The 5 Best Credit Cards for Booking an Airbnb

The best credit cards for Airbnb bookings include the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card, the American Express^® Green Card, and the Chase Sapphire Reserve^®. These cards could help you earn a welcome offer and maximize your travel rewards.

Whether you're a frequent jet-setter or a casual traveler, you may find an option that fits your needs in our list of the best credit cards for Airbnb.

Key takeaways

• One of the best credit cards to pay for Airbnb stays is the Chase Sapphire Reserve^®, thanks to the ease of using its $300 annual travel statement credit to receive statement credits for your Airbnb charges. However, it comes with a $550 annual fee.
• For a more affordable option, you could consider the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card, which has an annual fee of $95 and helps cardholders earn 2 miles per dollar miles on every purchase, every day.
• You might be able to use your travel rewards for Airbnb stays, depending on the credit card rewards program you use. This could include redeeming your points, using cashback rewards, or taking advantage of Airbnb gift card offers.
• By stacking credit card rewards, gift cards, and shopping portals, you can maximize your benefits when booking an Airbnb stay.

The best 5 credit cards for Airbnb

Here are five of the best rewards credit cards to consider if you’re looking to get the most out of your Airbnb purchases:

• Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
• American Express^® Green Card
• Chase Sapphire Reserve^®
• Discover it^® Miles
• Bank of America^® Premium Rewards^® credit card

Comparison of the best credit cards for Airbnb bookings

Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card is a good card for frequent travelers, as it allows you to earn 2 miles per dollar miles on every purchase, every day. These miles are flexible in how they can be redeemed, meaning you can use them on any airline or hotel — or even with Airbnb. This is because you can redeem miles toward past travel purchases.

Pros:

• 2 miles per dollar on every purchase, every day, 5 miles per dollar on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel and 5 miles per dollar on Capital One Entertainment purchases through 12/31/25
• Earn 75,000 bonus miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening
• Flexible redemption on Venture miles

Cons:

• Annual fee of $95

Learn more in our Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card review.

American Express^® Green Card

The American Express Green Card is a another good option, allowing you to earn 3X Membership Rewards points on eligible travel and transit purchases, and at eligible restaurants worldwide, including takeout and delivery in the U.S.. You can redeem Membership Rewards points in a variety of ways, including covering previous purchases and giving you the option to "Pay with Points" when booking travel through the Amex travel portal.

Pros:

• Earn 40,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first 6 months 
• Earn 3X points on eligible travel and transit purchases, and at eligible restaurants worldwide, including takeout and delivery in the U.S.; and 1X points on all other eligible purchases
• Up to $199 annual CLEAR Plus credit and up to $100 annual LoungeBuddy credit

Cons:

• $150 annual fee
  
• Amex isn’t as widely accepted as Visa and Mastercard

Learn how to apply or find out more in our American Express^® Green Card review. 

Chase Sapphire Reserve^®

The Chase Sapphire Reserve is a shiny metal card with all sorts of benefits for the frequent Airbnb traveler, including a great welcome offer and an elevated rewards rate on various categories. Keep in mind that this credit card has an annual fee of $550, but you could offset this annual fee with its multitude of benefits, including up to $300 annual travel credit.

Pros:

• Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening
• $300 annual travel credit (that can be used towards Airbnb purchases that appear as travel charges on your card)
• 5X points on flights and 10X points on hotels and car rentals when you purchase travel through Chase Travel℠ immediately after the first $300 is spent on travel purchases annually; 3X points on other travel and dining & 1X points per dollar on all other purchases
  
• Access to Priority Pass airport lounges 

Cons:

• $550 annual fee

Apply now or learn more in our Chase Sapphire Reserve^® review.

Discover it^® Miles

The Discover it Miles is a great way to quickly earn miles on all of your purchases because Discover will match all the Miles you’ve earned at the end of your first year. You can redeem these miles later for travel purchases or as cash.

Pros

• Automatically earn unlimited 1.5x Miles on every dollar of every purchase
• Redeem your miles in any amount
• $0 annual fee

Cons

• Discover isn’t as widely accepted as Visa and Mastercard

Learn more in our Discover it^® Miles review.

Bank of America^® Premium Rewards^® credit card

The Bank of America^® Premium Rewards^® credit card offers a generous welcome bonus. You can earn 60,000 online bonus points (a $600 value) after you make at least $4,000 in purchases in the first 90 days of account opening. It also helps travelers rack up points faster by offering 2X points for every dollar you spend on travel and dining.

Pros

• Earn 60,000 online bonus points (a $600 value) after you make at least $4,000 in purchases in the first 90 days of account opening
• Earn 2 points per $1 on travel and dining purchases and 1.5 points per $1 on all other purchases
• Flexible redemption program, including special travel credit for qualifying purchases

Cons

• $95 annual fee

Apply now or learn more with our Bank of America^® Premium Rewards^® credit card review.

