Booking an Airbnb with Points and Miles

Pam

Booking an Airbnb with points and miles – is it possible? Many of our readers want to know so today we will be talking all about it! There are definitely times I prefer to stay at an Airbnb, VRBO, or another vacation rental. When you are traveling in a larger group and all want to be together, a hotel may not work. When my daughters and I travel together there are five of us and it is cheaper and more fun to all be together so an Airbnb just works better for us. Another time you may want an Airbnb is if you prefer to cook and eat healthier. Staying in an Airbnb can sometimes also give you a feel for the local life. So what cards can earn us points to stay in vacation rentals? Let’s get into it.

 

Capital One Credit Cards

The Capital One Venture X Credit Card is a great way to book an Airbnb. You will have 75,000 Venture miles (worth $750) after you meet the minimum spend requirement, which you can use as a statement credit for your Airbnb- just make sure you charge the payment for the vacation rental on this card.

The Capital One Venture Card is another way to book an Airbnb. You get 75,000 Venture miles as a welcome offer with this card after spending $3,000 in 3 months. Your miles will be worth $750 to use on an Airbnb. Again, purchase with the card and then claim as a statement credit when it posts.

 

White room with blue shutters

Our cute Airbnb in Santorini, Greece.

 

Credit Card Travel Portal

You can use your points through travel portals like Chase, Citi, American Express, and Capital One to book vacation rentals. We generally prefer to just pay for our vacation rentals with credit cards and earn more points because we can usually get more value with our points on flights and hotels. Paying through a portal for a vacation rental is certainly possible but you won’t find the amount or variety of Airbnbs in the portals. You will only find those individual properties that have decided to allow bookings on the portals.

 

Screenshot of Orlando Airbnb lodging

This Airbnb was found on the Capital One travel portal.

 

Using a Credit Card Travel Credit

The Chase Sapphire Reserve comes with a $300 travel credit and you should be able to use that credit for your Airbnb stay. This is a yearly credit that should help you pay for your vacation rentals.

 

Booking Vacasa Rentals

These can be booked with Wyndham points and luckily, two transferable point currencies, Capital One Venture Miles and Citi ThankYou Points are transfer partners with Wyndham.

Here are the credit cards that will earn points for transfer to Wyndham.

 

Vacasa Rentals are booked with Wyndham points at the cost of 15K per bedroom. These one-bedrooms must have a cost of $500/night or lower though. If you find a 2 bedroom rental, it will cost 30K Wyndham points/night. The interesting part is that a one-bedroom rental can often sleep 6+ so you can get great value with your points.

Once you know where you want to go you will want to make a list of the rentals you find on Vacasa that you would be interested in staying in. Pick several options in case some are not available. Once you have that list of places you are interested in, call 800-441-1034 to book with Wyndham points. You cannot book online, you have to book with an agent. Again, flexibility is key, either with locations or dates. Make sure there is availability before you transfer points to Wyndham – transfers to transfer partners are one-way transfers only!

Read more about booking Vacasa Vacation Rentals here.

 

Bottom Line

Some people don’t like to stay in a hotel and just prefer a vacation rental. Booking an Airbnb with points and miles can be done with these methods. There is no real wrong way to use your points and miles. You be you. Remember that free is free and it’s always a wonderful thing! Do you prefer a vacation rental or a hotel?

 

 

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  1. Elliot says:

    As of 7/31/22 it is NOT possible to book an Airbnb (or any other vacation rental) through the Capital One travel portal. You can, of course, pay for a rental with your Capital One card and earn points, but only travel booked through the Capital One travel portal is eligible for the $300 travel credit. I confirmed this with calls to Capital One (and it states this on the Venture X card documentation). Hopefully Capital One will add vacation rentals to the portal!

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