Chase Sapphire Preferred's vacation homes category explained

Quick summary

A popular travel rewards card now offers elevated rewards for vacation home bookings made directly with select brands such as Airbnb, Vrbo and others.
The enhanced rate applies only to bookings made directly with six specified platforms, not through third-party portals or other merchants.
Compared to hotel bookings, vacation homes booked directly with these brands earn a higher rate than hotels booked directly, but a lower rate than bookings made through the card's travel portal.
Stacking opportunities may exist with certain airline loyalty programs and online shopping portals, though eligibility can vary by stay.

What to consider

Only bookings made directly with the six listed brands qualify for the elevated rewards rate; bookings through other channels or for secondary fees are excluded.
The highest rewards rate is available for vacation homes or hotels booked through the card's travel portal, but direct bookings may offer wider property selection or additional loyalty benefits.
TPG's July 2026 valuations estimate the value of these points at approximately 6.2% back on spending.

What you'll miss from the article

A detailed comparison of how vacation home and hotel bookings stack up for rewards, plus insights on maximizing stacking opportunities across loyalty programs.

Generated by AI with support from our editorial team.

When the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (see rates and fees) rolled out its most recent update, I was elated by one of the new bonus categories: Vacation homes at select brands* booked directly.

I love traveling with family and friends, and many trips are best enjoyed in a vacation home. The Sapphire Preferred now earns 3 Chase Ultimate Rewards points per dollar spent on bookings I make with popular brands such as Airbnb and Vrbo — a fantastic addition to one of TPG's favorite travel cards.

Here's everything you need to know about the Sapphire Preferred's earning rate on vacation homes, how it compares to earning on hotel stays and where it stacks up to competing cards.

*Select brands are: Airbnb, Vrbo, Plum Guide, HomeAway, Homestay.com and Vacasa.

Chase Sapphire Preferred: Earn 75,000 bonus points after spending $5,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.

What is the Chase Sapphire Preferred's vacation homes bonus category?

The Sapphire Preferred earns 3 points per dollar spent on vacation homes booked directly with six brands.

A family at a Vrbo rental — VRBO/FACEBOOK

This earning rate is only for vacation homes booked directly. If you book a vacation home through the Chase Travel℠ portal, you'll earn 5 points per dollar spent. In my experience, however, I've found much wider availability outside of Chase Travel.

Which vacation home sites earn 3 points per dollar on the Sapphire Preferred?

As mentioned above, there are six platforms eligible to earn 3 points per dollar spent on vacation homes with the Sapphire Preferred.

Here's a look at each platform and where stacking opportunities exist.

Airbnb

Airbnb is one of the most popular vacation home platforms both in the U.S. and abroad. TPG credit cards writer Stephanie Stephens has stayed in over 60 Airbnbs, and the new earning rate on Airbnb purchases was big news for her.

"With its new earning rate of 3 points per dollar spent on vacation home rentals, including Airbnb, the Chase Sapphire Preferred has become my go-to travel card," Stephanie said. "I book several Airbnb stays throughout the year, so earning elevated rewards on those purchases means I can rack up more points on trips I was already planning to take and redeem them toward future travel."

Airbnb in Princeville, HI — Private lanai in Princeville. Hawaii. STEPHANIE STEVENS/THE POINTS GUY

In addition to the Ultimate Rewards points you'll earn by booking with the Sapphire Preferred, you can stack bonus points or miles across multiple airline programs by linking your accounts. Options include ANA Mileage Club, British Airways Club, Delta SkyMiles and Qantas Frequent Flyer.

Some stays may not be eligible for stacking.

Vrbo

Vrbo is a direct competitor to Airbnb. It's part of the Expedia network and the OneKey rewards program, so you'll earn OneKeyCash on bookings made directly on the platform.

Along with the Ultimate Rewards points you'll earn with the Sapphire Preferred, you can also earn rewards with some airline programs, including Delta SkyMiles, JetBlue TrueBlue and United MileagePlus.

You could also stack your earnings with other award currencies by booking through online shopping portals, such as the American AAdvantage eShopping portal and the Delta SkyMiles Shopping portal.

Like with Airbnb, some stays may not be eligible for stacking.

Plum Guide

This is a curated vacation home platform with handpicked properties across the globe.

