To the point
With credit card points, you can save a lot of money on your Airbnb rentals!
In many ways, hotels can’t win that fight, although, with some brands like Residence Inn / TownePlace Suites from Marriott Bonvoy, it is possible to find large accommodations with a kitchen.
And with the COVID-19 pandemic, more travellers turn to apartments or houses rather than hotels for their Canadian vacations.
For example, we are frequently asked in the Milesopedia community to find solutions to reduce the expenses of alternative accommodations like Airbnb. It’s possible with specific rewards programs and credit cards!
To save money on Airbnb, you will need to use “travel points“. All the credit card issuers have travel points programs.
Many of Canada’s top travel points programs stand out:
Credit cards to save money on Airbnb
American Express - Membership Rewards
With the Membership Rewards program, you can redeem 1,000 points for a $10 credit on Airbnb, or 10,000 points = $100.
Here are the 7 cards part of the American Express Membership Rewards program whose points can save you money on an Airbnb rental:
La Carte Cobaltᴹᴰ American Express est la meilleure carte de crédit d’American Express, que vous souhaitiez des points pour vos voyages ou des remises en argent.
The welcome bonus is distributed monthly for the first 12 months. You earn 2,500 Membership Rewards points for every $500 in purchases charged to your card during the month (whether in the 1X, 2X, 3X or 5X category). That’s up to 30,000 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.
Or, you can transfer your points to Aeroplan, Marriott Bonvoy, or Hilton Honors. Avec la Carte Cobaltᴹᴰ American Express, vous pouvez obtenir entre 1 et 5 points par dollar:
| Category | Points per dollar |
| Grocery | 5 |
| Food delivery | 5 |
| Restaurants and bars | 5 |
| Convenience stores | 5 |
| Streaming subscriptions | 3 |
| Gas station | 2 |
| Transportation | 2 |
| Travel | 2 |
| Other | 1 |
This is a 1 to 5% return on all these purchases.
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.
Find out in this article how to maximize the welcome bonus to get 60,000 points with your everyday spending. This offer may be withdrawn at any time.
Like all American Express Canada Cards, there is no minimum income requirement.
HSBC - HSBC Rewards
With the HSBC Rewards program, you can easily apply your points to the Airbnb rental made on your credit card.
You’ll have to redeem points according to the HSBC Rewards chart.
25,000 points equal to a $125 credit on Airbnb, or 10,000 points = $50.
Here are the three cards part of the HSBC Rewards program whose points can save you money on an Airbnb bookings:
The HSBC World Elite Mastercard is an excellent no-conversion-fee credit card for foreign currency purchases, especially for your travel purchases.
For a limited time, you can get:
- Up to 110,000 points* (a $550 value in travel rewards) if you live in Quebec and with no minimum purchase!
- Up to 80,000 points* (a $400 value in travel rewards) and first-year annual fee waiver if you live outside Quebec
With the HSBC World Elite® Mastercard®, you can earn:
- 6 points per dollar for travel purchases (flights, hotels, Airbnb, all-inclusive, etc.)
- 4 points per dollar for grocery, gas or drugstore purchases
- 2 points per dollar for all other purchases (including Costco)
This means a 1 to 3% return, depending on your purchases!
You can easily redeem your points on any travel purchase made with the HSBC World Elite Mastercard (flights, hotels, Airbnb, all-inclusive, etc). But you can also transfer your points to three airline loyalty programs: British Airways Executive Club, Asia Miles and Singapore Airlines Krisflyer.
In addition, the HSBC World Elite Mastercard comes with:
- $100 Annual Travel Credit (for airport lounges, for example)
- Access to Boingo WiFi hotspots around the world
- 10% discount for hotel bookings on Expedia or Agoda
- Premium insurance for your travels and purchases
Finally, the HSBC World Elite Mastercard does not charge any conversion fees for foreign exchange transactions: you save 2.5% for each transaction.
Scotiabank - Scene+
With the Scene+ program, you can apply your points directly to the Airbnb purchase made on one of the Scene+ credit cards.
You can use 5,000 points for a $50 credit on Airbnb, or 10,000 points = $100.
The Scotiabank Visa Infinite* PassportMD is one of Canada’s only cards with no-FX fees AND coming with 6 complimentary airport lounge passes.
The Scotiabank Gold American Express Card is also a no-FX fee credit card. This card is exciting because of its accelerated earning rates for daily purchases and its excellent insurance.
National Bank - NBC À la Carte Rewards
With the NBC Rewards program, you can directly apply your points to the Airbnb rental charged to your Card.
You can use 12,000 points for a $100 credit on Airbnb. If you redeem more than 55,000 points, each $100 in travel credit on Airbnb costs you only 11,000 points.
That’s 11,000 points = $100.
Here are the 3 card that are part of the NBC Rewards program and whose points can save you money on an Airbnb rental:
The National Bank’s World Elite Mastercard® is the Best National Bank Mastercard credit card.
With this exclusive welcome offer for Milesopedia readers, you can get up to 70,000 points, and the first year’s annual fee is waived for the primary cardholder.
Here’s how:
- 30,000 points after $5,000 in Card purchases within the first 3 months of account opening
- 30,000 points if $12,000 or more in net purchases are charged to the credit card within 12 months of account opening
- 10,000 points if you sign up for Credit Card Payment Protection for a minimum of 3 months
With this card, you earn up to 5 points per dollar on your purchases:
- 5 points per dollar on grocery and restaurant purchases
- 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 on all other purchases
And since it’s a National Bank Mastercard credit card, 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
In addition, you can enjoy access to DragonPass airport lounges and free Wi-Fi with Boingo. And unlimited access to the National Bank Lounge at Montreal-Trudeau.
Finally, Milesopedia voted the National Bank’s World Elite Mastercard® as the Best Travel Credit Card and Best Credit Card for Insurance in 2023.
This promotion is intended for individuals who do not have a National Bank Mastercard credit card and have not held a National Bank credit card within the last 24 months.
Conclusion
As you can see, you can save money on Airbnb with several programs and credit cards.
The one that offers the most flexibility is the Membership Rewards program. For example, you could match points earned on an American Express Cobalt® Card with those of an American Express® Gold Rewards Card.
You can save hundreds of dollars or even pay for your entire stay on Airbnb with reward points.
Come to discuss that topic in our Facebook Group!
