Best Credit Cards for Booking Airbnb Stays

All information about The American Express Green Card® has been collected independently by 10xTravel.

Airbnb has become one of the most popular options for travelers, whether visiting remote locations or big cities around the world. Unsurprisingly, we’re often asked about whether there’s an Airbnb credit card and, if not, which credit cards are best for booking an Airbnb.

With that in mind, let’s take a deep dive into your options and touch on how you can maximize your Airbnb bookings.

What Is Airbnb?

Simply put, an “Airbnb” is a private residence made available to rent. An Airbnb could be a great alternative to a hotel stay. You can rent pretty much anything, from a room in a shared house or apartment to an oceanfront villa in some of the most exclusive locations in the world. Airbnb has some really unique properties, too—from treehouses to castles!

As Airbnb has boomed in popularity, many so-called “superhosts” on the platform have begun buying new properties to rent out. You’ll also find commercial vacation management companies with properties listed on Airbnb. This has moved Airbnb away from its roots, with a wider variety of premium properties up for grabs.

One of the biggest questions on a traveler’s mind when looking for vacation rentals is, “Will I save money by booking an Airbnb, and what am I giving up by not staying at a hotel?” The short answer is, it depends.

Airbnbs aren’t always cheaper than traditional hotels, especially in very popular destinations at the peak of the tourist season. But you’ll usually get larger accommodations, a kitchen and more room to spread out.

In exchange, you’re giving up daily housekeeping, the concierge, room service and other hotel amenities. And larger groups of travelers will almost always come out ahead by booking an Airbnb instead of several hotel rooms.

Best Credit Cards for Booking Airbnb

There are a number of credit cards that are great for booking Airbnb stays.

Let’s look at a few of the best credit cards that offer options for earning and redeeming points toward Airbnb stays, as well as those that offer travel statement credits to reduce the cost of Airbnb stays.

Chase Sapphire Reserve®

One of the most popular travel cards is the Chase Sapphire Reserve®. The card comes with an annual $300 travel credit that can be used to offset the cost of Airbnb.

It also earns 4x points on flights and hotels booked direct. In addition to the travel credit, the Reserve comes with a statement credit for Global Entry, Nexus or TSA PreCheck® application fee credit every four years.

Another benefit that helps offset the annual fee for this card is complimentary Priority Pass Select™ membership, which includes access to a network of over 1,400 airport lounges worldwide.

This is a great card for any frequent traveler. In addition to the generous earning rates and $300 travel credit, it comes with a host of other benefits, from unmatched travel insurance protections to partner benefits with Lyft, DoorDash and Peloton.

While its annual fee of $795 may be steep, you can easily offset this through maximizing the card’s perks.

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is another favorite of travel enthusiasts. For a $95 annual fee, you’ll earn 2X points per dollar spent on travel, including Airbnb stays.

This card offers a solid balance between perks, earning rates and fees, while giving you access to all of Chase’s 14 airline and hotel transfer partners.

The Sapphire Preferred shares many of the travel protections of the Sapphire Reserve, with slightly less scope and lower limits, ensuring you stay protected while traveling.

Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card

The Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card typically comes with a substantial welcome bonus as well as access to all of Chase’s airline and hotel transfer partners.

The Ink Preferred Card earns 3X points per dollar spent on the first $150,000 in combined purchases each account anniversary year in the following categories:

• Travel
• Shipping
• Internet, cable and phone services
• Advertising purchases made with social media sites and search engines

This is a great card for any small business owner and will allow you to earn 3X points on Airbnb stays.

This card doesn’t charge foreign transaction fees, and the annual fee is $95.

American Express Green Card®

The American Express Green Card® is an excellent card for travelers because it has no foreign transaction fees and earns 3X points on travel, transit and restaurants worldwide, and 1X points on all other purchases.

This card offers a broadly defined travel category, which includes rideshare services, airlines, hotels and Airbnb. You can’t use Membership Rewards points for an Airbnb, but if you use the American Express Green Card to pay for your stay, you’ll earn a lot of valuable points.

