Best Credit Cards For Vacation Rentals Of December 2024

The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card is popular with travelers for its assortment of travel perks along with competitive rewards that can be used to cover travel purchases or transferred for airline miles to get you to your next vacation rental.

Why We Like It

The Venture X earns flexible Capital One rewards at an easy-to-remember flat rate. Later, redeem those miles toward travel or transfer them to more than 15 loyalty program partners. You’ll also receive an anniversary bonus of 10,000 miles and a $300 annual credit to cover trips booked through Capital One Travel, in addition to select travel insurance and airport lounge access. Cardholders can also be reimbursed for the application fee for TSA PreCheck® or Global Entry once every four years.

What We Don’t Like

Although the annual fee (rates & fees) is lower than other premium credit cards on the market, it’s high enough to strongly consider whether you’ll use all of the benefits. Also, you can only utilize the $300 annual credit when booking travel through Capital One Travel.

Some cardholders share that flights and hotels are more expensive when booking through the portal than directly with the airline or hotel.

Who It’s Best For

The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card is a fantastic option for almost any traveler, especially those who frequently stay at vacation rentals—plus, you’ll have lounge access while en route.

The Chase Sapphire Reserve® includes an annual $300 statement credit toward purchases coded as travel expenses—including most vacation rentals through Vrbo, Airbnb and other platforms.

Why We Like It

The Sapphire Reserve’s annual travel credit doesn’t require you to book through its travel portal, so eligible vacation rental costs are automatically covered. On top of that, the card earns Chase Ultimate Rewards® at an elevated rate for travel.

Plus, redeem your rewards at 1.5 cents per point toward travel booked through Chase Travel℠, transfer them at a 1:1 ratio to several partner airlines and hotels or request cash back. Cardholders also receive select travel insurance, trusted traveler application credits and airport lounge access—including access to Chase’s own lounges, like the Sapphire Lounge by The Club at New York-LaGuardia (LGA).

What We Don’t Like

The Sapphire Reserve has similar benefits to the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card (rates & fees), but costs more than $150 more to carry. This is quite a difference, especially if you have other cards with annual fees in your wallet.

If you’re a points and miles enthusiast and have been adding several cards to your lineup recently, you might be ineligible to apply due to Chase’s 5/24 rule. This states that you won’t be eligible for a Chase card if you’ve opened five or more accounts in the past 24 months.

Who It’s Best For

If you want to earn as much as possible on your vacation rental bookings, the Sapphire Reserve is the perfect card. It’s one of the top travel rewards cards available for good reason—it’s easy to use, has a high earning potential and a suite of rewards any traveler could benefit from.

The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card comes with a fantastic set of rewards, credits and other travel benefits at a reasonable annual fee.

Why We Like It

The Sapphire Preferred makes sense for travelers staying at vacation rentals thanks to the Ultimate Rewards® it earns on travel and dining. The points you earn can be transferred to several hotel and airline partners at a 1:1 ratio, which may get you there for less.

Card members also are eligible for an annual statement credit toward hotels booked through Chase Travel℠ for when you can’t find the right vacation home. Plus, you’ll get a 10% annual points bonus for purchases made during the card member year and various travel protections.

If you like to order delivery when you’re traveling, you can enjoy a complimentary DoorDash DashPass subscription when you activate. You’ll also earn 5 points per dollar on Lyft purchases through March 31, 2025, so make sure you choose Lyft over Uber the next time you use a rideshare.

What We Don’t Like

If you’re looking for a card without an annual fee, this obviously isn’t it. You also won’t enjoy any perks at the airport like lounge access or a credit for enrolling in a trusted travel program. These might not be huge deterrents, but are still things to consider.

Who It’s Best For

The Sapphire Preferred can make sense for almost any traveler. It packs a ton of benefits into a small package, making it ideal for both vacation rental enthusiasts and hotel loyalists. If you’re looking for a well-rounded card under $100 in annual fees, this is it.

If you are looking for a card with a simple rewards structure, several transfer partners and a low annual fee, the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card (rates & fees) is a great option. It’s the $95 annual fee sibling of the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card (rates & fees) and provides similar, pared-down benefits.

Why We Like It

The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card earns 5 miles per dollar on hotels, vacation rentals, and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, 5 miles per dollar spent on Capital One Entertainment purchases through 12/31/25 and an unlimited 2 miles per dollar spent on other purchases. You can redeem your miles in the same way as the Venture X—through the travel portal or by transferring your points to one of over 15 airline and hotel partners. Plus, you’ll still receive up to $120 as a statement credit for the application fee for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®.

The welcome offer is typically sizable, which means you can likely stretch it far to cover future travel expenses. There aren’t any foreign transaction fees associated with the card (rates & fees), so you can use it while you’re abroad without incurring additional charges.

What We Don’t Like

Although the simple earning structure might be beneficial to some, you can find other cards with a similar annual fee that earn more points per dollar on select purchases.

To get maximum value, you’ll want to transfer your points to a partner, which can be a bit confusing.

Who It’s Best For

If you aren’t ready to commit to a premium credit card but still want elevated miles on vacation rental bookings, the Venture Rewards card is an attractive option.

The Wells Fargo Autograph Journey℠ Card is another phenomenal travel card with an annual fee below $100. With elevated earnings on travel bookings, travel coverage and Visa Signature benefits, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a card that ticks off as many boxes.

