Airbnb's Top-rated guests discount: how it works, blackout dates, and why it looks like the start of a loyalty program

Quick answer: Airbnb's Top-rated guests discount lets hosts offer 15% off the nightly rate to guests who have at least 3 reviews from other hosts and an average rating of 4.8 or higher. In exchange, Airbnb shows the listing higher in those guests' search results, adds a badge on the listing page and displays strikethrough pricing. Hosts can turn it on from Price settings > Discounts, and they can now set blackout dates so the discount does not apply on nights they want to sell at full price. It is optional, it can be removed at any time, and Airbnb's own pilot data says listings that offered it generated around 11% more gross booking value.

Key facts at a glance

• Discount: 15% off the nightly rate only (cleaning fees, taxes and coupons are not discounted).

• Who gets it: guests with 3+ host reviews and a 4.8+ average rating.

• What you get: a search boost with those guests, a "This host is offering a discount" badge, and strikethrough pricing.

• Pilot results reported by Airbnb: about 11% more gross booking value, about 14% more nights booked, about 43% higher chance of a top-rated guest booking.

• Controls: on/off per listing, blackout dates for specific nights, and it combines with your other discounts.

• Removing it does not touch pending or confirmed reservations.

  
  

What is the Airbnb Top-rated guests discount?

The Top-rated guests discount is a host-funded promotion. You give up 15% of your nightly rate on bookings from a specific group of guests, and Airbnb rewards the listing with better placement when those guests search. Nobody else sees the discount. A first-time guest, or a guest with a 4.6 average, pays your normal price and sees your normal ranking.

Airbnb ran a limited pilot between 12 February and 12 March 2026 in eleven countries (US, Canada, France, UK, Australia, Brazil, Italy, South Korea, Spain, Mexico and Germany), then a wider experiment from 17 June 2026 in every market it operates in. Airbnb has now packaged it as a standard discount available from the calendar, next to weekly, monthly, early-bird and last-minute discounts.

That placement matters. Airbnb is not framing this as a temporary campaign. It sits in the same menu as the discounts most hosts already use, which tells you it is meant to stay.

Who counts as a "top-rated guest"?

Airbnb uses two thresholds, and a guest needs both:

• At least 3 reviews from hosts.

• An average rating of 4.8 stars or higher across those reviews.

That is a fairly high bar. It excludes new accounts, guests who travel once a year and guests who have picked up a bad review along the way. In practice these are the travellers most hosts say they want anyway: they know how the platform works, they communicate, they follow house rules and, according to Airbnb, they are more likely to leave a 5-star review. Cancellation history is not part of the definition, so a well-reviewed guest who cancels often still qualifies.

What does the host actually get?

Three things, all visible only to eligible guests:

• A ranking boost. Airbnb says discounted pricing "can boost search results" for top-rated guests. Airbnb's search ranking already rewards price competitiveness, so a 15% lower price for that segment lifts the listing in the results those guests see.

• A badge on the listing page that reads along the lines of "This host is offering a discount", which works as a trust and urgency signal.

• Strikethrough pricing. The guest sees the original nightly rate crossed out and the discounted rate next to it, the same treatment Airbnb uses for its other promotions.

What you do not get is any subsidy from Airbnb. The 15% comes out of your payout. Airbnb's service fees are calculated on the discounted price, so the platform also earns a little less per booking, but the trade it is offering is volume and conversion, not shared cost.

What Airbnb's pilot data says

Airbnb quotes three numbers, modelled from the June to July 2026 experiment for listings offering the discount at 15%:

• Gross booking value: about 11% more.

• Nights booked: about 14% more.

• Chance of a top-rated guest booking: about 43% higher.

Read these with the usual caution. They are global averages modelled from an experiment, Airbnb says results "may vary by listing and market", and a listing that was already ranking well for top-rated guests has less headroom than one that was buried on page three. The interesting number is the third one. A 43% higher probability of landing a top-rated guest is a real change in who ends up in your property, and for many operators that is worth more than the nights number.

The revenue figure also needs unpacking. More gross booking value with a 15% discount in place means the extra nights more than covered the discount on average. It does not mean every host earned 11% more. If your calendar is already 90% occupied in high season, there are not many extra nights to win, and the discount mostly lowers the price on bookings you would have had anyway. That is exactly why blackout dates matter.

Blackout dates: you can now opt out on the dates that matter

When the discount was first tested, the biggest complaint from hosts was that it was all-or-nothing across the calendar. Booking.com hosts have been able to exclude peak dates from Genius discounts for years, and Airbnb hosts wanted the same. That has changed. Airbnb now supports blackout dates for the Top-rated guests discount: you keep the discount switched on for the listing, but you exclude specific dates or date ranges where you do not want it to apply.

