Airbnb Offers More Than a Million Listings Under Exclusive American Express Partnership
Key Facts
Airbnb announced an exclusive partnership with American Express allowing eligible U.S. cardholders to browse more than a million accommodation listings at launch, according to a statement from the accommodation booking company. The inventory becomes searchable through the American Express Travel website and app, adding a channel for accessing Airbnb stays linked to card benefits. The booking journey begins on American Express's travel platform, where cardholders browse listings available under the agreement. To complete the process, customers must link their American Express and Airbnb accounts before proceeding to finish their bookings. Airbnb said in its statement that customers "complete their bookings through Airbnb," combining searches through the American Express channel with transactions completed on the accommodation platform.
Booking rewards vary by card tier, with consumer and business Platinum cardholders earning 5 times the points on prepaid bookings through the eligible channel, according to the announcement. Other eligible cardholders enrolled in Membership Rewards earn twice the points on prepaid bookings through that channel. Both rates tie rewards to the announced booking and payment method, alongside card eligibility and, for the other category, enrollment in the rewards program. Meanwhile, consumer Classic Green cardholders continue to earn 3 times the points on travel under their cards' ongoing benefits. This includes direct bookings with Airbnb, giving this category different terms from the rewards tied to prepaid bookings through the eligible American Express channel.
U.S. Platinum card benefits extend to luxury stays through Airbnb Luxe, which are included in the annual accommodation credit, according to the company's statement. The credit is capped at $600 annually, with a maximum of $300 for each half-year. To qualify, cardholders must book an eligible prepaid Luxe stay through American Express Travel. The eligible booking must also cover a stay of at least two nights, the minimum specified for this benefit. An eligible Luxe booking also allows Platinum cardholders to activate a separate $250 annual credit for Airbnb Experiences. Eligible experiences are purchased directly from Airbnb during the remainder of the year following the booking that unlocks the credit. The activities credit is thus tied to the eligible accommodation booking, while the experience itself is purchased directly through Airbnb, under the terms outlined in the announcement.
The addition of the American Express Travel channel follows a quarter of growth in Airbnb's revenue and booking volume, according to the company's second-quarter 2026 earnings statement. Revenue reached $3.6 billion during the period, up 17% from the same quarter a year earlier. Nights and experience seats booked rose 10% year on year, with growth in the measure accelerating from the first quarter of 2026. In another move to make booking easier, the company introduced a "Reserve Now, Pay Later" option for eligible stays for travelers in Asia-Pacific, according to its announcement of the service. The option allows travelers to reserve accommodation without paying anything at the time of booking, under the payment arrangements the company introduced in the region.
The American Express agreement was preceded by another partnership involving the distribution of activities, with Tripadvisor Group announcing that a selection of its experiences would become available to book through Airbnb. The group said in its announcement that "a selection of Tripadvisor Group experiences will be available to book on Airbnb," adding offerings from its experiences to the company's booking channel. At the time of the announcement, Tripadvisor expected the partnership to launch later that year. On upcoming financial disclosures, Airbnb set the date for its third-quarter 2026 earnings release, according to a statement from its investor relations department. The results are scheduled for publication after the market closes on November 5, 2026.