Airbnb is one of the hardest things to “travel hack.” There are no points programs, no transfer partners, and no award charts to study. Most of the time, you just pay cash.
So, when we needed to book a week in Taiwan and wanted to keep costs as low as possible, I had to get creative.
I ended up piecing together Airbnb gift cards from a handful of different sources, some you’ve probably heard of and some you probably haven’t, to reduce a $587 Airbnb booking down to $387 out of pocket so far. My goal is to bring that number down even further before our trip.
Some of this requires cards I already have, and I’ll be upfront about that. But not all of it. A few of these methods don’t require a credit card at all. The core idea is accessible to pretty much anyone willing to put in a little effort.
Here’s exactly how I’m saving money on Airbnb.
Capital One Shopping
If you don’t have this, get it. It’s extremely underrated.
Anytime we go to buy something online, we check Capital One Shopping first to see what offers exist or what offers we can trigger. Often, if you look up a store or item through Capital One Shopping or visit a merchant site with the extension enabled, then wait a day, they will send targeted offers.
Recently, for example, we received a Lululemon offer of spend $75, get $50 back, as well as a StubHub offer of spend $200, get $100 back. These rewards can be redeemed for gift cards, and the available merchants vary over time. In the past we’ve used these credits for gift cards like Hotels.com.
At the time, Capital One Shopping didn’t offer Airbnb gift cards. They did have eBay. So, I redeemed $60 in eBay gift cards and sold them to my dad at face value since he was planning to use eBay anyway. I then used that cash to purchase Airbnb gift cards directly.
If you don’t have a willing family member, selling gift cards online through a site like GCX or CardCash works too, although you’ll usually take a small cut.
$587 − $60 = $527
Pinecone Research
This one is a little unorthodox, but it’s part of what I actually did.
I occasionally complete surveys through Pinecone Research. They typically take 5–15 minutes and pay between $1 and $5. I won’t go into depth here, but I include it because it’s replicable and doesn’t require opening a credit card.
Over time, I accumulated enough rewards to redeem a $100 Airbnb gift card.
$527 − $100 = $427
American Express Credits
American Express is known for having what people jokingly call “coupon books.” Many of their cards include monthly or annual credits that can be valuable if you’re already using the cards strategically.
Look, I get it. These credits only work if you already have the cards, and the cards are only worth having if they fit naturally into your spending habits. I’m not going to tell you to open multiple credit cards just to save money on an Airbnb.
However, if you already have these cards, it’s worth maximizing the credits you might otherwise forget about.
For a short period, Laynie and I both had American Express Business Gold cards. These cards included monthly credits that could be used at office supply stores. We used those credits to purchase two $20 Airbnb gift cards from Staples.
$427 − $40 = $387
At this point, I had used all of the credits I currently had available, so I went ahead and booked the Airbnb.
Why I Booked Before I Was Finished
I specifically chose this Airbnb because it’s fully refundable.
Part of that decision was practical. When you’re traveling with kids, or leaving some home, flexibility is important. But there was another reason too: I always wait too long and didn’t want to lose this Airbnb while waiting to collect additional credits.
Rather than holding off and hoping it was still available later, I locked it in at $387 out of pocket with the intention of continuing to reduce the cost over the coming months.
The Plan Going Forward
Since the reservation is fully refundable, my plan is to continue accumulating Airbnb gift cards and then cancel and rebook the exact same stay once I’ve gathered enough additional credits.
Some of those future savings will likely come from methods I’ve already used successfully.
One example is Rove Miles. Rove is a travel and shopping platform that earns transferable points called Rove Miles. Through their shopping portal, I’ve been making Giftcards.com purchases, many of which have included promotions that award additional Giftcards.com credits.
Based on the credits I’ve already accumulated and expect to earn before our trip, I anticipate being able to generate approximately $67 more in Airbnb gift cards through this method.
I also expect to accumulate another $80 in Airbnb gift cards by continuing to use available American Express monthly credits.
If everything goes according to plan, our original $587 Airbnb should ultimately cost around $240 out of pocket.
Final Thoughts
Travel hacking an Airbnb is very different from booking flights with points. There isn’t a single magic trick or loyalty program that makes it easy.
Instead, the key to saving money on Airbnb is about stacking small opportunities together. A survey here. A shopping portal there. Monthly credits you were already planning to use.
As of today, we’ve already reduced our Taiwan Airbnb from $587 to $387 out of pocket, and I’m hopeful we’ll bring that number even lower before our trip.
I’ll update this post once everything is finalized to share what we actually ended up paying and whether this strategy worked as planned.