Best credit cards for Airbnb

After two years of living through the COVID-19 pandemic, you may decide it’s finally time to take a vacation. Of course, the idea of ​​exploring new places and attractions also begs the question, where will you stay?

If the idea of ​​staying in a hotel where you have to entrust your experience to a faceless corporation unnerves you, you might prefer homestay sites like Airbnb and Vrbo (provided you follow their rules). In fact, credit card issuers are now rewarding homestays with points and cash back in the same way that they have long distributed rewards for other hotel expenses.

However, what are the best credit cards for Airbnb? Issuers are becoming more generous with perks and homestay rewards, but not all travel credit cards have them. Don’t worry – we’ve explored the scene to provide this list of the best cards for Airbnb.

Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card: Best for Airbnb Credit

Starting off well, the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card is one of the few cards on the market that provides a Vacation Rental Loan Statement, a limited-time offer available for the first year only, worth $200. In addition, the Capital One Venture X Card gives you generous rewards such as a 10x increase in miles on hotels and car rentals booked through Capital One Travel, a 5x increase in miles on flights booked through Capital One, and 2- a multiple increase in the number of miles for all other purchases.

For Airbnb enthusiasts, the flat rate of 2X miles on all regular purchases is especially attractive. Even after you spend your $200 on your vacation rental statement, you’ll still earn 2 miles per dollar per stay on Airbnb.

• pros: Capital One Venture X offers many benefits such as up to $300 Discharge Credits for Capital One Travel bookings, Priority Pass Select membership, up to $100 Credit for TSA PreCheck and more.
• MinusesA: With an annual fee of $395, you need to be sure that you can make the most of all the benefits of the card to justify this annual fee.

Wells Fargo Propel American Express Card: Best for Big Rewards

The Wells Fargo Propel American Express®* Card has arguably one of the highest point return rates for some of the most popular redemption categories, including homestays, such as Airbnb and Vrbo.

The biggest benefit of this card – in addition to getting 3x the points spent on popular spending categories – restaurants, travel, transportation, gas station purchases and some streaming services – is that you have no limit on the number of points or their expiration date. , no annual fee and no changing categories you have. to remind yourself to activate.

Best of all, the 3X travel category includes homestay accommodation, which you can earn year-round and without spending limits.

• prosA: Not only is it a bunch of travel benefits, but it also comes with a 20,000 points welcome offer when you spend $1,000 for the first three months. As an Amex card, it also gives you early access to tickets for concerts, sporting events and more.
• Minuses: Unlike other popular travel cards, Wells Fargo Propel does not allow you to transfer points to any travel partners. Points cost 1 cent per point, which is pretty average for travel cards.

Chase Sapphire Reserve: Best Welcome Bonus

The Chase Sapphire Reserve continues to be a mainstay in the travel card industry. Its notable signup bonus of 50,000 points when you spend $4,000 in the first three months is worth $750 when you use it to travel through the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal.

The biggest benefit of an Airbnb card is a $300 annual travel credit that applies to most travel purchases, including Airbnb. After you use it, the bonus travel categories will take effect. With the card, you can get great rewards: 10x points increase for hotels and car rentals booked through Chase Ultimate Rewards®, 5x points increase for Chase Ultimate Rewards flights, 3x points increase for travel and restaurants. and 1X on regular purchases.

• prosA: The annual fee is easily offset by $300 annual travel credit, Priority Pass Select membership, up to $100 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck (every four years), and multiple travel insurances.
• MinusesA: The $550 annual fee means the card isn’t for everyone. If you don’t consider yourself a frequent traveler and are applying for a card grimacing at the annual fee, hoping it will pay off in the end, you should consider another card.

Bank of America Premium Rewards Credit Card: Best for Bonus Rewards

While the points per dollar offered by the Bank of America® Premium Rewards® Credit Card on Travel and Airbnb are less than the credit cards mentioned above, the signup bonus and up to $200 in annual statement make this a worthwhile option.

