Best credit cards for Airbnb and accommodations | July 2026

Q: Can a card's annual travel credit be used for an Airbnb?

It depends on the card. The National Bank World Elite Mastercard's $150 annual travel credit is limited to airline categories (airport parking, baggage, seat selection, lounges, upgrades) and is not applicable to Airbnb. Other cards (Scotiabank, TD, RBC) require travel to be booked through their portal, which generally excludes Airbnb. Check your card's travel credit terms and conditions.

Q: Are there cards with a bonus category for accommodations?

Yes. The American Express® Cobalt™ Card offers 2 points per dollar on travel, which includes Airbnb rentals. The BMO Ascend™ World Elite® Mastercard®* offers 5 points per dollar for eligible travel, and the RBC Avion Visa Infinite Card offers 1.25 Avion points per dollar on eligible travel purchases.

Q: Are Airbnb rentals covered by my card's travel insurance?

Trip cancellation and interruption insurance generally covers Airbnb accommodation costs if the trip is paid for with the card. Emergency medical insurance and rental car collision insurance apply regardless of the type of accommodation. However, some protections (baggage delay insurance, unexpected hotel accommodation) may specifically exclude non-hotel short-term rentals. Consult your insurance certificate before departure.

Q: Are hotel-branded cards (Marriott, Hilton) useful for Airbnb?

Not directly. Marriott Bonvoy and Hilton Honors cards accumulate points usable only at hotels within their network, not for Airbnb. If Airbnb is part of your travel strategy, prioritize a card with a flexible points program (American Express® Membership Rewards®, BMO Rewards, RBC Avion, TD Rewards, or Scene+) that can be used for any travel purchase, including Airbnb rentals.

Q: Can the concierge service book an Airbnb?

The concierge service included with Visa Infinite, World Elite Mastercard, and American Express Platinum cards can research and book accommodations, but most concierges prioritize partner hotels over Airbnb. For an Airbnb stay, it's generally faster to book yourself through the platform and use the card only for payment.

The best credit cards for Airbnb and other accommodations - July 2026

These credit cards are perfect for redeeming points for Airbnb rentals. But also on Booking.com, Expedia, VRBO or any other accommodation platform.

Here is a table summarizing the different offers. For more details, read on or click on the name of a card.

National Bank World Elite^® Mastercard^®

With Milesopedia, enjoy an exclusive offer: your first-year annual fee is refunded with the National Bank World Elite Mastercard. This offer is exclusively available through the Milesopedia network, from June 30 to November 4, 2026.

First-year annual fee rebate (a $150 value) for the primary cardholder. The fee is charged to your new card account, then reimbursed as a credit on your statement within five months of opening your account, provided it remains open and in good standing.

The National Bank World Elite Mastercard is the best Mastercard credit card offered by NBC.

With this card, you earn up to 5 points per dollar on your purchases:

5 points per dollar for groceries and restaurants
2 points per dollar on gas and electric recharge purchases
2 points per dollar on recurring bills
2 points per dollar on À la carte Travel
1 point per dollar for all other purchases

And since it’s an NBC mycredit Mastercard, you can use it at Costco.

With this card, you have access to a $150 annual travel credit that you can use in any of these categories:

Airport parking
Baggage fees
Seat selection
Access to Airport Lounges
Flight upgrades

What’s more, you can enjoy access to DragonPass airport lounges and unlimited access to the National Bank Lounge at Montreal-Trudeau.

Finally, Milesopedia has named the National Bank World Elite Mastercard as the Best Travel Credit Card in 2023, 2024, 2025, and 2026.

Scotiabank Gold American Express^® Card

The Scotiabank Gold American Express Card offers an excellent welcome bonus.

Until November 1, 2026, you can earn up to 50,000 bonus Scene+ points, broken down as follows:

30,000 Scene+ points by charging $2,000 in purchases to the card within the first 3 months
20,000 Scene+ points by making $7,500 in purchases on the card in the first year

This represents a value of up to $500 for travel (including Airbnb).

With the Scotiabank Gold American Express Card, you earn 6 points per dollar spent at Sobeys, IGA, Safeway, Foodland, FreshCo, Voilà by Sobeys, Voilà par IGA, Voilà by Safeway, Chalo! grocery stores. FreshCo, Thrifty Foods, IGA West, Les Marchés Tradition, Rachelle Béry and Co-Op.

Also, you earn 5 points per dollar for:

Grocery stores
Restaurants
Entertainment centers

And 3 points per dollar on gas, transit and streaming services purchases.

You can redeem your points on travel purchases (flights, hotels, all-inclusive and even Airbnb). You can also use your points as cash back rewards with Scene+.

The Scotiabank Gold American Express Card also offers no foreign transaction fees, excellent insurance for your travel or purchases, concierge service, exclusive American Express benefits like the Front of the Line program.

