Booking a holiday rental with an Amex card just got more rewarding. American Express has teamed up with Airbnb in an exclusive partnership that lets eligible U.S. cardmembers search and book more than one million Airbnb listings directly through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel app.
The process is straightforward. You enter your trip details under a new Homes tab on the Amex website or app, then browse Airbnb's selection using familiar filters such as property type, amenities and the Guest Favorites badge. When you're ready to commit, you link your Amex and Airbnb accounts and finish the reservation on Airbnb itself. Your booking then shows up in Amex Travel alongside the rest of your trip plans, though any changes to the stay are still handled with Airbnb directly.
The real draw is the points. Cardmembers enrolled in Membership Rewards earn points on prepaid Airbnb bookings made through Amex, and the earn rates are generous: Consumer and Business Platinum cardmembers get five times points, Consumer Classic Green cardmembers get three times points on travel including direct Airbnb bookings, and everyone else eligible earns twice points. For anyone who has been putting holiday rental spend on a card that earns nothing extra, this is a meaningful shift.
Platinum cardmembers get the sweetest deal of all. The existing $600 annual Lodging Credit (paid out as up to $300 in statement credits twice a year) — formerly the Hotel Credit — now applies to eligible Airbnb Luxe stays of two or more nights, not just hotels. On top of that, Platinum holders can unlock a new annual $250 statement credit on eligible Airbnb Experiences purchases after making a qualifying Airbnb Luxe booking. If you already hold a Platinum card and favour high-end holiday homes, the credits alone could offset a chunk of the annual fee.
Why it matters: this is one of the first times a major card issuer has folded vacation-rental bookings into its own travel portal with meaningful rewards attached. If you're a U.S. Amex cardholder who mixes hotels with holiday rentals, it's worth checking which earn rate applies to your card before your next booking — and Platinum holders should look hard at whether an Airbnb Luxe stay can put that $600 credit to work.