For existing Bank of America Preferred Rewards customers, this card should definitely be at the top of your list. This designation automatically boosts your income to higher than what other travel and food credit cards offer – you can get a bonus of up to 75%.

Combine this with a generous signup bonus and Bank of America Premium Rewards is one of the most powerful bonus cards for Preferred Rewards customers. Without a promotional bonus, the card gives 2x more points for travel (including Airbnb) and restaurants, and 1.5x more points for other purchases.

• pros: Reward up to $200 in Travel Credit Statement (for Airline Contingency and Global Entry/TSA PreCheck) easily offsets the annual fee. It also has various travel insurances such as baggage delay insurance, trip delay insurance, and dispatch on the road.
• MinusesA: There is a $95 annual fee and you cannot transfer your Bank of America points to any travel partners. Bank of America Points is not as flexible as other rewards programs.

Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature Card: Best Refund Option

You might be wondering why the Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature Card is on the list of the best credit cards for Airbnb.

Shouldn’t this card be limited to the best credit cards for an online shopping list? Not when Amazon offers Airbnb gift cards, and the Amazon Prime Rewards card gives you 5% cash back on Amazon.com purchases if you have a Prime membership, which essentially acts like an annual fee ($139).

Just buy an Amazon Airbnb gift card along with the card (Amazon offers gift cards up to $500) and it’s like you get 5% cash back on your Airbnb stay when you apply the gift card to it. That’s the highest on this list, Amazon or not.

• pros: Other card rewards are great for travel, like 5% cash back on Whole Foods purchases (if your Airbnb has one) and 2% cash back on purchases at restaurants, gas stations, and pharmacies. The Amazon Prime Rewards card also offers perks such as car rental insurance, purchase protection, baggage loss insurance, and no foreign transaction fees.
• Minuses: The cost of an Amazon Prime membership has steadily increased over time, recently rising from $119 to $139. It is likely that the cost will increase even more in the future.

Discover Miles: the best option with no annual fees

Although the points per dollar on this card are lower than any other credit card on the list, Discover it® miles give you much more freedom in how you can manage your points and account. With the card, you will earn 1.5 times more miles for regular purchases.

You can use any number of miles, your miles do not expire even after you close your account, and you can earn an unlimited number of points. The Discover it Miles enrollment bonus is also hard to beat – it matches all the miles you earn at the end of the first year. Basically, you’ll earn 3x the miles on all your spending during the first year.

• pros: Although modest compared to other cards on this list, the card’s advantage lies in the flexibility of redemption. Instead of requiring you to purchase your ride through the issuer’s portal, Discover uses miles by crediting your purchases to your account so you can shop on your rides from anywhere.
• MinusesA: The card really performs best in the first year due to its initial offer. However, after the first year, the card may no longer be of much use to you. Other passes with no annual fee may attract you after the first year.

Comparison of the best cards for Airbnb

Based on the cards in the list, Airbnb benefits come in all sorts of forms: points, miles, cashback, and the like. Here are all the cards and their respective Airbnb benefits side by side.

How to choose an Airbnb credit card

Sure, many travel category cards can offer rewards for Airbnb purchases, but how do you choose the right card for you?

First of all, determine if you can fit the annual fee into your budget. If so, the Chase Sapphire Reserve or Capital One Venture X card will provide generous rewards and perks that usually offset annual fees. You also need to determine whether you prefer to earn points, miles or cashback, which will help determine which card is best for you.

For cardholders who do not plan to travel much (more than once a year) in the near future, we recommend one of the no-annual fee cards such as the Discover it Miles Card or the Wells Fargo Propel Card, which will continue to generate income for you. solid rewards when you stay closer to home.

bottom line

No matter which card you choose from this list, you’ll be rewarded for your purchases on Airbnb. For Airbnb enthusiasts, we recommend one of the most premium travel cards to really maximize your shopping experience. For casual travelers, one of the flat rate cards will earn you rewards faster than you think.

*All information about the Wells Fargo Propel American Express Card has been compiled by an independent creditcards.com and has not been verified by the issuer.