Why We Like It

The earnings structure is one of the best features of the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey for frequent travelers. It earns 5 points per dollar on hotels, 4 points per dollar on airlines, 3 points per dollar on other travel and restaurants and 1 point per dollar on other purchases. For a card at this price point, you don’t often see earnings quite so high. Plus, you can offset the annual fee with a $50 annual statement credit on airline purchases of at least $50.

Apart from these great perks, you can enjoy benefits like common carrier travel accident insurance, lost baggage reimbursement, trip cancellation and interruption insurance and an auto rental collision damage waiver.

What We Don’t Like

If you want to maximize your points by transferring them to an airline or hotel partner, you’re somewhat limited. Transfer partners were just introduced in April 2024, and you currently only have the option of a few partners to transfer your points. This is certainly better than nothing, but you are restricted to these brands.

You also won’t get any airport perks as a cardholder, like lounge access, priority services or fee credits for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®. The card heavily focuses on airline purchases, so it would be great if airport benefits were included as well.

Who It’s Best For

The Wells Fargo Autograph Journey is a powerful card in terms of earning potential. If you’re someone who wants to earn as much as possible to redeem for cash back and are less concerned with transfer partners, this is a solid option.

The American Express® Green Card* is all about the rewards. It offers generous earning rates on transit to reach your vacation rental, the rental itself and other travel and dining expenses once you arrive.

Why We Like It

In addition to offering Membership Rewards through a welcome bonus and ongoing spending, this card also comes with extra travel perks. Every year, you’re eligible to earn statement credit for a CLEAR® Plus membership and entry fees to participating LoungeBuddy airport lounge locations. Eligible trips are covered by the card’s included trip delay and baggage insurance plus rental car collision and damage waiver.

What We Don’t Like

The benefits of the American Express® Green Card* are somewhat limited. The card stays simple, not offering things that you might not take advantage of. Apart from some travel insurance, the CLEAR® Plus credit and the LoungeBuddy credit, you don’t get much. If you feel you can utilize these benefits and maximize your earnings, it makes a lot of sense. If you don’t want CLEAR® Plus and have lounge access elsewhere, the earning potential alone might not make it worthwhile—especially considering the annual fee.

Who It’s Best For

Amex Membership Rewards are valuable, so the opportunity to earn 3 points per dollar on vacation rentals for a moderate annual fee makes it worthwhile. Plus, the CLEAR® Plus credit alone is enough to offset the annual fee, making it an easy addition to your card portfolio.

With a host of travel rewards and the ability to earn points on monthly rent (as well as bonus points on travel and dining), the Bilt World Elite Mastercard® is a terrific option for renters. Plus, Bilt reward points are a valuable and flexible points currency to have, as they transfer 1:1 to more than 15 different transfer partners.

Why We Like It

Although vacation rentals don’t code as travel under Bilt’s double points specifications, you can book on Bilt Rent Day (the first of every month), and you’ll earn double points on all purchases other than rent (capped at 10,000 points until October when it will then be capped at 1,000). The credit card also offers elite status tiers, travel insurance benefits and Lyft credits. Just know, in order to get points, you’ll have to use your card at least five times in each statement period (rewards & benefits).

What We Don’t Like

To make the most out of your card, you’ll want to use it on the first day of the month, especially for travel or vacation rental bookings. There’s also no welcome offer, so you can’t earn a large number of points in a short period of time. The Bilt Mastercard is designed for renters. This is an excellent option for renters, but if you own your home or don’t rent, it might not make much sense.

Who It’s Best For

The Bilt Mastercard is a good choice for renters to use on vacation rentals, especially if they use it on the first day of the month to earn double points.

Perfect for those who want to earn flat-rate, guaranteed cash back on vacation rentals, as well as a generous welcome bonus. The Citi Double Cash® Card  is also easier to get approved for than some of the other premium cards on this list, ideal for spenders with fair credit.

Why We Like It

Perfect for extra cash back, the Citi Double Cash is especially beneficial for those who want to book a more expensive vacation rental within the first several months of account opening. This way, you can snag that welcome bonus and get some additional cash back, too. You can earn 2% cash back on all purchases—1% when purchases are made and another 1% when they’re paid off, and earn 5% total cash back on hotel, car rentals and attractions booked on the Citi Travel℠ portal through 12/31/25.

Cash back comes in the form of Citi ThankYou® Points, meaning you can choose to redeem for cash back or redeem points for travel.

What We Don’t Like

Although there’s an intro low APR period on balance transfers, there isn’t one for purchases. For those looking for a card to earn a welcome bonus and top points on vacation rentals, you’ll want to avoid the balance transfer option. If you opt for a balance transfer, your purchases will accrue interest from the first day (unless you pay your entire balance, including balance transfers, by the due date each month). In general, if you carry debt, no amount of rewards will be able to balance a credit card APR.

Plus, you only receive 1% cash back at the time of purchasing and the other 1% when you pay off your purchase. While this could be an incentive to make your payments, it also means you don’t see your bonus cash as quickly as other cards. The Double Cash card also charges foreign transaction fees, so it’s a bad choice for international vacation rentals.

Who It’s Best For

The Citi Double Cash is perfect for someone who wants guaranteed 2% back on their next U.S.-based vacation rental (after the purchase is paid off) without adding an annual fee.