slug: best-credit-cards-airbnb-stays
title: "Best Credit Cards for Airbnb Stays in 2025: Maximize Every Booking"
description: "The best credit cards for Airbnb bookings in 2025 — earn the most points, get travel protections, and stack rewards on every stay."
category: Money
tags: ["credit cards", "Airbnb", "travel rewards", "points and miles"]
author_slug: faroway-team
cluster: credit-cards
reading_time: 7 min
Airbnb bookings sit in a surprisingly tricky spot in the credit card rewards universe. Unlike flights or hotels, Airbnb doesn't have a dedicated airline or hotel loyalty program — which means the category codes as "travel" on some cards, "other" on others, and occasionally hits a travel portal bonus if you book through Chase or Capital One.
The right card can earn you 3-5x points on that $2,000 Tuscany villa. The wrong one earns you 1x on a card collecting dust in your wallet.
Here's how to actually optimize Airbnb spending.
How Airbnb Codes on Credit Cards
Before picking a card, understand the mechanics:
Direct booking (airbnb.com): Airbnb's merchant category code (MCC) is 7011 — Hotels and Motels. Some issuers classify this as "travel," others as "lodging," and a few apply a specific Airbnb bonus. This isn't always predictable — Chase's internal system sometimes codes it as travel, sometimes not.
Through Chase Travel Portal / Capital One Travel: If you book Airbnb through these portals (Chase added Airbnb in 2023; Capital One has a partnership), the booking earns portal-rate bonuses — typically 5x for Chase Sapphire Reserve holders.
The safest play: Book through the issuer's travel portal when the bonus is high enough, or use a card that categorically rewards all travel or has explicit Airbnb bonuses.
Best Credit Cards for Airbnb in 2025
1. Chase Sapphire Reserve — Best Overall
Why it wins: Chase added Airbnb as a bookable option in the Chase Travel portal, unlocking the full 5x Ultimate Rewards points on Airbnb stays when booked through the portal.
- Earning rate: 5x on Airbnb via Chase Travel; 3x on direct booking (travel category)
- Annual fee: $550
- Redemption value: UR points transfer to United, Hyatt, Air France/KLM, and 11 other partners; or redeem at 1.5 cents/point through the portal
The math: A $1,500 Airbnb stay earns 7,500 points via portal. At Hyatt transfer rates, that's potentially $112+ in hotel nights.
Travel protections: Trip interruption/cancellation ($10,000/trip), trip delay ($500 per ticket after 6 hours, no airline redemption required for Airbnb stays), primary rental car coverage.
Best for: Frequent travelers who want maximum earning and flexible point redemptions.
2. Capital One Venture X — Best Value for Annual Fee
Why it wins: Capital One Travel partnered with Airbnb in 2022, making Airbnb bookable through their portal at 10x miles for Venture X cardholders.
- Earning rate: 10x miles on Airbnb via Capital One Travel portal; 2x on all other purchases (including direct Airbnb)
- Annual fee: $395
- Redemption value: Miles transfer to Air Canada Aeroplan, Turkish Miles&Smiles, Avianca LifeMiles, and 15 others at 1:1
The math: $1,500 Airbnb stay through Capital One Travel = 15,000 miles. Transfer to Avianca LifeMiles and that can cover a one-way business class flight to South America.
Built-in value: $300 annual travel credit (applies to Capital One Travel bookings, including Airbnb), Priority Pass Select lounge access, 10,000 bonus miles on cardmember anniversary (~$100 value). The effective annual fee is closer to $95 after credits.
Best for: Travelers who want strong portal bonuses with a reasonable net annual fee.
3. Amex Gold Card — Best for Mixed Travel Spending
Why it wins: Amex Gold earns 4x Membership Rewards points at restaurants and 4x on U.S. supermarkets, making it exceptional when combined with Airbnb bookings (3x travel on most bookings) across a full trip.
- Earning rate: 3x on flights booked directly; Airbnb direct-book typically codes as 1x unless it triggers the travel portal rate
- Annual fee: $250
- Redemption value: MR points transfer to Delta, British Airways, Air France/KLM, Emirates, and 18 others
The honest caveat: Amex Gold doesn't have exceptional Airbnb-specific earnings. Where it shines is total trip spending: your Airbnb stay + all the restaurant meals you eat nearby. For a 7-night trip with $1,500 in Airbnb and $600 in restaurant spending, you're looking at 1,500 + 2,400 = 3,900 points from those two categories.