This is the single feature that turns the promotion from a blunt instrument into something a revenue-minded host can use. It means you can:

• Keep full price on local events, holidays and peak weeks where demand is strong enough that you do not need a search boost.

• Leave the discount active on shoulder season, mid-week gaps and orphan nights where an extra 14% in nights booked is pure upside.

• Protect already-priced weekends while still collecting the badge and ranking benefit across the rest of the calendar.

A practical rule: block out any date where your occupancy forecast or your pricing tool already shows demand above your target. On those nights the discount costs you 15% and buys you nothing. Everywhere else, let it run and measure.

How the discount is calculated (and how it stacks)

The mechanics from Airbnb's documentation:

• The 15% applies to the nightly rate only. Cleaning fees, extra guest fees, coupons and local taxes are not discounted.

• It combines with your other discounts. If a top-rated guest books seven nights and you have a 10% weekly discount, both apply.

• Turning it off later does not change pending or confirmed reservations. Guests who already booked at the discounted price keep it.

• Airbnb reserves the right to discontinue the discount at any time.

The stacking point is where hosts get surprised. Hosts and channel managers report that the promotion is calculated on your already-discounted price, so the discounts multiply rather than add. Worked example on a 150 per night listing with a 10% weekly discount:

1. Weekly discount: 150 becomes 135.

2. Top-rated guests discount, 15% of 135: the guest pays 114.75 per night.

3. Add a 10% non-refundable option and the nightly rate drops to about 103.

That is a 31% cut from the headline price before Airbnb fees, on a guest who might have booked anyway. Before you switch it on, open a test booking on a few dates as a guest, or use your PMS pricing preview, and look at the final number. If the stack is deeper than you are comfortable with, trim the other discounts or lean on blackout dates rather than turning the whole promotion off.

How to activate the Top-rated guests discount

On Airbnb directly:

1. Open Calendar and select the listing you want to change.

2. Click Price settings, then Discounts.

3. Choose Top-rated guests discount.

4. Set your blackout dates if you want to exclude specific nights.

5. Click Apply discount.

If you manage your listings through property management software, Airbnb's advice is to ask your provider whether the discount can be set from their side. Several channel managers (Smoobu, for example) have already added it to their Airbnb promotions tab. If yours has not, you can still activate it from your Airbnb account without breaking the connection, but check that your PMS does not overwrite the setting on its next sync.

For portfolio operators the sensible approach is to activate it on a subset of listings first, ideally ones with clear low-occupancy periods, and compare booking pace and average daily rate against the rest of the portfolio for four to six weeks.

Should you turn it on? The RGA view

Yes for most listings, with blackout dates configured from day one. The decision depends on three questions:

• Do you have unsold nights? If occupancy is your problem, a promotion that targets the guests most likely to book and to leave a 5-star review is one of the cheaper ways to fill them. If your problem is rate, not occupancy, be more selective.

• How deep is your existing discount stack? A listing running a 20% early-bird plus a 15% weekly plus non-refundable pricing should not add 15% more on top without trimming something. A listing with no active discounts can absorb it easily.

• Are you competing in a saturated market? In markets like Barcelona, Lisbon or Mexico City, where hundreds of similar listings compete on the same dates, a ranking advantage with the best guests is worth more than in a low-supply rural market where you rank first anyway.

One more consideration that has nothing to do with revenue: guest quality. Operators who have dealt with a party booking or a damage claim understand that filtering for guests with a track record is worth money on its own. The discount is not a filter (anyone can still book), but it tilts the odds towards the guests you want.

Turn it on, block out the dates that sell themselves, watch the numbers, and revisit in a month.

Why this looks like the seed of an Airbnb loyalty program

Airbnb has spent fifteen years saying it did not want a loyalty program. It shelved an internal "Superguest" project in 2018 and repeatedly argued that points and tiers were a hotel habit that did not fit the brand. That position has shifted. On the Q4 2025 earnings call in February 2026, Brian Chesky said the company was "testing a lot of different tracks" and "different benefits that could be in the loyalty program", and described a future program as something that "could be a massive accelerant" for growth. He was explicit that Airbnb would run the tests first and "eventually package them and release the loyalty program".

Look at the Top-rated guests discount through that lens and it stops looking like a pricing tool and starts looking like one of those tracks:

• It defines a guest tier. 3+ reviews and a 4.8+ rating is, functionally, a status level. It is earned through behaviour on the platform, which is exactly how hotel elite tiers work.