To help offset the annual fee of $150, the Amex Green card comes with an annual CLEAR Plus credit each calendar year.

This card has no foreign transaction fees, making it the perfect travel companion.

Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card earns 2X miles on all purchases (including Airbnb), as well as 5X miles on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel.

While you can’t book Airbnbs directly through Capital One Travel, you can still pay for them retrospectively using Capital One Miles. When you pay for an Airbnb stay using your Venture Rewards card, you can redeem your miles at 1 cent apiece as a statement credit toward your purchase (within 90 days).

On top of this Airbnb benefit, one of the best travel benefits of the card is a statement credit for a Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee every four years.

The annual fee is $95, and there are no foreign transaction fees.

Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card

If you want a credit card with premium benefits that can help you offset the cost of an Airbnb, the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card provides solid value.

You’ll earn 2X miles per dollar spent on all purchases, including Airbnb stays. Just as with the Venture Rewards card, you can redeem your miles at a rate of 1 cent apiece toward the cost of your Airbnb stays as a statement credit. You’ll also earn a competitive rate of points on hotel, vacation rental, flight and rental car bookings made through Capital One Travel, and benefit from an annual $300 travel credit for bookings made on the Capital One’s travel booking site.

This card includes complimentary Priority Pass Select membership as well as access to Capital One Lounges and Plaza Premium Group lounges. You’ll also enjoy a statement credit toward Global Entry or TSA PreCheck membership.

For $395 per year, you’ll be able to use your miles against the cost of Airbnb stays while using the card’s benefits to travel in style.

Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card

The Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card packs a punch, enabling you to earn 3X points per dollar spent on transit, travel, restaurants, cell phone plans, gas and popular streaming services—all for a $0 annual fee.

That means you can earn 3X points on your Airbnb stays and redeem them at 1 cent apiece as a statement credit. Alternatively, you could transfer your points to any of Wells Fargo’s seven airline and hotel transfer partners.

This card is free of foreign transaction fees, enabling you to continue racking up points while abroad.

Bank of America® Travel Rewards Credit Card

The Bank of America® Travel Rewards Credit Card allows you to earn 1.5X points on all purchases, including Airbnb stays.

You can then redeem these points against travel purchases—such as Airbnb—for 1 cent apiece.

With a $0 annual fee, this fixed-value point-earning card is a simple option to offset the cost of Airbnb stays.

Maximize Your Airbnb Purchases

Now that you know which credit cards to use to book an Airbnb, let’s go a step further and see how else we can maximize each booking by using a shopping portal. A shopping portal will help us extract even more value out of each dollar spent. So, how can we double dip?

Delta Air Lines and British Airways both have a partnership with Airbnb, so before booking your stay, navigate first to Delta’s or British Airways’ Airbnb portal, and you’ll be earning extra SkyMiles or Avios on each booking. The prices are the same, whether you go straight to Airbnb or through one of these portals, so why not start your search there and earn a bunch of miles in the process?

You’ll earn 1X SkyMiles per dollar spent by going through the Delta portal or 2X Avios per dollar spent by going through the British Airways portal.

You’ll earn miles in one of these programs in addition to the points and miles you’ll earn with your credit card.

If you don’t have a Delta or British Airways account yet, open one before you start booking your next Airbnb.

Another way to earn extra points on Airbnb is to purchase Airbnb gift cards at grocery stores, Target or warehouse clubs. If you have a card that earns more than 1X points in these categories or a card like Chase Freedom Flex® that has quarterly spending bonuses, be on the lookout for the Airbnb gift cards at these retailers.

Final Thoughts

Airbnb can be a great alternative to a hotel—you can book some truly unique properties or larger accommodations fit for a group. Whether it’s for a longer stay, a place with a kitchen or simply a more laid back vacation, an Airbnb is a solid choice of accommodation.

Airbnb doesn’t have its own credit card or rewards program, but there are a few good credit card options for earning points on Airbnb stays. And don’t forget to use a shopping portal to earn extra airline miles in the process.

Which credit card will you use to book your next Airbnb stay?