded<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0<strong>fixed-rate<\/strong>\u00a0\u2014 Airbnb sets the discount percentage; it isn\u2019t editable in Rentals United or any connected software.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Mobile-Only is API-exclusive.<\/strong>\u00a0Hosts without a connected channel manager or PMS cannot enroll \u2014 it doesn\u2019t exist in the Airbnb extranet.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Rentals United clients can activate both from\u00a0<strong>Property Settings \u2192 Airbnb \u2192 Promotions<\/strong>\u00a0on Airbnb\u2019s public release date.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Airbnb\u2019s own pilot data and market figures (not Rentals United customer results) project meaningful upside: roughly 6% more booked nights and 15% higher booking likelihood from highly-rated guests under the High-Rated Guest program, and a mobile channel that already drives roughly two-thirds of global Airbnb bookings.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Both stack with existing pricing-rule promotions per Airbnb\u2019s discount-tier rules.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"what-are-airbnb-s-merchandised-discount-programs\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">&nbsp;<strong>What are Airbnb\u2019s merchandised discount programs?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Airbnb\u2019s merchandised promotions are discounts that Airbnb itself designs, prices, and surfaces to guests at the moment they\u2019re most likely to convert, as opposed to pricing-rule promotions (like Early-bird or Last-minute discounts), which hosts configure and control the terms of.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Merchandised programs are host-funded, meaning the host absorbs the discount, but Airbnb handles targeting and in-app merchandising: strikethrough pricing, checkout messaging, and search placement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><thead><tr><th class=\"has-text-align-left\" data-align=\"left\"><\/th><th class=\"has-text-align-left\" data-align=\"left\"><strong>High-Rated Guest Discount<\/strong><\/th><th class=\"has-text-align-left\" data-align=\"left\"><strong>Mobile-Only Discount<\/strong><\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">API type<\/td><td>HIGH_RATED_GUEST_DISCOUNT<\/td><td>MOBILE_ONLY_DISCOUNT<\/td><\/tr><tr><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">Discount<\/td><td>15% (fixed by Airbnb)<\/td><td>10% (fixed by Airbnb)<\/td><\/tr><tr><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">Who sees it<\/td><td>Guests rated 4.8+<\/td><td>Guests booking on the Airbnb mobile app<\/td><\/tr><tr><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">Enrollment path<\/td><td>Airbnb extranet or Promotions API V2<\/td><td><strong>API only<\/strong>&nbsp;\u2014 requires a connected software provider<\/td><\/tr><tr><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">Editable rate<\/td><td>No<\/td><td>No<\/td><\/tr><tr><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">Available to unconnected hosts<\/td><td>Yes<\/td><td>No<\/td><\/tr><tr><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">Limit<\/td><td>One promotion per account (add\/remove listings after)<\/td><td>One promotion per account (add\/remove listings after)<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"why-this-matters-right-now\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Why this matters right now<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For most of Airbnb\u2019s history, discount strategy has meant configuring your own rules \u2014 Early-bird, Last-minute, Length-of-stay \u2014 and hoping Airbnb\u2019s search algorithm rewards the discipline. These two programs change that. Airbnb is now merchandising discounts on the platform\u2019s own terms, which means visibility and placement benefits that a host-configured rule can\u2019t buy on its own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It also changes who can participate. Mobile-Only Discount has no extranet toggle. It exists only through the Promotions API, so hosts without a connected channel manager or PMS simply cannot turn it on \u2014 full stop. For property management companies already using a channel manager like Rentals United, that\u2019s a program direct, unconnected hosts can\u2019t self-serve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"program-1-high-rated-guest-discount\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Program 1: High-Rated Guest Discount<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"what-it-is\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What it is<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A 15% discount, funded by the host and fixed by Airbnb, made available to guests with a 4.8+ Airbnb rating. Airbnb\u2019s merchandising surfaces the offer to eligible guests at the point of booking. (Note: \u201cTop-Rated Guest\u201d is an alias Airbnb has also used for the same program.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"the-data-behind-it\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>The data behind it<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The following figures come from Airbnb\u2019s own Q1 2026 pilot and program projections \u2014 not Rentals United customer results:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>In Airbnb\u2019s Q1 2026 pilot, a higher percentage of API-connected hosts adopted the High-Rated Guest discount than non-connected hosts.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Airbnb projects that a 15% discount to this guest segment can drive roughly\u00a0<strong>6% more booked nights<\/strong>\u00a0and a roughly\u00a0<strong>15% higher likelihood of booking<\/strong>\u00a0from highly-rated guests, versus listings without the discount.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"who-should-use-it\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Who should use it<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Property managers optimizing for guest quality \u2014 fewer house-rule violations, cleaner turnovers, better reviews \u2014 are the natural fit. It\u2019s also a low-friction upsell for any portfolio already running Early-bird or Last-minute promotions in Rentals United, since it lives in the same Promotions tab.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"how-to-enable-it-in-rentals-united\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>How to enable it in Rentals United<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Go to\u00a0<strong>Property Settings \u2192 Airbnb \u2192 Promotions \u2192 Create promotion \u2192 High-Rated Guest<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Name the promotion internally (the 15%-for-4.8+ rate is fixed and shown as read-only).