How to save money on Airbnb with points?

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.

Thus, we are frequently asked to find solutions to reduce the expense of alternative accommodations like Airbnb. With some loyalty programs, it’s possible!

To save money on Airbnb, you will need to use “travel points”. All the credit card issuers have travel points programs. However, most of them cannot be used with Airbnb.

For example, you can’t use BMO Rewards Points on Airbnb rentals. Indeed, you must redeem these points through BMO’s travel booking platform.

Among the best travel points programs in Canada, three stand out:

With the Membership Rewards program, you can apply points directly to the Airbnb purchase made on one of the six cards that are part of the program.

You can apply 1,000 points for a $10 credit, or 10,000 points = $100.

The HSBC Rewards program works the same way: you can apply your points directly to the Airbnb purchase on one of the cards that are part of the program.

You’ll have to redeem points according to the HSBC Rewards chart.

You can redeem 25,000 points for a $125 credit, or 10,000 points = $50.

The Scotia Rewards program works the same way: you can apply your points directly to the Airbnb purchase made on one of the cards that are part of the program.

You will be able to use 5,000 points for a credit of $50, or 10,000 points = $100.

With the goal and programs set, we can now look at credit cards that earn points to save money on Airbnb.

Here are the six American Express Cards part of Membership Rewards, to save money on an Airbnb rental:

The American Express Cobalt™ Card and American Express Business Edge™ Card are the best cards to use for Airbnb rentals within the Membership Rewards Program.

Unlike the other 4 cards, you can’t transfer their points to airline programs (such as Aeroplan).

If you have the American Express Cobalt™ Card or American Express Business Edge™ Card and one of the four other cards, it’s best to use the American Express Cobalt™ Card or the American Express Business Edge™ Card first to save on an Airbnb rental!

The American Express Cobalt™ Card is the best American Express Credit Card.

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

The HSBC World Elite^® Mastercard^® is a great credit card with no foreign transaction fees, especially for travel purchases.

With the HSBC World Elite^® Mastercard^®, you earn:

• 6 points per dollar for travel purchases (flights, hotels, Airbnb, all-inclusive, etc.)
• 3 points per dollar for all other purchases

It’s a 1% to 3% value depending on your purchases!

You can apply your points on any travel purchase charged to your 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.

Finally, with the HSBC World Elite^® Mastercard^® you get:

• $100 annual travel credit (for airport lounges, for example)
• Unlimited 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.

And it’s one of the best credit cards for Costco, where you earn 3 points per dollar.

Here are the best credit cards from the Scotia Rewards program:

You could focus on a single program to save on an Airbnb rental. In that case, you will apply for the American Express Cobalt™ Card OR the HSBC World Elite^® Mastercard^® OR the Scotiabank Gold American Express^® Card.

But you could also apply for multiple cards at the same time: on a trip where you would visit several destinations, and therefore will stay at several Airbnb rentals: you could use points from the three programs!

We recommend 3 cards for this strategy:

• American Express Cobalt™ Card
• HSBC World Elite^® Mastercard^®
• Scotiabank Gold American Express^® Card.