Booking an Airbnb? How to earn bonus Avios miles and more
Our family typically books vacation rentals when we go on trips. They provide the most space and a kitchen so we save money by eating breakfast and leftovers at the rental.
There are a few options out there to redeem credit card points to book vacation rentals, but more often we are paying the cash rate. If you have an Airbnb booking in your near future – take these steps to earn EXTRA miles.
British Airways Avios Shopping Portal – 2 miles/dollar
Avios miles are super valuable, and it is a unique program where you can move British Avios miles to other Avios programs such as Iberia, Aer Lingus, Finnair and Qantas Airways.
First log into your British Airways Flying Club account, if you do not have one – create that now.
Find the page for “Collecting Avios”
Go to “Our Avios Shopping Partners” and on the next page click “Shopping portal”
In the British Airways Shopping portal – make sure you are logged in, and type Airbnb in the search bar. When you click book now – it will direct you to the Airbnb website.
The Airbnb site will have a banner like this below, and you can continue to book your vacation rental and earn 2 Avios points/dollar spent. If you need to leave the site without booking, make sure to follow those same steps to ensure you have linked the shopping portal when you do end up booking.
You do not need to pay in full at the time of booking and you can use any payment method you choose. The points will be posted after your stay – within 60 days.
Earn category bonus points for travel – 2-3 points per dollar
I will often use my Chase Sapphire Preferred card to make the initial payment, so I am earning 2 points per dollar. Other good choices for travel category bonuses are the Chase Sapphire Reserve (3 points per dollar) and Capital One Venture or Venture X cards (2 points per dollar).
Extra points with Airbnb gift cards – 4 points per dollar + grocery cash back
To maximize savings and points on the vacation rental booking, I buy Airbnb gift cards with my American Express Gold card to earn 4 points per dollar at grocery stores. Other cards that are great for groceries are the Citi Custom Cash card (5 points per dollar in one category up to $500/month) and the Citi Strata Premier card (3 points per dollar).
In addition, grocery stores will often run deals for gift card purchases. My local store – Price Chopper/Market32 will offer 5x AdvantagEdge points for gift cards, which can used towards groceries.
For example, a $500 Airbnb gift card would then earn 2000 American Express Membership rewards, and $25 worth of groceries.
Extra effort can add up
I can spend HOURS searching for the best deal and most convenient vacation rental. These steps will take a little bit extra time, a fraction of the rental search. The points and savings add up quickly & get my family closer to a future big trip.