With your AIR MILES, buy electronic vouchers (gift cards) for Airbnb! With 3,000 miles, you get $300 in Airbnb gift cards.

TD First Class Travel^® Visa Infinite* Card

With the TD First Class Travel^{^®} Visa Infinite* Card, you can earn up to 146,000 TD Rewards Points^† as well as an Annual Fee rebate for the first year^†:

20,000 TD Rewards Points for the first purchase made with your card^†
126,000 TD Rewards Points when you spend $7,500 within 180 days of account opening^†
An anniversary bonus of up to 10,000 TD Rewards Points^†

Get an annual TD Travel Credit† of $100 when you book at Expedia^{^®} For TD, and enjoy your time at the airport with global airport lounge access and 4 complimentary lounge visits with Visa Airport Companion Program (a value of up to $277)^†.

With the TD First Class Travel^{^®} Visa Infinite* Card, you earn:

8 TD Rewards Points^† for every $1 you spend when you book travel through Expedia^{^®} For TD†
6 TD Rewards Points^† per dollar on your grocery, dining and public transit purchases
4 TD Rewards Points^† per dollar on your recurring bill payments and purchases of streaming services as well as digital games and media
2 TD Rewards Points^† per dollar on all other purchases made with your card

This card also allows you to enjoy a range of travel benefits, including an annual travel credit, complimentary airport lounge visits, and a birthday bonus that boosts your points each year^†.

American Express Cobalt^® Card

The American Express Cobalt^® Card is the best credit card from American Express, whether you want points for travel or cash back.

The welcome bonus is distributed monthly for the first 12 months. You’ll earn 1,250 Membership Rewards points for every $750 in purchases charged to your card during the month (whether in the 1X, 2X, 3X or 5X category). That’s up to 15,000 Membership Rewards points.

You can easily use these points as statement credits for everyday or travel purchases. The value is the same for both: 1,000 points = $10.

Alternatively, transfer them to Aeroplan points, Avios (British Airways/Qatar Airways), Flying Blue, Marriott Bonvoy, or Hilton Honors.

For example, with this welcome offer, if you decide to transfer your Membership Rewards points to a partner loyalty program, you would have the choice of earning up to:

15,000 Aeroplan points
15,000 Avios points
15,000 Flying Blue Miles
18,000 Marriott Bonvoy points

With the American Express Cobalt^® Card, you can earn between 1 and 5 points per dollar:

Category	Points per dollar
Grocery (Métro, IGA, Sobeys, Super C, etc.)	5
Home food delivery	5
Restaurants and bars	5
Convenience stores	5
Streaming services	3
Service station	2
Transport	2
Travel	1
Other	1

This is a 1 to 5% return on all these purchases.

For example, if you spend $1,000 per month on groceries and/or restaurants and/or food delivery, you’ll earn $50 cash back per month, or $600 cash back per year with this card for this category of purchases!

And if you decide to transfer your points to other programs like Aeroplan, you could get even more value!

In addition, this card provides excellent insurance coverage: rental car theft and damage, baggage delay, lost or stolen baggage, flight delay, $250,000 travel accident, hotel or motel burglary, Mobile Device Insurance, Purchase Security, Purchase Protection Insurance.

Like all American Express Canada Cards, there is no minimum income requirement.

Marriott Bonvoy^® American Express^®* Card

The Marriott Bonvoy^® American Express^®* Card is the best credit card for free hotel nights.

With this welcome offer, you can earn up to 70,000 Marriott Bonvoy points:

Earn 60,000 points after spending a total of $3,000 on your Card within your first 3 months of Cardmembership.
In addition, earn 10,000 points after you spend $500 on your Card in your 13th month of Cardmembership.

It’s a card we recommend you keep, because each year at renewal, you’ll get an Annual Free Night Award for up to 35,000 points, plus 15 Elite nights per year, counting towards your Marriott Bonvoy Elite status.

With this Card, you earn 5 points per dollar on all purchases at Marriott Bonvoy properties and 2 points per dollar on all other purchases.

Last but not least, this Card comes with a wide range of insurance coverages: baggage delay, baggage loss or theft, $500,000 travel accident, flight delay, hotel/motel burglary, rental car theft and damage, Purchase Security, Purchase Protection.

Like all American Express Canada Cards, there is no minimum income requirement.

Scotiabank Passport^® Visa Infinite +* Card

With this welcome offer for the Scotiabank Visa Infinite ^+* Passport^MC Card, you get up to 60,000 Scene+ points as a welcome bonus (a value of $600):

40,000 points after $2,000 in purchases within the first three months
10,000 points after $10,000 in purchases within the first six months
10,000 points after $40,000 in purchases in the first year

Then, each year, if you make at least $40,000 in purchases on the card, you’ll earn an annual bonus of at least 10,000 points, which represents a $100 value.

