The best credit cards for booking Airbnb, VRBO and more: Get rewarded for your next vacation rental
Vacation home rentals through sites like Airbnb and VRBO are great options for large groups, families, budget travelers or anyone who needs accommodations in remote locations. Short-term rental sites aren't known for having rewarding loyalty programs like hotels. So if you want to maximize your rewards, you'll want to use one of the best credit cards for booking with Airbnb or VRBO. With the right card, you can earn bonus travel rewards or cash back on your vacation home rentals. And since there are no complicated loyalty programs to navigate, redeeming points for home rentals is straightforward.

Best credit cards for Airbnb and VRBO bookings

Best overall

Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card Learn More On Capital One's secure site Rewards 5 Miles per dollar on hotel and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, 2X miles per dollar on every other purchase

Welcome bonus Earn 75,000 bonus miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening

Annual fee $95

Intro APR N/A for purchases and balance transfers

Regular APR 19.99% - 29.99% (Variable)

Balance transfer fee $0 at the Transfer APR, 4% of the amount of each transferred balance that posts to your account at a promotional APR that Capital One may offer to you

Foreign transaction fee None

Credit needed Excellent/Good See rates and fees, terms apply. Pros 5 miles per dollar on hotel and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel

Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee credit up to $100 every 4 years Cons No introductory APR

There’s a $95 annual fee Learn More View More

Best for travel benefits

Chase Sapphire Reserve® Learn More On Chase’s secure site Rewards Earn 5X total points on flights and 10X total points on hotels and car rentals when you purchase travel through Chase Travel℠ immediately after the first $300 is spent on travel purchases annually. Earn 3X points on other travel and dining & 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases plus, 10X points on Lyft rides through March 2025

Welcome bonus Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $900 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Travel℠.

Annual fee $550

Intro APR None

Regular APR 22.49% - 29.49% variable

Balance transfer fee 5%, minimum $5

Foreign transaction fee None

Credit needed Excellent

Terms apply. Read our Chase Sapphire Reserve® review. Pros $300 annual travel credit for travel purchases

Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee credit up to $100 every four years

Priority Pass™ Select lounge access at 1,000+ VIP lounges in over 500 cities worldwide

Points are worth 50% more when redeemed for travel via Chase Travel℠

Special benefits at The Luxury Hotel & Resort Collection

Complimentary year of Lyft Pink membership Cons High annual fee, but it can be offset by taking advantage of all the card’s perks

No introductory APR Estimated rewards earned after 1 year: $1,469

$1,469 Estimated rewards earned after 5 years: $3,346 Rewards totals incorporate the points earned from the welcome bonus Learn More View More

Best for no annual fee

Citi Double Cash® Card Learn More Rewards Earn 2% on every purchase with unlimited 1% cash back when you buy, plus an additional 1% as you pay for those purchases. To earn cash back, pay at least the minimum due on time. Plus, for a limited time, earn 5% total cash back on hotel, car rentals and attractions booked on the Citi Travel℠ portal through 12/31/24

Welcome bonus Earn $200 cash back after you spend $1,500 on purchases in the first 6 months of account opening. This bonus offer will be fulfilled as 20,000 ThankYou® Points, which can be redeemed for $200 cash back.

Annual fee $0

Intro APR 0% for the first 18 months on balance transfers; N/A for purchases

Regular APR 19.24% - 29.24% variable

Balance transfer fee For balance transfers completed within 4 months of account opening, an intro balance transfer fee of 3% of each transfer ($5 minimum) applies; after that, a balance transfer fee of 5% of each transfer ($5 minimum) applies

Foreign transaction fee 3%

Credit needed Fair/Good/Excellent

See rates and fees, terms apply. Read our Citi Double Cash® Card review. Pros 2% cash back on all eligible purchases

Simple cash-back program that doesn't require activation or spending caps

One of the longest intro periods for balance transfers at 18 months Cons 3% fee charged on purchases made outside the U.S. Estimated rewards earned after 1 year: $443

$443 Estimated rewards earned after 5 years: $2,213 Learn More View More

Best for cash back

Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards credit card Rewards 3% on a category of your choice and 2% on grocery stores and wholesale clubs (up to $2,500 in combined choice category and grocery stores purchases) and 1% on all other eligible purchases. However, you can earn 25%-75% more cash back on every purchase if you're a Preferred Rewards member.

Welcome bonus $200 online cash rewards bonus after making at least $1,000 in purchases in the first 90 days from account opening.

Annual fee $0

Intro APR Introductory 0% APR for your first 15 billing cycles on purchases and on balance transfers made within 60 days of account opening.