How to use your travel rewards to pay for your next Airbnb

After you’ve earned enough travel rewards to start cashing in, you might be wondering how to go about using them to fund your next vacation — and the Airbnb at which you’ll be staying, of course. How you’re able to use points in relation to Airbnb really depends on the type of card you have.

• If you have a travel credit card with flexible points and miles, like the American Express Green Card, you should be able to redeem these points toward any qualifying purchase.
• If you have a rewards credit card, like the Discover it Miles card, then you might be able to use your rewards to receive statement credit toward your purchase.
• Some rewards programs, like Chase Ultimate Rewards, periodically have deals that offer Airbnb gift cards in their online portals that can be purchased in exchange for points.
• Other cards, like the Chase Sapphire Reserve, have an annual travel credit that could be used toward qualifying travel purchases — like your next Airbnb stay.

How to stack gift cards, shopping portals, and credit card rewards when booking Airbnb

While Airbnb is already a great deal — especially when you use your credit card to earn points, cash back, or miles from your bookings — you can still further maximize benefits.

• Airbnb gift cards: Even if you don’t have a specific upcoming Airbnb stay that you want to book, you may encounter deals on Airbnb gift cards online or at a local store. Some credit cards may also offer elevated rewards rates for certain types of stores, such as grocery stores or office supply stores, helping you increase the value of your purchase even more.
• Shopping portals: You may be able to use shopping portals such as Rakuten or Capital One Shopping to find cashback deals or discounts for your Airbnb bookings. Just like gift cards, this can be combined with the use of a credit card to earn rewards on your purchase at the same time.

Always read the fine print to get the most out of your rewards

When shopping around for the best card for your travel needs, just be sure to do your research. Credit card deals and partnerships are all subject to change, and you’ll want to understand the terms of your agreement before signing on.

Keep in mind, too, that other home-sharing options might be classified differently than Airbnb. Vrbo and HomeAway are two examples of this, as are real estate rentals. These may or may not be classified as travel on your credit card, and you’ll avoid a lot of headaches by understanding in advance how your purchases are classified with your particular card.

FAQ about the best credit cards for Airbnb

Best credit cards for Airbnb: bottom line

When you use one of the best travel rewards credit cards, you can earn cash back, points, or miles on your Airbnb stays. These rewards can go toward future trips or be used via other redemption methods based on your rewards program.

Some of the best credit cards you can use for Airbnb bookings include Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card for its flexible redemption options, the American Express^® Green Card as it helps you earn 3X point on eligible travel and transit purchases, and at eligible restaurants worldwide, including takeout and delivery in the U.S., and the Chase Sapphire Reserve^® for its annual travel statement credit and other travel perks.

You can also explore our list of the best hotel credit cards to find general travel options that work best for every type of vacation stay.

Methodology

To select the best credit cards for booking with Airbnb, we compared cards from multiple issuers. We assessed features like rewards rates, travel benefits, annual fees, and welcome offers to identify the best credit cards for frequent travelers who use Airbnb. We did not include all cards available.

Premium Travel Benefits

Chase Sapphire Reserve^®

5.0

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Chase Sapphire Reserve^®

Apply Now

Current Offer

Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening

Annual Fee

$550

Rewards Rate

5X points on flights and 10X points on hotels and car rentals when you purchase travel through Chase Travel℠ immediately after the first $300 is spent on travel purchases annually; 3X points on other travel and dining & 1X points per dollar on all other purchases

Benefits and Drawbacks

Benefits

• Up to $300 in annual travel credits
• Great rewards on travel purchases and dining
• Complimentary Priority Pass Select membership
• Comprehensive travel protections, including trip delay and cancellation insurance
• 50% point redemption bonus when booking through Chase Travel

Drawbacks

• $550 annual fee
• High spending requirement for the welcome offer
• $75 annual fee for each authorized user

Card Details

• Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
• $300 Annual Travel Credit as reimbursement for travel purchases charged to your card each account anniversary year.
• Earn 5x total points on flights and 10x total points on hotels and car rentals when you purchase travel through Chase Travel℠ immediately after the first $300 is spent on travel purchases annually. Earn 3x points on other travel and dining & 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases
• Get 50% more value when you redeem your points for travel through Chase Travel℠. For example, 60,000 points are worth $900 toward travel.
• 1:1 point transfer to leading airline and hotel loyalty programs
• Access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide after an easy, one-time enrollment in Priority Pass™ Select and up to $120 application fee credit every four years for Global Entry, NEXUS, or TSA PreCheck®
• Count on Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Coverage, Lost Luggage Insurance and more.
• Member FDIC