Airbnb insists on making a refund to a cancelled credit card

In February I booked Airbnb accommodation in Australia as part of a trip to see our grandchildren in April.

But on the same day as I made the £2,138 reservation, someone managed to hack my credit card, and used it to make a fraudulent transaction. As a result, my bank, Lloyds, stopped the card and issued me with a new one.

Of course, when the coronavirus pandemic hit, the trip to Australia had to be cancelled. Airbnb agreed to refund me and advised it would take up to 15 business days – but to credit a card that no longer existed.

Lloyds told me the money should find its way to my new card account, and asked for payment details to trace it. The problem is, getting these details from Airbnb has proved impossible, despite many requests. The company has also said that it can only refund to the original credit card.

I have updated my Airbnb account with the new card number, but am starting to feel that I will never see this £2,138 again.

HD, by email

This is a problem that periodically rears its head, and although your ire was directed towards Airbnb, Lloyds should have linked your new and old card numbers. We asked Airbnb to help and happily you were quickly provided the trace transaction number. Armed with this, Lloyds was able to find your refund, which had been placed in an unallocated funds account. It has now made it back to your card account.

Airbnb has apologised for the delay and says it has to refund to the same card to prevent fraud. A complaint to Lloyds may yield something else. In the meantime, you are just happy to have the money back.

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