If you haven’t checked out AirBNB when travelling, or looked to rent out an unused room in your home for some extra cash, you probably should. Optus has announced today that they’ve partnered with AirBNB to offer a discount for new users who book a room, as well as offering travellers heading overseas a pre-paid SIM card to get them started.
The offer is fairly simple, Optus and AirBNB are offering a $50AUD voucher for any booking over $100AUD made on AirBNB. The rub is that the offer is only open to new AirBNB users, so unfortunately experienced AirBNB users will miss out. If you are a new AirBNB user, you can claim a voucher to use in your first booking – which can be to either a local or international destination – by heading to the Optus AirBNB website.
The offer is slightly better than the $34 credit that existing AirBNB users receive if friends, family or contacts you refer to AirBNB actually use the service, so it’s not bad.
There is another offer that Optus is keen for you to look at, which will in their books, set you on the right footing next time you head overseas. Optus is offering a free $30 pre-paid SIM card to use on international roaming. To claim the pre-paid SIM card, you book your AirBNB stay and then use the AirBNB code on the Optus SIM Card redemption site to claim your SIM card.
It’s worth noting the costs associated with the Optus Pre-Paid international roaming plans and do a little homework on the service before jetting off overseas. There are a number of options for International travel from all the Australian carriers and a little bit of homework can go a long way – but still, a free $30 SIM is a free $30 SIM that you can use in a range of countries straight away even if you discard it after using the credit.
The bonus of the extra credit for travellers is one of the reasons for doing the promotion as it gives travellers ‘one less thing to worry about’ says Optus Managing Director, Customer, Rohan Ganeson. He also feels that untangling overseas mobile plans can be frustrating and said that this is one of the reasons they partnered with AirBNB for the promotion as it will ‘help travellers feel like a local as soon as they land’.
If you are looking at accommodation overseas, a number of the Ausdroid trips this year have seen use of the AirBNB service, including the apartment this article is being written in, in Berlin. The free credit and SIM card offer is definitely worth a look if you’re heading away on holiday, so check it out.
