I’m trying to add an extra fee to this reservation when I got the message:
Validation failed: This reservation is not fully paid.
Does anyone know how long does a guest have to pay this off?
And why is my calendar blocked during this time?
24 hours I think.
202020
It’s already been more than 24 hours. 
I have the same problem. Someone booked 5days ago for the 18th of November. I still cant request the extra service and getting the same message as you.
Someone in this forum said that sometimes airbnb lets the guest pay half when they book and half a week before arrival. Im not sure if its true I’ve never heard it before.
Then ask Airbnb to unblock your calendar
My current guest booked on Sept 1 for Sept 25-28 and he said “I did the 1/2 thing now for $XXX. Will do the second half by the 15th.” That make me cock my head to the side as it seems to indicate that Airbnb is indeed letting partial payments be done. I’m not sure what happens if they don’t pay the second half as my calendar was blocked with the initial payment.
I know some of our guests have done the two-part payment. I used to worry about what would happen if the second payment did not happen. But I realized - we have the strict cancellation policy. If they don’t pay the second half, it will be the same as a cancellation - we get 50%. I’m sure AirBnB requires the second half of the payment at least a week ahead of time. So I don’t worry about it anymore.
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Yes, you can pay half up front and half later. Up to 2 weeks before the stay. Air cancels the reservation if it goes unpaid.
It’s just crazy that our calendar can be blocked for months and then open up two weeks before the date. I have strict cancellation so I will still get 1/2 of the booking but I’d rather have the place filled. I sent feedback. I now have two guests that need to pay extra fees.
I hadn’t heard about that! I know in group bookings they can share the cost and the others have something like 72 hours to pay their part.
If any consolation, you can still re-rent it and keep the bonus cash!
Does the reservation show as a grey colour in your calendar? Sometimes if guests put in a new credit card number it can take a while to verify (validate?) the new card.
I have seen this a couple of times and the payment has been processed within 24 hours. If it is not grey in your calendar - have not seen this before. Lisa
In the spring/summer/early fall it would be no problem but once November arrives my bookings drop by 25% and very little last minute bookings.
I just booked an airbnb unit today for one night, Oct 21st.
I was VERY surprised when airbnb asked me if I wanted to pay 50% now, and the other 50% later.
I did not think it was common, especially since it less than a month from when I will travel.
I thought that only worked for group bookings!
Airbnb now offers partial payments for individuals too. I only noticed it because I needed to charge the guests extra and it won’t let me until they make the final payment.
One thing though - It says if the value is more than $250 but I have 2 bookings right now below $250 and they have the partial pay. It also doesn’t say when the remaining balance will be charged. Yet another reason to have strict cancellation.
** Here’s what the site says: Can I split the cost of my reservation across multiple payments?
Yes, if you select a credit or debit card or PayPal as your payment method and your reservation meets the requirements listed below . When you check out, you can select the “Pay less upfront” option to split the cost of your reservation into more than one payment.
How it works
Your reservation must be with an eligible listing and:
- Have a total value of $250 or more, including any taxes and fees
- Start at least 14 days from the date you book it
On the checkout page, select Pay less upfront . You’ll pay part of your reservation now, and you’ll be automatically charged the remaining balance before you check in. When you check out, we’ll let you know when your next payment is due. We’ll also send you a reminder 3 days before we collect the second payment.
Wow, that’s interesting! Makes me nervous that people will use it to abuse the system and get refunds/not pay.
And of course if their card is rejected for the second payment, then we have had our dates blocked and then it opens up and you only get a partial payment (if on strict cancellation).