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Assign the listings you want enrolled.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Select\u00a0<strong>Save<\/strong>\u00a0or\u00a0<strong>Save and activate<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Sync completes in roughly five minutes; check status from the promotions list or refresh with\u00a0<strong>Fetch from Airbnb<\/strong>, which also reconciles any enrollments made directly in the Airbnb extranet.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Note the account constraint: Rentals United supports one High-Rated Guest promotion per account. After it\u2019s created, you can add or remove listings, but you can\u2019t create a second instance of the same program type.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"program-2-mobile-only-discount\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Program 2: Mobile-Only Discount<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"what-it-is\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What it is:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A 10% discount, host-funded and fixed by Airbnb, applied only to bookings made through the Airbnb mobile app. There\u2019s no way to configure it in the Airbnb host extranet \u2014 enrollment happens exclusively through a connected software provider\u2019s API, which for Rentals United clients means the same Promotions tab used for every other Airbnb promotion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"why-mobile-matters-this-much\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Why mobile matters this much:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Airbnb\u2019s guest base has shifted decisively toward the app. Per Airbnb\u2019s own internal data and Q1 2026 financial results (not Rentals United customer data):<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>More than\u00a0<strong>60%<\/strong>\u00a0of global browsing sessions happen in the Airbnb app.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>65%<\/strong>\u00a0of global bookings are completed on the app.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>App nights booked grew\u00a0<strong>22% year-over-year<\/strong>\u00a0in Q1 2026, and the app now accounts for\u00a0<strong>63%<\/strong>\u00a0of total nights booked globally.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Mobile guests are roughly\u00a0<strong>3x more likely<\/strong>\u00a0than non-mobile guests to book last-minute.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That last stat matters for revenue management specifically: if you\u2019re already running a Last-minute pricing-rule promotion, stacking Mobile-Only on the same listings targets exactly the guest segment most likely to convert on short notice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"what-guests-actually-see\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">What guests actually see<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The discount is visible&nbsp;<strong>only in the Airbnb mobile app<\/strong>&nbsp;\u2014 desktop and mobile web show the standard rate. In-app, eligible listings get strikethrough pricing, an \u201cApp discount\u201d line item at checkout, and merchandising copy (Airbnb has used phrasing like \u201cFind a deal by booking on the app\u201d).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"how-to-enable-it-in-rentals-united\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>How to enable it in Rentals United<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Go to\u00a0<strong>Property Settings \u2192 Airbnb \u2192 Promotions \u2192 Create promotion \u2192 Mobile-Only<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Name the promotion; helper text explains the 10% app-only rate and the API-exclusivity rule.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Assign listings \u2014 individually or in bulk.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Select\u00a0<strong>Save<\/strong>\u00a0or\u00a0<strong>Save and activate<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Sync completes in roughly five minutes; manage active promotions from the promotions list.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Because there\u2019s no extranet path for this program,&nbsp;<strong>Fetch from Airbnb<\/strong>&nbsp;will only reflect Mobile-Only promotions created via API \u2014 there\u2019s nothing to reconcile from the host UI. As with High-Rated Guest, Rentals United supports one Mobile-Only promotion per account, with listing-level add\/remove after creation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"how-the-two-programs-stack-with-existing-promotions\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">How the two programs stack with existing promotions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Both High-Rated Guest and Mobile-Only can stack with the pricing-rule promotions already available in Rentals United \u2014 Early-bird, Last-minute, and Length-of-stay\/weekly-monthly discounts \u2014 as well as with each other and with Airbnb\u2019s New Listing Promotion,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.airbnb.gy\/resources\/hosting-homes\/a\/combining-discounts-and-rule-sets-694\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">subject to Airbnb\u2019s discount-tier<\/a>&nbsp;and priority rules.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In practice, that opens a few combinations worth evaluating before launch day:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>High-Rated Guest + Length-of-stay<\/strong>, for portfolios prioritizing longer, lower-turnover bookings from proven guests.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Mobile-Only + Last-minute<\/strong>, to capture the mobile-first, book-now segment identified in Airbnb\u2019s own data.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Both programs across a full portfolio<\/strong>, for PMCs who want maximum merchandised visibility across Airbnb\u2019s search and app placement.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Stacking discounts does compound margin impact, so treat this as a strategic opt-in per listing type rather than a blanket setting \u2014 evaluate the discount stack against your rate floor before activating broadly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"what-rentals-united-clients-get-on-day-one\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What Rentals United clients get on day one<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Launch-day availability.