Accommodation marketplace Airbnb has introduced a feature which enables guests to stagger the payments of their rental up until closer to the date of their check-in.

With the creatively-named Pay Less Up Front, Airbnb users can choose to pay a deposit set by the hospitality service – usually 50 per cent of the total fee – and then pay the rest closer to the day they are due to arrive at their temporary abode. Previously, guests were required to pay 100 per cent of their rental price at the time of booking.

In testing, Airbnb said that 40 per cent of its users opted to use the Pay Less Up Front feature, and were also choosing higher-value bookings. The feature was also found to encourage people to book further in advance, with lead times nearly doubling compared to ordinary bookings.

The only caveats of the feature are that bookings must be made at least two weeks in advance and must total at least $250.

Pay Less Up Front follows on from another payments feature – introduced in November – enabling group travellers to split payments for accommodation between them.