Best for: Travelers who eat out heavily and want to consolidate points.
4. Bilt Mastercard — Best No-Fee Option
Why it wins: Zero annual fee, 3x on travel (Airbnb typically codes as travel/lodging), and points that transfer to American Airlines, Alaska, Air France, Hyatt, and World of Hyatt at 1:1.
- Earning rate: 3x on travel (including Airbnb direct book when it codes correctly); 2x on dining; 1x on everything else
- Annual fee: $0
- Redemption value: Points transfer to Hyatt (excellent for hotel redemptions) and AA/Alaska (domestic awards)
Catch: You must make at least 5 transactions per statement period to earn points. Also requires Bilt's specific Mastercard issued through Wells Fargo.
Best for: Budget-conscious travelers who want no annual fee and access to Hyatt transfers.
5. Citi Strata Premier — Best for Everyday Earning
Why it wins: Earns 3x ThankYou Points on hotels — and Airbnb direct bookings code as hotels on Citi's system with higher consistency than Chase.
- Earning rate: 3x on Airbnb (hotel category); 3x on restaurants, grocery, gas, air travel; 1x everywhere else
- Annual fee: $95
- Redemption value: TY points transfer to Turkish Miles&Smiles, Singapore KrisFlyer, Air France/KLM Flying Blue, and others at 1:1
The underrated gem: Turkish Miles&Smiles is one of the best-value programs for United and Star Alliance awards. 35,000 miles can book round-trip business class to Europe on Lufthansa.
Best for: Moderate travelers who want consistent 3x earning across all travel and everyday categories.
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Card | Airbnb Earn Rate | Annual Fee | Best Redemption |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chase Sapphire Reserve | 5x (portal) / 3x (direct) | $550 | Hyatt, United, Air France |
| Capital One Venture X | 10x (portal) / 2x (direct) | $395 (net ~$95) | Avianca, Air Canada, Turkish |
| Amex Gold | ~1-3x | $250 | Delta, British Airways, Emirates |
| Bilt Mastercard | 3x | $0 | Hyatt, American Airlines |
| Citi Strata Premier | 3x | $95 | Turkish, Singapore, Air France |
Pro Tips for Maximizing Airbnb Spending
Check if your card has a travel portal with Airbnb
Chase Travel and Capital One Travel both offer Airbnb as a bookable inventory. Booking through the portal instead of directly can 2-3x your earning rate on the same stay.
The tradeoff: You lose the ability to message the host directly before booking, and some non-refundable rates may appear. For straightforward stays, the points premium is worth it.
Pay attention to MCC coding
Airbnb's coding isn't always consistent. Before a large booking, check if your card's spending tracker shows prior Airbnb charges and which category they landed in. Some Chase cardholders report 3x travel; others get 1x. A quick Google search for "[your card] Airbnb coding" often surfaces recent data points.
Stack with shopping portals
Rakuten partners with Airbnb and occasionally offers 1-3% cashback on bookings. Earn your credit card points and a Rakuten rebate on the same stay. Rakuten rewards can be set to deposit as Amex MR points (if you have an Amex card) for additional value.
Use Airbnb for trips where you're already planning
Faroway builds full trip itineraries, and one of the decisions it helps structure is accommodation strategy — whether Airbnb makes more sense than a hotel for a given trip (group travel, longer stays, specific neighborhoods). Once you have an itinerary, you know the right stay type and can pick the best card accordingly.
Which Card Should You Get?
| Your Situation | Best Pick |
|---|---|
| You travel 4+ times per year | Chase Sapphire Reserve |
| You want great value for $395 | Capital One Venture X |
| You want no annual fee | Bilt Mastercard |
| You spend heavily on food + travel | Amex Gold |
| You want consistent 3x on everything travel | Citi Strata Premier |
Bottom Line
Airbnb has become a central part of how people travel — longer stays, whole apartments, specific neighborhoods that hotels don't cover. Leaving that spending at 1x when 3-10x is available is just money on the table.
The Chase Sapphire Reserve and Capital One Venture X are the strongest choices for portal-boosted earning. For no annual fee, Bilt is hard to beat. And for consistent, predictable category earning without managing portals, Citi Strata Premier earns its keep.
Building a trip that needs accommodation strategy? Faroway helps you map out your full itinerary — so you know where you're staying, for how long, and in what type of accommodation before you pull out a card.
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Written by
Faroway Team
The Faroway team is passionate about making travel planning effortless with AI. We combine travel expertise with cutting-edge technology to help you explore the world.
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