<\/strong>\u00a0No backlog, no waiting on a follow-up integration \u2014 both programs are configurable in Rentals United the day Airbnb opens them publicly ([INSERT RELEASE DATE]).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>One promotions hub.<\/strong>\u00a0Merchandised discounts, pricing-rule Airbnb promotions, and Vrbo promotions are all managed from Property Settings, instead of juggling the Airbnb extranet separately.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Reconciliation built in.<\/strong>\u00a0Fetch from Airbnb pulls in extranet-side High-Rated Guest enrollments so nothing falls out of sync.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>White Label parity.<\/strong>\u00a0White Label partners can offer both programs under their own brand with the same day-one timing.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>API access other hosts don\u2019t have.<\/strong>\u00a0Mobile-Only can\u2019t be enabled without a connected provider \u2014 it\u2019s a program direct, unconnected Airbnb hosts structurally cannot access.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Rentals United is among the first channel managers with Promotions API V2 support. This isn\u2019t an exclusive partnership claim \u2014 it\u2019s a launch-day capability advantage for clients who don\u2019t want to wait through the integration lag that typically follows a channel\u2019s feature GA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"faq\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>FAQ<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>What is Airbnb\u2019s High-Rated Guest Discount?<\/strong>&nbsp;It\u2019s a host-funded, Airbnb-merchandised discount of 15%, offered automatically to Airbnb guests with a rating of 4.8 or higher. The rate is fixed by Airbnb and isn\u2019t customizable by the host or in Rentals United.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>What is Airbnb\u2019s Mobile-Only Discount?<\/strong>&nbsp;It\u2019s a host-funded 10% discount available only to guests who book through the Airbnb mobile app. It can only be enabled through a connected software provider\u2019s API \u2014 there\u2019s no option to turn it on in the Airbnb host extranet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Can I set a custom discount percentage for these programs?<\/strong>&nbsp;No. Both High-Rated Guest (15%) and Mobile-Only (10%) are fixed rates set by Airbnb. Rentals United\u2019s role is enrollment, listing assignment, and sync.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Do I need a channel manager to use Mobile-Only Discount?<\/strong>&nbsp;Yes. Mobile-Only Discount is API-exclusive. Hosts without a connected PMS or channel manager, such as Rentals United, cannot enroll in this program at all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>When can Rentals United clients start using these promotions?<\/strong>&nbsp;On the day Airbnb releases both programs publicly from August 2026. Rentals United is an Airbnb launch partner for Promotions API V2, so clients don\u2019t need to wait for a follow-up integration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Can these discounts be combined with Early-bird or Last-minute promotions?<\/strong>&nbsp;Yes. Both programs can stack with pricing-rule promotions (Early-bird, Last-minute, Length-of-stay) and with each other, subject to Airbnb\u2019s discount-tier and stacking rules.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>How many High-Rated Guest or Mobile-Only promotions can I run per account?<\/strong>&nbsp;One of each type per Rentals United account. After the initial promotion is created, you can add or remove listings, but you can\u2019t create a second promotion of the same type.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"talk-to-your-account-manager\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Talk to your account manager<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Rentals United clients can preview the Promotions tab now and plan which listings to enroll ahead of Airbnb\u2019s public release. For a portfolio-specific rollout plan, reach out to your Rentals United account manager or&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/docs.google.com\/document\/d\/14ErxidG6n2CyrgOdsAgb8c4dc7gekkquiwYElqKLd0w\/edit#\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">book a demo<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Airbnb pilot data, market statistics, and projections referenced in this article are provided by Airbnb and describe Airbnb\u2019s own program performance and platform usage \u2014 not Rentals United customer results. Individual results will vary by market, listing quality, and portfolio composition.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Airbnb is launching two new discounts that it builds and controls itself, rather than ones hosts set up on their own. The host pays for the discount, but Airbnb decides the rate and shows it to guests automatically at the right moment. That&#8217;s different from discounts like Early-bird, Last-minute, or Length-of-stay, which hosts configure themselves and Airbnb just displays as-is.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":48078,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"blog-tag":[],"class_list":["post-48075","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/rentalsunited.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48075","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/rentalsunited.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/rentalsunited.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rentalsunited.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rentalsunited.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=48075"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/rentalsunited.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48075\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":48077,"href":"https:\/\/rentalsunited.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48075\/revisions\/48077"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rentalsunited.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/48078"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/rentalsunited.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=48075"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rentalsunited.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=48075"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rentalsunited.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=48075"},{"taxonomy":"blog-tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rentalsunited.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/blog-tag?post=48075"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}