Best Rewards Credit Card for Your Airbnb Business


Simply put, if you're not using a rewards credit card for your short-term rental expenses, you're leaving money on the table.

Expenses for your Airbnb, VRBO, or direct-booking listings can add up quick. We like to bill everything we can to our business credit card, generating a solid amount of points each month. These expenses include:

  • Utilities
  • Consumables (TP, paper towels, shampoo, hand soap, etc.)
  • Towels & linens
  • Dynamic pricing (like Pricelabs) and channel management software
  • Furniture and accessories (coffeemakers, silverware, kitchen towels, etc.)
  • Repair materials
  • Business travel & meal expenses
  • Business vehicle expenses
  • Mobile phone service

Our current general-purpose card is Chase Ink Business Unlimited, which gives 1.5% unlimited cash back across all categories, with no annual fee. 

We like how straightforward it is: For every $1000 in expenses we charge to the card, we get $15 back. Our expenses can sometimes hit $5,000 per month, and that's $75 back in our pockets thanks to this card; this can add up over the course of a year. 

Points can be redeemed for various gift cards and other awards, but we simply apply them to the card balance, which means we make a smaller payment each month when it comes time to pay off the card.

Chase Ink has several business card options:

  • Chase Ink Business Unlimited - no annual fee; unlimited 1.5% cash back on all purchases
  • Chase Ink Business Cash - no annual fee; unlimited 1% cash back on all purchases; 2% cash back at gas stations and restaurants, and 5% cash back at office supply stores and for phone, internet, and cable services, up to $25K in purchases per year
  • Chase Ink Business Preferred - $95 annual fee; 3x points on travel, shipping, social media and search engine advertising, office supply stores, internet, and cable services, up to $150K/yr.
  • Chase Ink Business Premier - $195 annual fee; 2% cash back on all purchases; 2.5% cash back on single purchases of $5,000 or more; and 5% on travel booked through their Ultimate Rewards portal
Also, new Chase Ink Business Unlimited cardmembers enjoy a fat reward of $750 cash back on the first $6,000 in purchases within the first 3 months. The other Chase Ink cards have higher cash back bonuses, too. So, a great time to apply for this card is when you've picked up a new Airbnb property and are about to renovate and/or furnish it, so you can hit that $6K in purchases quickly, and gain that $750 reward.

Again, for us, the Chase Ink Business Unlimited card was the most straightforward and made the most sense. Also, with decent rewards and no annual fee, it's a great option if you're just starting out and aren't really sure what your monthly expenses will look like.

A quick caveat is that we use dedicated Lowe's and Home Depot pro cards for purchases at those stores. We'll do a separate post on those cards in the near future.

What cards do you like to use for your Airbnb business?


Our content is reader supported, which means that if you click on some of our links, we may earn a commission.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Here's Why We Do a Final Quality Check on Our Airbnbs

Your Airbnb guests will always find a way to surprise you! Keep your critical eyes open when inspecting your place, as it's too easy to let little flaws find their way to subsequent guests .... @bee_n_beetle_hosting This is why we do a final quality check after the cleaner is done. #airbnbhost #airbnbhosting #airbnbhostlife #vrbohost ♬ The Evil That Men Do (2015 Remaster) - Iron Maiden
Read more

Airbnb Newbie Advice Grab-Bag

Image
For your Sunday reading pleasure, here's a bit of random hosting advice I gave a young fella seeking to get started in the Airbnb business. Hope you get something out of it! Some thoughts, in no particular order: First and foremost, check city and HOA regulations. If they're not friendly to this use, you can try to wing it for a while, but there's a strong chance the rug will get yanked from under you after you've committed to this business. If they're good with it, make sure you understand your city and state requirements for registering your unit and paying hotel tax, as that'll be something you'll need to do. Make sure your location REALLY lends itself to STR use. If you're super packed in with neighbors, some of whom are weird or hostile, and you're targeting a lower-end guest mix who'll throw parties or bring hookups home or whatever, it's a powder keg. On the other hand, if the place is on a generous lot giving good separation from neig...
Read more

Handling Monthly Rental Queries

Image
 Our Airbnbs are in an area close to a large industrial construction project, which draws labor crews for contracts that may be weeks or months in length. These folks often find our Airbnbs an attractive alternative to hotels. They appreciate the home-like environment, and can be economical compared to hotels when the cost is split among individuals. They also like the additional privacy they gain in everyone having their own bedroom, compared to sharing a two-bed hotel room with a coworker. We generally appreciate these folks as guests. They tend to hit the job very early, come back mid-afternoon, cook dinner, and fall into bed. And lots of these folks become repeat guests after they've had a first successful weekend with us. We've had a few hiccups with muddy boots being worn in the house, but emphasizing a house rule around that tends to solve it. Recently we've been fielding a lot of questions around longer-term stays - multiple months at a time. This has turned a littl...
Read more