Airbnb bookings can earn you a tidy tranche of credit card miles, provided you know which ones to use. Here’re our best credit cards to use with Airbnb, as well as an alternative method to earn frequent flyer points with Airbnb bookings. 

If you’re a traveller who craves authentic, local experiences, Airbnb is likely your booking platform of choice for accommodations that are off the tourist-beaten path. You are also likely a fan of air miles, wondering how you can maximise your credit card miles earned on your Airbnb bookings. 

And why not? Airbnb bookings can add up to a tidy sum, so it’s a waste if you don’t take the opportunity to top up your air miles account. To that end, let’s take a look at two ways you can maximise your credit card miles from your Airbnb bookings.

Table of contents:

• Maximising your air miles on Airbnb with credit cards
• What are the best credit cards for Airbnb?
• Earning miles on Airbnb bookings with Frequent Flyer Programmes
• Frequently asked questions

 
Maximising your air miles on Airbnb with credit cards 

By far, the best way to maximise your air miles on Airbnb bookings is with credit cards. By charging your booking to an eligible credit card, you will be able to earn air miles on the entirety of your Airbnb fee. 

This is most easily accomplished with travel credit cards, especially since they do not exclude Airbnb transactions, and award bonus air miles for overseas transactions. 

Rewards cards that offer 10x points (or 4 mpd) for travel or online spends will give you more air miles – but only if your card issuer recognises Airbnb transactions as being eligible for rewards. 

This varies from time to time; for instance, in Jan 2024, the HSBC Revolution Credit Card dropped Airbnb and many online travel agencies from bonus rewards. A peek at the FAQs reveal that MCC codes 4722  and 7011 – which Airbnb codes under – are absent from the list of eligible transactions.

What are the best credit cards for Airbnb?

UOB Lady’s/Lady’s Solitaire Card

The UOB Lady’s Card and Lady’s Solitaire Card are among the best credit cards to use for your Airbnb bookings, especially for short getaways. That’s because you can earn 10x points, equivalent to 4 miles per dollar, on the total sum charged to your card. But to do so, be sure you set your preferred spending category to Travel. 

Note that bonus points are capped monthly to the first S$1,000 for the Lady’s Card, and S$2,000 for the Lady’s Solitaire Card. Hence, they might not be the ideal cards to use if you’re looking to book a long or luxurious Airbnb stay.

DBS Woman’s World Mastercard

The DBS Woman’s World Mastercard is another good choice for shorter Airbnb bookings. It gives you 10x points (4 mpd), capped at the first S$1,500 eligible spends charged to the card each month. 

The qualifying reward category here is “online spends”, so you can also earn bonus points for plane tickets and other purchases made over the Internet. 

KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card

The KrisFlyer UOB Credit Card gives you 3 miles per dollar on travel spends, but you’ll first need to complete a rather specific task

Achieve at least S$800 annual spend on Singapore Airlines Group purchases – this includes SIA and Scoot flights, KrisShop and Kris+ transactions – and your Airbnb booking will earn 1.8 bonus air miles per dollar, up from the regular 1.2 miles per dollar. 

UOB PRVI Miles Card

Now, for a less fussy way to earn miles on your Airbnb booking, try using the UOB PRVI Miles Card. You’ll get 1.4 miles per dollar with unlimited cap, and there's no minimum spend required. 

As there is no limit to how many miles you can earn, this card is the superior choice if you’re looking to book a long or costly Airbnb stay.

DBS Altitude Credit Card

Coming hot on the heels of the UOB PRVI Miles Card is the DBS Altitude Credit Card, which offers the same no-fuss, no-limit value proposition. 

Just charge your Airbnb booking and you’ll earn air miles without having to fulfil any minimum spends or watch for any caps. 

The only difference is the slightly lower air miles earn rate of 1.3 mpd. 

Earning miles on Airbnb bookings with Frequent Flyer Programmes

Another way you can maximise your miles with Airbnb is to book your stay through partner Frequent Flyer Programmes (FPPs). 

There are two implications to consider when taking this route:

1. Bookings will be made in foreign currencies, which will incur overseas charges and foreign currency transaction fees. However, this will also allow you to enjoy higher air miles on eligible travel cards.
2. You will only earn air miles from the associated FPP, which may not be transferable to the FPP that you regularly use. You’ll need to consider if it’s worth the trouble maintaining two or more FPPs.

Note that you’ll need to make your bookings through dedicated landing pages, as detailed in the following section.

4 FPPs to earn miles on Airbnb bookings

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. Can you earn miles on Airbnb bookings?

Yes, you can earn miles on your Airbnb bookings in two ways. One is by charging your booking to a credit card that gives you air miles (or rewards points you can convert to air miles) for Airbnb transactions. 

Another way is to make Airbnb bookings directly with partner frequent flyer programmes. This will allow you to earn the air miles of the respective partners. 

Many hosts offer a discount rate for long stays, such as a week, a month or longer. It is not uncommon for hosts to provide discounts of up to 50% or more to long-term renters. 

Yes, you can find several Airbnb promo codes ranging from referral rewards to booking discounts if you do an online search. However these codes may have limited redemptions or other restrictions, so be sure to check the terms and conditions carefully.