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Airbnb can be a great option for budget accommodations. We find their availability and proximity to National Parks can be better than hotels. We will have to see if that trend continues as we visit more national parks over time!
It can be difficult to find further discounts on Airbnb bookings, but with some creativity you can find savings.
Pay for Airbnb and Get Cash or Points Back
Rotating cash back credit cards often have PayPal as a 5% cash back category during one quarter of the year (Discover in Q3 and Chase Freedom Flex in Q4). Airbnb accepts PayPal for payment, so you can easily use Paypal to book up to the limit of $1500 and get up to $75 in Discover Rewards, $75 in cash back from Chase, or 7500 Chase Ultimate Rewards points.
Similarly, if you have a card that gets 5X cash back at grocery stores (an occasional offer for the Chase Freedom Flex or Chase Freedom Unlimited) or 4X cash back at grocery stores (American Express Gold Card), then you could look for Airbnb gift cards to get points back on your purchase.
The other option I found recently was using the Fluz App. The Fluz App allows you to buy gift cards and get cash back (usually 2% or more). For a limited time, Fluz was offering Airbnb gift cards for up to 10% back. The best cash back rate was for buying the gift card with a linked bank account. I opted to use my credit card and get 8% back on a $100 gift card. I will be looking for this discount in the future.
Redeem Discover Rewards for Airbnb Gift Cards
If you have a Discover card, you can redeem Discover rewards for gift cards. Discover rewards are usually worth more when redeemed for gift cards instead of cash. Discover recently lowered the amount of rewards needed to redeem for an Airbnb gift card. You can now get a $100 Airbnb for $80 in Discover rewards (but you can redeem for gift cards as low as $25 and as much as $200).
Buy Airbnb Gift Cards from Retailers at a Discount
Watch for retailer discounts on Airbnb gift cards. Following other budget travelers and #milesandpoints enthusiasts on Instagram can help you find these discounts. In September, I saw a story on Instagram about $100 Airbnb gift cards being sold by Best Buy for $90. I gladly snagged two $100 gift cards at 10% off!
Pay Yourself Back with Points
Aside from saving on gift cards, you can also find other ways to fund an Airbnb booking. You may know that Capital One has a “purchase eraser” feature. This means you can use your Capital One Venture miles to pay yourself back for travel purchases at a rate of 1 cent per mile. You could use 30,000 miles to cover a $300 Airbnb purchase that was booked on your Capital One card. Grab the Capital One Venture X Card or Venture Card to get a stash of miles.
Chase has a “Pay Yourself Back with Points” feature as well. Until 3/31/20221, you can use Chase Ultimate Rewards points to offset your Airbnb purchase at the same rate as the Chase Travel Portal. For example, if you have the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card, you can use 24,000 points to cover a $300 Airbnb transaction (value of 1.25 cents per point). If you have a Chase Sapphire Reserve Card, you can use 20,000 points to cover a $300 Airbnb purchase (value of 1.5 cents per point). Purchases must fall within an allowed time window.
Book Airbnb During Off Peak Times
Just like many hotels, Airbnb bookings may be cheaper or more expensive depending on the time of year or days of the week. If your dates are flexible, search for Airbnb availability for weeknights instead of weekends or in the shoulder season for a popular destination.
Negotiate the Price of your Airbnb
I saw an IG reel yesterday that recommended reaching out to a host to negotiate an offer before booking a stay. Sadly, I cannot find the reel or I would link her handle here! (If you know the reel I’m referencing, please send it to me.) I have not tried this personally, so all I can say is that it can’t hurt to ask.
Last but not least…
Earn Cash Back when Shopping to Fund Miscellaneous Travel Expenses
I use Rakuten to earn cash back when shopping online. Once your rewards cash out each quarter, you can use those rewards for anything you like. You might use this as your Airbnb fund!
I hope this post got you thinking about ways to save on your next Airbnb stay. Let me know if you have any other tips. I would be glad to add it to this post to provide additional options for everyone!