Airbnb is now the exclusive vacation rental partner for American Express Travel. Since October 22nd, eligible U.S. card members can search more than 1 million Airbnb listings in a new Homes tab on AmexTravel.com and the Amex Travel app, and earn Membership Rewards points on prepaid stays.
For hosts, the reservation itself works the same. Guests link their Amex and Airbnb accounts, then complete the booking on Airbnb. Listings show as Instant Book or Request to Book, refunds follow the host’s cancellation policy, and messaging, changes and support all stay on Airbnb.
Amex Travel only shows “select properties,” a fraction of Airbnb’s 9 million-plus listings. Airbnb hasn’t said how those homes were chosen or whether hosts can opt in or out, and a spokesperson declined to share the deal’s business model with Skift.
The Biggest Perks Are Tied to Airbnb Luxe
Platinum and Business Platinum members earn 5X points on prepaid Airbnb bookings made through Amex Travel, and other eligible Membership Rewards cards earn 2X. Green Card members earn 3X, a rate that also applies to bookings made directly on Airbnb.
The larger credits are narrower. Platinum’s $600 annual credit, which has been renamed from the Hotel Credit to the Lodging Credit, can be applied to prepaid stays of two nights or more at Airbnb Luxe properties. It pays out up to $300 every six months.
A Luxe booking also unlocks a new credit of up to $250 for Airbnb Experiences, good through the end of that calendar year. It only covers Experiences bought directly on Airbnb, not ones that send guests to a third-party platform.
Cardholders can’t pay for Airbnb stays with Membership Rewards points “at this time,” according to Amex. They can only redeem points afterward for a statement credit. Skift reports that about 30% of Expedia’s partner bookings in 2023 involved travelers redeeming card points or airline miles.
Exclusivity Cuts Both Ways
The deal is exclusive on both sides. Airbnb is the only vacation rental company on Amex Travel, and Airbnb can’t sell its rentals through other travel partners. The companies haven’t said which partners that covers.
Vrbo is owned by Expedia, which also supplies travel to other companies’ booking sites. On Amex Travel, Expedia provides the flights and hotels. Since 2025, Expedia has also been adding Vrbo homes to that network of about 75,000 partners, including Delta, Alaska Airlines and the banking app Revolut.
Vrbo homes were never sold on Amex Travel, so Expedia didn’t lose any business in the deal. “There’s no change to our existing business with Expedia,” an Amex spokesperson told Skift.
Amex also closed Select Homes + Retreats, its own vacation rental program, the day the Airbnb deal launched. The program launched as a 2023 pilot with homes from property managers such as Vacasa and Casiola, not individual hosts. Amex’s vacation rental inventory now runs through Airbnb alone.
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