Airbnb is continuing to gain popularity as an alternative to hotels and other accommodation options. Given that frequent flyers travel, well, frequently there’s quite a bit of overlap between loyalists to frequent flyers programs and Airbnb users.
British Airways, Qantas, and Delta now offer their frequent flyers the opportunity to earn miles for Airbnb stays by booking through dedicated links. Here’s everything you need to know to maximize your Airbnb stays and earn miles.
Earn British Airways Avios on Airbnb
Executive Club members can earn British Airways Avios by booking through a dedicated link.
Existing Airbnb users earn 3 Avios per £1/€1/$1 spent with Airbnb worldwide. If you value Avios at 1.3 cents per mile, then that’s a return of 2.6-7.8% per dollar of spend!
Booking through the dedicated link is how Airbnb and British Airways can track your purchases and properly credit you for them.
Earn Avios towards a redemption on British Airways or one of its partners by booking Airbnbs through the Executive Club portal.
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Earn Delta SkyMiles on Airbnb
Like the Executive Club, Delta offers its SkyMiles frequent flyers the chance to earn miles on Airbnb stays if you use its dedicated link.
Unfortunately, earning miles on Delta from Airbnb is far less lucrative. Delta only offers 1 SkyMile per dollar spent on Airbnb. Valuing a SkyMile at 1.1 cents per mile, that’s only an additional return of 1.1% per dollar.
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Earn Qantas Frequent Flyer points on Airbnb
Qantas Frequent Flyer also partners with Airbnb to offer Qantas frequent flyers the chance to earn points on qualifying stays. Like Delta, Qantas offers 1 point per dollar but in Qantas’ case, it’s based on Australian dollars. At the current exchange rates (AU $1 = $0.71 USD), that’s good for 1.4 miles per dollar spent. To earn Qantas Frequent Flyer points on Airbnb, use this link.
Earn miles on your next stay at an Airbnb with British Airways, Delta, or Qantas.
Other Ways to Earn Miles on Vacation Rentals
British Airways, Delta, and Qantas are not the only airlines partnering with vacation rental companies.
Japanese carrier, All Nippon Airways, has a partnership to let members earn Mileage Club miles with Airbnb for stays in Japan. More on ANA’s Airbnb partnership here. United also has a partnership with Airbnb rival VRBO. MileagePlus members can earn 3 miles per dollar spent on VRBO using this link.
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Best Credit Card for Airbnb
Of course, any miles you earn through a booking portal are only gravy on the top of credit card rewards.
My go-to card for Airbnb stays is the American Express Green Card which offers 3x Membership Rewards on travel including vacation rentals. The card is currently offering a welcome bonus of 50,000 points for $2,000 spend.
Another popular credit card option for Airbnb stays is the Chase Sapphire Reserve. That card offers 3x Ultimate Rewards per dollar on travel purchases. An alternative from Chase is the Sapphire Preferred, which has a lower annual fee. That card offers 2x Ultimate Rewards for travel spend.
CapitalOne’s Venture X is the newest premium travel card and it’s the standout option if you’re looking for a new card to add to your portfolio. The card earns 2x CapitalOne miles per dollar on general travel including vacation rentals.
In addition to its other myriad benefits, it’s also offering an introductory welcome bonus of 100,000 miles for $10,000 in spending over the first six months. And, if you’re looking to book an Airbnb, the Venture X comes with a $200 statement credit on vacation rentals in the first year. Learn more and apply for the card here.
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The Upshot
With nearly 7 million listings in over 100,000 cities worldwide, Airbnb is an increasingly popular lodging option while traveling. Like most other travel bookings, stacking benefits on Airbnb can allow you to enjoy outsized earnings to apply towards your next trip.
The benefits don’t stop at credit card rewards, you can also earn airline miles on Airbnb from British Airways, Delta, or Qantas.
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