With the Scotiabank Visa Infinite +* Passport^MD Card, you earn 3 points per dollar spent at Sobeys, IGA, Safeway, Foodland, FreshCo, Voilà by Sobeys, Voilà par IGA, Voilà by Safeway, Chalo! grocery stores. FreshCo, Thrifty Foods, IGA West, Les Marchés Tradition, Rachelle Béry and Co-Op.

You also earn 2 points per dollar spent, including on foreign purchases, in the following categories:

Grocery shopping
Restaurants
Entertainment centers
Transit

The Scotiabank Visa Infinite +* Passport^MD Card is an excellent Visa credit card for these types of purchases.

These points can be used for any travel purchase at a rate of 1,000 points = $10 (flights, hotels, all-inclusive packages, and even Airbnb). You can also redeem your points as cash back with Scene+, for example, at your grocery store checkout at the same rate of 1,000 points = $10.

The Scotiabank Visa Infinite +* Passport^MD Card also offers:

No fees for foreign currency transactions
Get value of up to 10¢/L on your fuel purchases at Shell
6 access to VIP airport lounges
Excellent insurance for your travels and purchases
Concierge service
Travel with confidence with 10 GB of free GigSky global mobile data for 15 days, plus access to GigSky Travel Essentials for essential apps on the go.
Cardholders also receive a free 1 GB/15-day GigSky global mobile data package annually, plus a 20% discount on future GigSky purchases.

We have named this credit card the Best Credit Card with No Foreign Transaction Fees in 2024, 2025, and 2026.

BMO eclipse Visa Infinite* Card

The BMO eclipse Visa Infinite* Card is one of the best Visa Infinite rewards credit cards in Canada. With our welcome offer, you can get up to 70,000 BMO Rewards points.

Here’s how to earn the welcome offer points:

30,000 welcome points when you spend $4,000 in the first 110 days*
20,000 bonus points when you spend $7,000 in the first 180 days*
20,000 bonus points when you spend $12,000 in the first 12 months*

Plus, enjoy a monthly statement credit for streaming services, a $50 annual lifestyle credit, and no annual fee for the first year.

With the BMO eclipse Visa Infinite* Card, you also get:

5x BMO Rewards points for every dollar spent on groceries, meal delivery or takeout, rideshare, public transit, and gas*
1 BMO Rewards point for every dollar spent on all other purchases*
10% more points when you add an authorized user to your account*
Mobile device insurance offering coverage up to $1,000*
The Pay with Points feature, which allows you to redeem your points on recent purchases starting at $1*
Six months of Instacart+ membership plus a monthly $10 Instacart credit with an eligible card*

BMO Ascend™ World Elite^®* Mastercard^®*

The BMO Ascend World Elite Mastercard is one of the best World Elite Mastercard credit cards with travel points in Canada.

With our exclusive welcome offer, you can earn up to 115,000 BMO Rewards points (worth $770 for travel).

Here’s how to earn the welcome offer points:

60,000 points after $5,000 in net purchases within the first 110 days*
20,000 points after $10,000 in net purchases within the first 180 days*
35,000 points after $20,000 in net purchases within the first 365 days*

Plus, there is no annual fee for the first year for the primary cardholder and additional cardholders.

You can also take advantage of a 0% introductory interest rate on balance transfers for 12 months, with a 2% balance transfer fee.

With the BMO Ascend World Elite Mastercard, you get:

5 points per dollar on eligible travel*
3 points per dollar on eligible dining, entertainment, and recurring bill payments*
1 point per dollar on all other purchases*

The card also offers:

4 complimentary airport lounge accesses per year via Mastercard Travel Pass provided by DragonPass*
comprehensive travel insurance, including emergency medical coverage up to $5 million for 21 days*
A NEXUS statement credit in the first year*
Six months of Instacart+ membership plus a monthly $10 Instacart credit with an eligible card*

RBC Avion Visa Infinite Card

For a limited time, the RBC Avion Visa Infinite Card offers a welcome bonus of up to 55,000 Avion points, a travel value of up to $1,100.

35,000 points upon approval of your application
20,000 points when you spend $5,000 on your account within the first six months

You can redeem your Avion points for flights with over 500 airlines, with no blackout periods or seat restrictions, or transfer them to partner programs such as American Airlines AAdvantage, The British Airways Club, Cathay Pacific Asia Miles and WestJet Rewards.

The card earns you 1.25 points per dollar on eligible travel purchases and 1 point per dollar on all your other eligible purchases. It also includes extensive insurance coverage: emergency medical care, trip cancellation and interruption, rental vehicle collision and mobile device.

The annual fee is $120.

