Airbnb shook up the travel industry with its revolutionary peer-to-peer platform for short-term rentals. But with so many listings, finding the perfect Airbnb is like trying to find a needle in the haystack. That is, unless you use our tips and tricks below.
See our best credit card bonuses here. If you want to read about great places to visit with the points and miles earned with credit cards and loyalty programs, see this list of best travel destinations.
Click here to learn more about Airbnb sign-up and referral promotions.
Airbnb Stay/Experience Up To $55 Bonus Credit
Update: The referral program is no longer available.
Get $40 off your home booking of $255+ and $15 to use toward an experience worth $50+ when you use our referral link below (thanks ahead of time!).
Coupons expire one year from date of sign up.
- Sign up and create an account on Airbnb.
- Look for places to stay and things to do anywhere in the world.
- Get $40 off your first home booking of $255 or more and $15 towards an experience of $50 or more.
*If you’d like to be an Airbnb host, sign-up here.
Book Way Ahead In Advance
Because Airbnb listings are one-of-a-kind, compared to hotels that have hundreds of rooms, you’ll want to snag the perfect one before it gets booked by someone else. Most hosts open their calendars anywhere from six to twelve months in advance.
Look For New Listings
If you didn’t book in advance, make sure to look out for new listings. Check every once in awhile before your trip, and a new Airbnb listing might pop up that ticks all your boxes.
Check The Availability Calendar
If you like an Airbnb, but you need more validation, check out the availability calendar. You’re probably looking at a great place if it’s rented out on most dates. Airbnb also labels listings as a “rare find” if the place is often booked.
Read The Reviews
Just like when you book a hotel room, make sure to read the reviews from previous guests. Consider the negative reviews and decide whether or not the complaints would apply to you. If you’re looking at a new listing, check out reviews of other listings with the same host.
Disregard Poor Picture Quality
It’s not a bad thing if a listing has blurry or low resolution pictures. Usually, new listings will have amateur photos because the owner has yet to arrange a professional shoot. Just try to envision the accommodation as it would appear in real life.
Best Credit Card for Airbnb
Airbnb purchases are typically coded as travel by card issuers so you can earn reward points with The Best Travel Reward Credit Cards. These are our favorite cards that will earn you extra points for your Airbnb stays.
With the Chase Sapphire Reserve®, you’ll earn extra points for every dollar spent on travel, including Airbnb purchases. You also have the option of using your annual travel credit on Airbnb.
CHASE SAPPHIRE RESERVE®
The Chase Sapphire Reserve® card is offering 80,000 bonus points (worth up to $1,600 in travel per our valuations). You’ll need to spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening to qualify for the bonus. These 80k points are redeemable for $1,200 toward travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards.
This is a premium travel card with a premium annual fee of $550. But, you’ll receive premium benefits such as 5X points on air travel, 10x points spent on hotels and car rentals when you purchase travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards® immediately after earning your $300 annual travel credit, 3X points on all other travel and dining, and 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases.
The card also features an application fee credit (up to $100) for Global Entry or TSA Pre✓®, access to 1,300+ airport lounges with Priority Pass Select, and 50% more in travel redemption through Chase Ultimate Rewards. With Pay Yourself BackSM, your points are worth 50% more for existing purchases in select, rotating categories.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, similar to its bigger brother Chase Sapphire Reserve®, offers points for every dollar spent on travel, including Airbnb purchases. The card is regarded by many travelers as their favorite for travel benefits.
CHASE SAPPHIRE PREFERRED® CARD
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card currently has an offer for 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
Redeeming the 60,000 bonus points through the Chase Ultimate Rewards program, which is praised by users, will get you $750 in value towards travel. The 60K bonus points are worth $750 because you get 25% more value whenever you redeem for airfare, hotels, car rentals and cruises through Chase Ultimate Rewards.
Even better, strategize with Chase Ultimate Rewards points transfer partners to potentially get even more value. Each point can be worth up to 2 cents apiece (60k points = ~$1,200). Read more on this here.
The Capital One® Venture® Rewards Credit Card is another travel rewards card offering extra points for spending on Airbnb purchases. Additionally, the card has a nice sign-up bonus and flexible redemption, making it a card to have in your wallet.
CAPITAL ONE® VENTURE® REWARDS CREDIT CARD
The Capital One® Venture® Rewards Credit Card currently earns 100,000 bonus miles when you spend $20,000 on purchases in the first 12 months from account opening. Or if are unable to meet the $20k spending requirement, you can still earn 50,000 bonus miles for spending $3,000 in the first 3 months. These bonus miles are equal to $1000 or $500, respectively, in travel and are easy to redeem as a statement credit towards the cost of your travel purchases. Take advantage of Capital One’s travel partners and these up to 100k miles can be worth around $1400 in value.
This card will earn an ongoing 2 miles for every dollar you spend on all purchases. 100 miles is equal to $1 in travel rewards. If you don’t redeem towards travel purchases, your miles will have less value.
The annual fee is $95.
Bottom Line
Finding the perfect Airbnb doesn’t have to be a headache. Use our tips and tricks above and you’ll score sweet digs for your next vacation
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