Regular APR 18.24% - 28.24% variable

Balance transfer fee Intro fee of 3% of the amount of each transaction make with 60 days of account opening. After that, 4% of the amount of each transaction

Foreign transaction fee 3% of the U.S. dollar amount of each transaction made in a foreign currency

Credit needed Excellent/Good Terms apply. Pros No annual fee

Introductory APR period on balance transfers and purchases for the first 15 billing cycles

$200 online cash rewards bonus

Have a choice of 6 different categories you can change monthly Cons 3% foreign transaction fee

Can't receive a greater cash-back rate unless you're a Preferred Rewards member View More

Who's this for? The Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards card is ideal for anyone who loves cashback and wants to maximize their return across a wide range of purchases. And it's even more rewarding if you're a Bank of America Preferred Rewards member. Standout benefits: Cardholders earn 3% cash back in a category of their choice, which can be travel or any of the following: gas, online shopping, dining, drug stores and home improvement and furnishings. You'll also earn 2% back at grocery stores and wholesale clubs and the 3% or 2% bonus cash back applies to the first $2,500 in combined purchases each quarter, then you'll earn 1%. You can boost the cash back you earn with this card by 25% to 75% if you qualify for the Bank of America Preferred Rewards program. Your rewards tier is determined by how much money you have deposited in your Bank of America deposit and Merrill investment accounts, including retirement accounts. To earn the 75% rewards bonus you'll need to reach the Platinum Honors tier, which requires a three-month average daily balance of $100,000 or more. But at that tier, you'll earn a massive 5.25% cash back in the bonus category you choose each month, like travel which includes bookings with Airbnb or VRBO. How to redeem rewards: You can redeem your cash back for a statement credit, check or as a deposit into an eligible Bank of America or Merrill account. Learn more: Bank of America Customized Cash Rewards review: A credit card that lets you choose the bonus categories

Best for small businesses

Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card Learn More On Chase's secure site Rewards Earn 3X points per $1 on the first $150,000 spent in combined purchases in select categories each account anniversary year (travel; shipping purchases; internet, cable and phone services; and advertising purchases with social media sites and search engines), 1X point per $1 on all other purchases

Welcome bonus Earn 100,000 bonus points after you spend $8,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.

Annual fee $95

Intro APR None

Regular APR 21.24% - 26.24% variable

Balance transfer fee Either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater

Foreign transaction fee None

Credit needed Good/Excellent

Terms apply. Read our Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card review. Pros Free employee cards

Points are worth 25% more when you redeem for travel through Chase TravelSM

1:1 point transfer to leading frequent travel programs

No fee charged on purchases made outside the U.S.

Generous welcome bonus worth up to $1,000 Cons $95 annual fee

No introductory 0% financing offers for purchases or balance transfers Learn More View More

FAQs

Should you get a credit card for your Airbnb or VRBO booking?

Unless you're a frequent traveler who regularly stays at Airbnbs or VRBOs, it might not be worth opening a new credit card just to book a single homestay. However, it is worth using whatever travel rewards credit card you have to pay for your vacation rental as earning some rewards is better than earning no rewards. Depending on how many credit cards you're comfortable having, it may be worth opening a credit to pay for your vacation rental because you can earn a valuable welcome bonus at the same time. Then you can use that bonus to book your next vacation. You'll just want to make sure it's a card that's useful for more than just booking vacation home rentals.

How to choose a credit card for home rental purchases

When choosing a credit card for your vacation home rental spending, consider what cards you're likely to qualify for and which ones are the most rewarding for you. The top travel and rewards credit cards typically require you to have good credit or excellent credit. If you're in the process of rebuilding your credit, you may need to start with a secured credit card or another card that's designed to help you repair your credit score. Credit card rewards generally fall into two categories: intro bonus and ongoing benefits. Sign-up bonuses are typically the most valuable credit card benefit, but they are one-time bonuses. The rewards for your purchases and other ongoing perks should make the card worth it for you over the long haul and justify the annual fee if there is one.

How to earn extra rewards when booking Airbnb rentals

In addition to the rewards you can earn with a credit card, Airbnb has partnerships that allow you to earn extra frequent flyer miles on your bookings. You can earn 1X Delta SkyMiles on Airbnb stays when you book through Delta and 3X Avios points on Airbnb stays and experiences when you book through British Airways. Before you make these bookings be sure you have cookies enabled in your browser, otherwise, the purchase won't track property and you won't receive the bonus miles.

How to redeem credit card rewards for vacation rentals

Redeeming credit card rewards for vacation rentals is easy because it doesn't require you to understand how to maximize a complicated rewards program. Instead, you can use your credit card rewards to offset the bookings you make at sites like Airbnb and VRBO. How you redeem your credit card rewards depends on what specific card you have. Cashback is straightforward and can be used to simply offset the cost of your home rental. You can usually redeem flexible travel rewards to pay for travel purchases at a rate of one cent per point, but this isn't universal. So you'll need to research how your specific cards work. If you have a cobranded airline or hotel credit card, you typically won't have a way to directly redeem the points and miles you earn for a vacation rental.

Bottom line

Booking a vacation home rental with sites like Airbnb or VRBO is a great option for family vacations or anyone who wants extra space or access to unique amenities that aren't available at hotels. But vacation rental sites don't offer the same level of rewards (if any at all) you can earn with hotel loyalty programs. If you want to earn or redeem rewards for your vacation home rental, you'll need to find the right credit card for the job. The best credit cards for booking with Airbnb and VRBO earn bonus rewards on these types of purchases and allow you to use your rewards to pay for bookings.

Our methodology

To determine which cards offer the best value for vacation rental bookings, CNBC Select analyzed over 230 of the most popular credit cards available in the U.S. We compared each card on a range of features, including, the credit card's rewards, welcome bonus, introductory and standard APR, balance transfer fee and foreign transaction fees, as well as factors such as required credit and customer reviews when available. We also considered additional perks, the application process and how easy it is for the consumer to redeem points.

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Information about the Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards credit card has been collected independently by Select and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of the card prior to publication.

Editorial Note: Opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the Select editorial staff’s alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any third party.