How to use points to pay for AirBnB

Airbnb may not have a traditional loyalty program like the big hotel chains, but that doesn’t mean you’re stuck paying cash every time you book a stay. With the right credit card strategy, you can use points to cover your Airbnb bookings — it just takes a little creativity.

Here’s how to do it.

Use a Travel Card That Lets You Redeem Points as a Statement Credit

Some travel-rewards cards allow you to make a travel purchase — like an Airbnb stay — and then go back and “erase” the charge by redeeming points or miles. Not all cards offer good redemption value, so I’m only highlighting the one I personally use, which gives a flat 1 cent per mile.

Why I Use Capital One Cards

With Capital One cards, Airbnb codes as a travel purchase, which means you can:

1. Book the stay using your Capital One card

2. Redeem miles afterward to wipe out (or partially wipe out) the charge

   
   

It’s simple, flexible, and doesn’t require booking through a portal or jumping through hoops.

Bonus Tip: This Works for Disney Tickets Too

If you buy Disney park tickets through an authorized third-party seller like this one (that codes as travel), you can also redeem Capital One miles to erase those charges. So yes — Airbnb and Disney, covered with the same strategy.

The 90-Day Redemption Window = Extra Flexibility

One of the best perks: Capital One lets you apply miles to any travel purchase made in the last 90 days. That means you can:

• Book now

• Earn your miles later

• Come back and erase the charge once the points post

  
  

Example: You book a $500 Airbnb stay with your Capital One card. That charge counts toward meeting your minimum spend for the welcome bonus. Once the 50,000-mile bonus posts (worth $500 in travel credits), you can go back and erase the Airbnb charge — as long as it’s still within 90 days.

That’s a double win: meeting your minimum spend and getting the stay covered.

The Cards I Recommend

There are two Capital One cards that work perfectly for this strategy. The Capital One Venture and the Capital One Venture X. One has a higher annual fee but comes with extra perks; the other is a great starter option.

👉 You’ll find both of them — with full benefit breakdowns — on our Personal Card Offers page.