Tips for using a credit card to book an Airbnb
Follow these steps to book a property through Airbnb with your credit card. It's quite simple.
- Create an Airbnb account.
- Choose the property you want to rent.
- Attach your credit card to your account.
- Pay your Airbnb bill with your attached credit card.
There are a number of different ways you're able to pay, too. You can use Visa, Mastercard, Amex, JCB, Discover and debit cards that can be processed as credit cards, plus utilize payment plans if you don't want to pick up the bill in its entirety right away. There are also digital wallets like Apple Pay and Google Pay. You can also pay via Paypal or with gift cards.
To qualify for payment plans, your stay will have to meet a few criteria. You'll have to pay with a credit card, book at least 14 days in advance, cost more than $50 and not be staying for work or for more than 28 days. You'll be charged a portion of the cost at check out and be charged the rest on a date or dates listed therein.
FAQs
Each Airbnb listing has its own designated cancellation policy ranging from “flexible” to “super strict.” More flexible policies allow for a risk-free cancellation closer to the reservation date. Moderate policies may only give you a partial refund as your reservation date gets closer, while the strictest policies require full payment upfront with no refunds. Airbnb cancellation policies are also listed on its website.
You have 24 hours to cancel your booking before your credit card is charged, regardless of the host’s chosen cancellation policy. How much you’ll be charged upfront depends on the listing’s cancellation policy and whether or not you opt for a payment plan. For moderate listings, you may be charged for some of the reservation cost after 24 hours, and the remaining balance will be charged as you get closer to your stay.
For some trips, Airbnb offers a payment plan. There are a few eligibility requirements, but the main ones are that your trip is at least 14 days in the future, is not longer than 28 days (longer reservations will require an upfront charge) and is not for work. You can choose the payment plan option at checkout, and choose between two and 12 equal monthly installments to pay off your booking cost beyond your trip date. Alternatively, the best 0% introductory APR credit cards may offer longer promotional financing terms.
Our approach to credit card evaluation
CNET reviews credit cards by exhaustively comparing them across set criteria developed for each major category of cards, including cash-back, welcome bonus, travel rewards and balance transfer. We consider the typical spending behaviors of a range of consumer profiles with the understanding that everyone's financial situation is different -- as are the designated functions of different credit cards.
*All information about the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card has been collected independently by CNET and has not been reviewed by the issuer.
