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Sometimes, a vacation rental is the best option. I’ve used Marriott Homes & Villas to earn Marriott Bonvoy points on several recent short-term apartment rentals, and there are also Hyatt Homes & Hideaways and the Apartment Collection by Hilton if you want to stick to the major hotel loyalty programs.
But sometimes, an Airbnb or a Vrbo ends up being the best option for your trip. So, here’s how to earn some extra airline rewards on these bookings. Just keep in mind that you’ll need to enable cookies in your browser and ensure your booking is eligible.
Earning airline rewards on Airbnb bookings
There are four primary ways to earn airline rewards on Airbnb bookings, just by clicking through another site before landing on the Airbnb site to make your booking. Here’s an overview of each:
- ANA Mileage Club: Earn 1 mile per 200 Japanese yen ($1.24) spent when you start here and click through to book an Airbnb stay.
- British Airways Club: Earn 2 Avios per dollar spent with Airbnb when you start here and click through to book an Airbnb stay or experience.
- Delta SkyMiles: Earn 1 mile per dollar spent on Airbnb stays and 3 miles per dollar spent on Airbnb services and experiences when you connect your SkyMiles and Airbnb accounts here and then book within 10 days. (You’ll need to reconnect your accounts once the 10-day window expires to continue earning.)
- Qantas Frequent Flyer: Earn 1 point per 1 Australian dollar ($0.69) spent when you start here and book an Airbnb stay through Qantas.
None of these programs offers rewards on taxes and fees for your booking, and the mileage account name typically needs to match the primary guest’s name. I usually opt to earn British Airways Avios on my Airbnb bookings because this is the most valuable earning rate of the four programs for me and Avios are a currency I frequently use.
Related: Renting an Airbnb? Here are the best credit cards to use
Earning airline rewards on Vrbo bookings
If you prefer Vrbo, you can also earn airline rewards on your bookings by clicking through select sites before booking.
You can often earn rewards on Vrbo bookings when you click through select online shopping portals, such as the American AAdvantage eShopping portal, the Atmos Rewards Shopping portal, the Delta SkyMiles Shopping portal and the Rove Shopping portal. One advantage of booking through a shopping portal is that you can often earn rewards, even when booking a stay for someone else.
Alternatively, if you’re booking a Vrbo stay for yourself, you can earn airline rewards at more predictable rates through the following partnerships:
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For these three partnerships, the mileage account name will usually need to match the primary guest’s name.
Keep in mind, Vrbo participates in the One Key rewards program, so you may be able to earn OneKeyCash on top of airline rewards on some stays. However, while stays where you complete your transaction on the Vrbo website are likely eligible for earnings through the One Key program, some stays may not be eligible.
Related: I rarely stay at major hotel chains — here’s how I maximize my reward travel anyway
Choosing the right card for your vacation rental
You can also earn points, miles or cash back by using a rewards credit card when paying for your vacation rental.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (see rates and fees) now lets cardholders earn 3 points per dollar spent on vacation home rentals booked through Airbnb, Vrbo, Plum Guide, HomeAway, Homestay.com and Vacasa. So, if you have the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card, it’s a great option for booking through these platforms.
Otherwise, you’ll want to use a card that earns bonus points on general travel purchases. For example, I often use my Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card (see rates and fees) on general travel purchases, but the American Express® Green Card is another excellent option.
The information for the American Express Green Card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
If you don’t have any of these cards, consider using whatever card you use for nonbonus category spending. Cards like the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card, the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card and the Citi Double Cash® Card (see rates and fees) are great for these types of purchases, as they all earn more than just one point, mile or percent cash back per dollar spent.
Related: You can now book boutique hotels, car rentals, grocery delivery and more through Airbnb
Bottom line
It may be tempting to navigate directly to Airbnb or Vrbo when you want to book a vacation rental, but taking an extra minute to start through an airline partner page or shopping portal can help you earn extra rewards. British Airways, Delta Air Lines, Qantas and All Nippon Airways offer ways to earn airline rewards on eligible Airbnb bookings, while Delta, United Airlines, JetBlue and select shopping portals offer options for eligible Vrbo stays.
Just remember that tracking matters. You’ll usually need to start from the correct partner page, have cookies enabled, enter the right loyalty number and make sure the loyalty account name matches the primary guest. You likely won’t earn airline rewards on taxes and fees, either.
Still, when a vacation rental is the best option for your trip, these partnerships can be an easy way to earn extra points or miles. And if your booking is eligible to stack airline rewards, OneKeyCash or another platform currency, and the rewards from your credit card, your vacation rental can become even more rewarding.