• It attaches a benefit to that tier. Members get a lower price and see a badge. That is the core of Booking.com's Genius program, the most successful loyalty scheme in the alternative accommodation space, and Genius discounts are also funded by the property, not by Booking.

• It is host-funded and opt-in, which is how Airbnb can scale a loyalty benefit without carrying the cost on its own P&L, and without forcing hosts into it.

• It rewards the behaviour Airbnb wants. Guests are nudged to protect their rating, hosts are nudged to compete for the best guests, and the platform gets better reviews and higher conversion.

None of this is confirmed as a loyalty program, and Airbnb's own terms say it can discontinue the discount at any time. But when a company says it is testing loyalty benefits and then ships a benefit that is gated by guest status, the pattern is not subtle. Our expectation is that "top-rated guest" becomes a named status guests can see on their own profile, that additional perks get attached to it, and that the mobile-only discount Airbnb is testing in parallel ends up in the same package.

For hosts and property managers the implication is simple: the discounts you offer to specific guest segments are going to become a bigger part of how Airbnb distributes visibility. Learning how to use them selectively now, with blackout dates and a clear view of your stack, is a skill you will need regardless of what the program is eventually called.

Frequently asked questions

What is the Airbnb Top-rated guests discount?

It is an optional, host-funded promotion that gives 15% off the nightly rate to guests who have at least 3 reviews and a 4.8+ average rating. In return, Airbnb promotes the listing in those guests' search results, adds a badge on the listing page and shows strikethrough pricing.

Who qualifies as a top-rated guest on Airbnb?

A guest with a minimum of 3 reviews from hosts and an average rating of 4.8 stars or higher. Both conditions are required. Cancellation history is not part of the criteria.

How much is the discount?

The standard discount is 15% of the nightly rate. During earlier tests Airbnb showed some hosts 10% or 20% options, but the standard version now rolling out to hosts is a fixed 15%.

Does the discount apply to cleaning fees and taxes?

No. It applies to the nightly rate only. Cleaning fees, extra guest fees, coupons and local taxes are excluded.

Can I exclude certain dates from the Top-rated guests discount?

Yes. Airbnb now supports blackout dates, so you can keep the discount active on the listing while excluding specific dates or date ranges such as peak season, holidays or local events. Nights inside a blackout period sell at your normal price and do not get the discount-driven ranking boost.

Does the Top-rated guests discount stack with other discounts?

Yes. Airbnb states it is combined with your other discounts, and hosts report it is applied on top of already-discounted prices, so a weekly, early-bird or non-refundable discount will compound with it. Preview the final price on a few dates before activating.

Does it affect my search ranking with regular guests?

No. The discount and the ranking boost only apply to guests who meet the top-rated criteria. Everyone else sees your standard price and standard placement.

What happens to existing bookings if I turn it off?

Nothing. Removing the discount does not change pending or confirmed reservations. Guests who booked with the discount keep the price they booked at.

Where do I activate it?

Calendar > select listing > Price settings > Discounts > Top-rated guests discount > Apply discount. If you use property management software, check whether your provider supports it; otherwise activate it directly in your Airbnb account.

Is the Top-rated guests discount worth it?

For most listings with unsold nights, yes, provided you set blackout dates on high-demand periods and check your total discount stack. Airbnb's pilot data points to roughly 11% more gross booking value and 14% more nights booked on average, with a 43% higher chance of booking a top-rated guest. Listings that are already full at full price gain less.

Is this part of an Airbnb loyalty program?

Airbnb has not called it that. But the CEO confirmed in February 2026 that Airbnb is testing loyalty benefits before packaging them into a program, and this discount ties a benefit to an earned guest status, which is how loyalty tiers work. It is reasonable to treat it as an early component of whatever Airbnb launches.

Can Airbnb remove the discount?

Yes. Airbnb's terms for the promotion state that it reserves the right to discontinue the discount at any time.

Need help deciding what to discount and what to protect?

Rental Growth Advisors works with hosts and property managers on pricing, distribution and Airbnb ranking strategy. If you want a second opinion on your discount stack, or a portfolio-wide plan for which listings and dates should carry the Top-rated guests discount, get in touch with the RGA team.

Sources: Airbnb pilot data for the Top-rated guests discount (February to March and June to July 2026); Airbnb Q4 2025 earnings call (12 February 2026); coverage by Skift, Rental Scale-Up, The Host Report and Smoobu. Figures are Airbnb estimates and may vary by listing and market.