Amex Adds Airbnb Stays, Expands Platinum Credits for Cardholders
American Express is adding more than 1 million Airbnb listings to Amex Travel, where eligible Platinum cardholders can earn points on prepaid stays. The…
American Express is adding more than 1 million Airbnb listings to its Amex Travel platform, giving eligible U.S. cardholders a way to book prepaid stays and earn Membership Rewards points. The change also expands the Platinum card’s lodging credit to select Airbnb Luxe properties and introduces a separate credit for eligible Airbnb Experiences.
The new options bring Airbnb stays into the same travel booking platform as the card’s existing hotel programs. But the lodging credit has conditions, and a separate change will end its use for one-night Fine Hotels + Resorts stays starting January 1, 2027.
There is a catch.
How Amex Platinum adds Airbnb bookings
Eligible cardholders can book the selected Airbnb listings through the Amex Travel website or app. The listings are not Airbnb’s full catalog, according to an American Express spokesperson quoted by Travel + Leisure.
Platinum and Business Platinum cardholders earn 5 points per dollar on eligible prepaid Airbnb bookings through Amex Travel. Most other eligible Membership Rewards cards earn 2 points per dollar, according to The Points Guy.
The expanded lodging credit applies to prepaid Airbnb Luxe stays booked through Amex Travel. Platinum cardholders can use up to $300 from January through June and up to $300 from July through December, for a total of up to $600 annually. The benefit was previously called the hotel statement credit and covered qualifying bookings through Fine Hotels + Resorts and The Hotel Collection.
To qualify with Airbnb Luxe, cardmembers must book through Amex Travel and stay at least two nights. The credit does not apply to all Airbnb listings; it is limited to eligible Luxe properties.
A new credit for Airbnb Experiences
Booking an eligible prepaid Airbnb Luxe stay with a Platinum or Business Platinum card unlocks access to a separate annual statement credit of up to $250 for eligible Airbnb Experiences. The lodging credit does not have to be used to unlock it.
Experiences can be booked directly through Airbnb, and the credit remains valid for the rest of the calendar year in which the qualifying Luxe stay is booked, The Points Guy reported. Travel + Leisure described possible activities as including cooking classes, food tours and guided hikes.
“Guests come to Airbnb for the variety,” Juan David Borrero, Airbnb’s head of partnerships, said in a statement shared with Travel + Leisure. He cited “a Luxe villa for a milestone trip, and the experiences that fill the days in between.”
The new booking route does not move the entire trip into Amex Travel. After a reservation, guests still use Airbnb to message hosts, change dates or seek help, according to Travel + Leisure. Airbnb Luxe bookings also do not include the extra hotel-program benefits such as room upgrades, property credits and late checkout.
For cardholders, the practical difference is that some Airbnb stays can now earn points and qualify for a lodging credit, but only when the booking meets the platform, property and stay-length rules. The Experiences credit adds another potential benefit, tied to booking an eligible Luxe stay rather than simply holding a Platinum card.
One-night hotel stays lose credit eligibility
Starting January 1, 2027, Fine Hotels + Resorts bookings must be for at least two nights to qualify for the Platinum lodging credit. One-night stays will still receive the program’s other benefits, but they will not trigger the credit, Travel + Leisure reported.
American Express said the two-night requirement makes the credit consistent across Fine Hotels + Resorts, The Hotel Collection and Airbnb Luxe. The two hotel programs together include more than 3,400 properties in 116 countries, according to the company.
The lodging credit remains up to $600 per year, split into two credits of up to $300.
Source: thepointsguy.com