MBNA Rewards World Elite^® Mastercard^®

With the MBNA Rewards World Elite^® Mastercard^®, you can earn 5 points per dollar of purchases for:

Dining
Grocery purchases
Digital media purchases (Netflix, Spotify, etc.)
Memberships
Household utility purchases (electricity, etc.)

Everywhere else, you will get 1 point per dollar.

Enough to make the MBNA Rewards World Elite Mastercard the best MBNA credit card for restaurants, groceries, digital media, subscriptions and household utilities.

Knowing that Mastercard recognizes Walmart Supercenters as grocery stores, this is the best credit card for Walmart customers!

Plus, depending on your province of residence, you’ll get a welcome bonus of between 20,000 and 30,000 points, a value of $200 to $300!

And each year, you will receive Birthday Bonus Points equal to 10% of the total number of Points the Account earned in the 12 months before the month of your birthday, to a maximum Birthday Bonus each year of 15,000 Points.

Scotiabank^®* Platinum American Express^® Card

For a limited time, by signing up for the Scotiabank Platinum American Express^® Card, you can earn up to 100,000 Scene+ points, worth up to $3,000 in value over the first 14 months (including about $1,000 in travel rewards from the bonus points).

With the Scotiabank Platinum American Express^® Card, you earn 2 points per dollar spent on all purchases. These points can be used against any travel purchase (plane tickets, hotels, all-inclusives, and even Airbnb), and you can also use them for other rewards in the Scene+ program, like cash back.

Plus, with this card, you pay no foreign transaction fees, and you get 10 free accesses to VIP airport lounges (Priority Pass).

And you benefit from excellent insurance for your trips and purchases, premium concierge service, and exclusive American Express Invitations offers.

Frequently Asked Questions about Credit Cards for Airbnb and Accommodations

Here are some frequently asked questions in the milesopedia community about using credit cards for Airbnb and other accommodations.

Which credit cards can be used to pay for an Airbnb with points?

Several cards allow you to use points for Airbnb stays. The Scotiabank Passport™ Visa Infinite +* Card and the Scotiabank Gold American Express^® Card allow you to redeem Scene+ points for Airbnb purchases (at a rate of 1,000 points = $10).

The TD^® Aeroplan^® Visa Infinite* Privilege* Card also allows you to book via Expedia^® for TD at 8 points per dollar, and the Scotiabank Platinum American Express^® Card allows you to use Scene+ points for any travel purchase, including Airbnb.

Can a card’s annual travel credit be used for an Airbnb?

It depends on the card. The National Bank World Elite Mastercard’s $150 annual travel credit is limited to airline categories (airport parking, baggage, seat selection, lounges, upgrades) and is not applicable to Airbnb.

Other cards (Scotiabank, TD, RBC) require travel to be booked through their portal, which generally excludes Airbnb. Check your card’s travel credit terms and conditions.

Are there cards with a bonus category for accommodations?

Yes. The American Express^® Cobalt™ Card offers 2 points per dollar on travel, which includes Airbnb rentals. The BMO Ascend™ World Elite^® Mastercard^®* offers 5 points per dollar for eligible travel, and the RBC Avion Visa Infinite Card offers 1.25 Avion points per dollar on eligible travel purchases.

Are Airbnb rentals covered by my card’s travel insurance?

Trip cancellation and interruption insurance generally covers Airbnb accommodation costs if the trip is paid for with the card. Emergency medical insurance and rental car collision insurance apply regardless of the type of accommodation.

However, some protections (baggage delay insurance, unexpected hotel accommodation) may specifically exclude non-hotel short-term rentals. Consult your insurance certificate before departure.

Are hotel-branded cards (Marriott, Hilton) useful for Airbnb?

Not directly. Marriott Bonvoy and Hilton Honors cards accumulate points usable only at hotels within their network, not for Airbnb.

If Airbnb is part of your travel strategy, prioritize a card with a flexible points program (American Express^® Membership Rewards^®, BMO Rewards, RBC Avion, TD Rewards, or Scene+) that can be used for any travel purchase, including Airbnb rentals.

Can the concierge service book an Airbnb?

The concierge service included with Visa Infinite, World Elite Mastercard, and American Express Platinum cards can research and book accommodations, but most concierges prioritize partner hotels over Airbnb. For an Airbnb stay, it’s generally faster to book yourself through the platform and use the card only for payment.

Which card should I choose if I travel exclusively with Airbnb?

For an Airbnb-focused traveler, prioritize a card combining:

A travel multiplier (Amex Cobalt 2x, BMO Ascend 5x, RBC Avion 1.25x)
A flexible points program (Scene+, Avion points, BMO Rewards) to book Airbnb with no portal restriction
No conversion fees for rentals abroad (Scotiabank Passport™ Visa Infinite +* Card)
Excellent travel insurance for cancellation and medical care