Person standing on an ornate Parisian balcony overlooking the city — CHASE TRAVEL

Plum Guide listings were added to Chase Travel in April 2026. Now, you can earn bonus points on direct bookings with the Sapphire Preferred.

HomeAway

HomeAway exists under the Vrbo umbrella. Stays booked through this platform are eligible for the same perks as Vrbo.

Homestay.com

Homestay.com is a booking platform with options worldwide. It's based in Dublin, Ireland, and provides bookings for vacation homes and hosted rooms.

Vacasa

Vacasa is a vacation home platform based in North America. It features more than 38,000 homes across 41 U.S. states, Canada, Mexico, Belize and Costa Rica.

What vacation home charges will not qualify for 3 points per dollar spent on the Sapphire Preferred?

There are certain charges that aren't eligible for 3 points per dollar spent on the Sapphire Preferred. These include secondary cleaning fees and purchases made with merchants outside of the six eligible booking platforms, even if those merchants include vacation homes.

Your best bet is to make your reservations directly with one of the six brands listed above and earn points on all other charges covered in your booking.

How does the Sapphire Preferred's bonus category compare to competing cards?

Here's how the Sapphire Preferred compares to cards with similar earning rates on vacation homes booked directly.

Card	Vacation homes earning rate	Return on spending**	Annual fee
Chase Sapphire Preferred	3 Ultimate Rewards points per dollar spent with select brands*	6.2%	$95
Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card (see )	3 Ultimate Rewards points per dollar spent on the first $150,000 spent in combined purchases each year in multiple categories, including travel, then 1 point per dollar spent	6.2%	$95
American Express® Classic Green Card (no longer accepting applications)	3 Membership Rewards points per dollar spent on travel	6%	$150
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card	5 Capital One miles per dollar spent on vacation rentals booked through Capital One Travel 2 Capital One miles per dollar spent on all other purchases	3.7%	$95
Citi Double Cash® Card (see )	2% cash back — 1% when you buy, and an additional 1% when you pay for your purchase — on every purchase

*Select brands are: Airbnb, Vrbo, Plum Guide, HomeAway, Homestay.com, and Vacasa.
**Based on TPG's July 2026 valuations.

The information for the American Express Classic Green Card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Vacation homes vs. hotels: Which earns more on the Sapphire Preferred?

If you're a Sapphire Preferred cardholder weighing between a vacation home and a hotel, there are a few points to consider:

Hotels and vacation homes booked through Chase Travel earn 5 points per dollar spent. This is the highest earning rate you'll get on the card, but Chase Travel may have fewer vacation home options, or you may not be eligible for elite status perks and loyalty program perks from the brand you're staying with if you go this route.
Vacation homes booked directly with select brands* earn 3 points per dollar spent on the Sapphire Preferred.
Hotels booked directly earn 2 points per dollar spent on the Sapphire Preferred, since they're covered under the card's bonus category for all other travel.

If you're going through Chase Travel, you'll get the same earning rate for a hotel or a vacation home (5 points per dollar spent).

If you're booking directly with the merchant, you'll actually earn more points for a vacation home booked through one of the brands covered by the category* (3 points per dollar spent) than for a hotel booked directly (2 points per dollar spent).

*Select brands are: Airbnb, Vrbo, Plum Guide, HomeAway, Homestay.com, and Vacasa.

Bottom line

In my view, the Sapphire Preferred's bonus category for select vacation homes is a top benefit. Thanks to the high value of Ultimate Rewards points, you can get about 6.2% back on your spending — a solid deal for a category not often found on many competing cards.

Whether you're an Airbnb enthusiast or you're looking for more options to earn outside of traditional hotel stays, this is a category worth noting.

To learn more, read our full review of the Sapphire Preferred.

Chase Sapphire Preferred: Earn 75,000 bonus points after spending $5,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.

When the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (see rates and fees) rolled out its most recent update, I was elated by one of the new bonus categories: Vacation homes at select brands* booked directly.

Here's everything you need to know about the Sapphire Preferred's earning rate on vacation homes, how it compares to earning on hotel stays and where it stacks up to competing cards.

*Select brands are: Airbnb, Vrbo, Plum Guide, HomeAway, Homestay.com and Vacasa.

Chase Sapphire Preferred: Earn 75,000 bonus points after spending $5,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.

What is the Chase Sapphire Preferred's vacation homes bonus category?

The Sapphire Preferred earns 3 points per dollar spent on vacation homes booked directly with six brands.