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Lucerne Visitor Card: All The Benefits & More

The Lucerne Visitor Card gives you a cheap and easy way to explore all that Lucerne has to offer. And, you can save lots of money at the same time.

This visitor card provides you with free travel on local public transport as well as free wifi, and discounts on many of the local attractions and services. Whether you stay one day in Lucerne , or even fourteen!

Available to anyone staying at a hotel, hostel or Airbnbs, all you need to do is ask your accommodation how to get the Lucerne Card so that you can benefit right away.

Below are all the details of what is included in the Lucerne Visitor Card and how you can get one when you arrive.

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Lucerne Visitor Card Benefits

The Lucerne Visitor Card is full of great benefits and discounts. Here is what you get with this visitor card while in Lucerne:

Free Public Transport

Like with most other visitor cards in Switzerland, the Lucerne Visitor Card allows you to travel for free on 2nd class on all trains and buses within the downtown area of Lucerne. This is considered to be Zone 10 by the Lucerne public transport system.

Zone 10 is quite large and covers a lot of travel around Lucerne. For example, you will be able to reach the Transport Museum down the lake, the funicular up to Château Gütsch, the bus to the Lion Monument or Glacier Garden or even the main cable car up to Pilatus (not Alpnachstad though!).

Here is a map (Click to enlarge)

Note: Please be aware that boat rides are not included in the Lucerne Visitor Card and need to be paid for separately.

Related Reading

Things to do in lucerne: your ultimate guide, discounted entry to museums & attractions.

You can get a discount on the following mountain cable cars & trains:

• Titlis – 10%
• Rigi – 20%
• Stoos – 20%
• Stanserhorn – 20%
• Melchesee-Frutt – 20%
• Sorenberg to Briezer Rothorn – 20%
• Mythen Rothenflue – 50%

There are also discounts on other attractions:

• City tour in Lucerne – 20%
• Glacier Garden – 20%
• Museum of Art – 20%
• Ballenberg – 20%
• Transport Museum – 10%

Actually, there are far more discounts than I can list here, including on sports, fun parks, other mountain transport and museums. You can see the full list here .

Free WiFi Hotspots in Lucerne

The Lucerne Visitor Card also gives you access to a range of hotspots around the city. All you need to have is your card number and you can login to as you wander about the city. To find out exactly how this works, you can check out this pdf from Lucerne Tourism .

Below is a map of where the wifi hotspots are in Lucerne.

How to Get A Lucerne Visitor Card?

Your accommodation will be happy to help you get the Lucerne Visitor Card when you arrive or you can ask them before you arrive. It can be downloaded to your smartphone ahead of arrival or organised when you arrive. Please ask your accommodation for all the details and relevant links.

Can I Buy A Lucerne Visitor Card?

No, the Lucerne Visitor Card is only available when you stay one night or more in the City of Lucerne. Participating accommodations are the only ones who can issue you with the card.

How Can I Use The Lucerne Visitor Card To Get To My Accommodation?

If you are traveling in Lucerne City zone 10 you can use your hotel or accommodation booking as proof in order to travel for free to get to your accommodation.

Can I Get A Lucerne Visitor Card If I Stay At An Airbnb?

Yes, visitors who stay in Lucerne city with at an Airbnb are also eligible for a Lucerne Visitor Card. Just check with your host either before booking or upon arrival.

How Much Does A Lucerne Visitor Card Cost?

The Lucerne Visitor Card is completely free when you stay one night or more in a participating Lucerne accommodation. You cannot buy the Lucerne Visitor Card directly.

4 thoughts on “ Lucerne Visitor Card: All The Benefits & More ”

hello, i will be staying in lucerne for 6 days at Airbnb. I asked my Airbnb host about this pass and he told me that Luzern government are against airbnb, and said this service is more for Hotel services. Can I still get this pass

Unfortunately, Lucerne has recently become very anti-Airbnb, so it could be that the rules have changed.

I will stay at Ibis budget Lucern city on 15 Apr. and check out on 19 April morning. I have to wait for the flight till 10 pm . on 19 Apr. I have Swiss pass that will be ended at 5.00 am 19 Apr. May I used Lucern card on 19 April till 10 pm?

According to the Lucerne Tourist Board “You can use the card until the end of the day on the day of your check out.” Hope that helps.

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3 reasons you should switch to using Airbnb pass-through taxes

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3. Clear representation of taxes during checkout — no more surprises for your guests.

You can build strong relationships with your guests by having more transparent prices on the search page.    

4. Bonus: setting up Pass-Through Taxes is usually quick and easy — especially with a hand from our implementation and support teams. 

Let’s get started! Set up a time to implement pass-through taxes with Airbnb and Boost by  submitting a Support ticket .  

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Demystifying Airbnb fees: How to understand the final cost before booking

Over a decade ago, Airbnb disrupted the hotel industry as a vacation rental platform. It simplified the searching and listing process for travelers and hosts, connecting those looking to rent out their homes (or rooms in their homes) to millions of people worldwide.

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Here at TPG, our staff is split 50-50. Some of us love the platform for its person-to-person connection, affordability when traveling with large families or groups and unbeatable amenities — name a hotel that can offer you a private pool, backyard and kitchen for an affordable cost. The list goes on.

Related: Everything you need to know about staying at an Airbnb right now

Others avoid Airbnbs altogether, citing reasons such as the lack of elite status benefits and potential quality differences between homes — what happens when your Airbnb doesn't quite match up with the listing photos?

Related: Hotels vs. Airbnb: Which should you book during your summer getaway?

Arguably the most notable reason that people avoid Airbnbs is the multitude of fees that get tacked on at checkout — raising the original listing price exponentially. In some situations, an Airbnb may end up being more expensive than a hotel. From service fees to occupancy taxes to cleaning charges, we're here to demystify all things related to Airbnb fees, including which fees are universal across all listings and the fees that are potentially negotiable.

Service fees

The first type of fee we'll discuss is service fees (found on most Airbnbs). In other terms, this is the guest service fee that Airbnb sets. Since it's free to sign up for an Airbnb account, the service fee takes care of Airbnb's platform, 24/7 customer service, security features and more.

Now that you know about service fees and where they come from, let's talk about the two ways a service fee can be paid.

Split-fee structure

If you're a host, you can decide to split the cost of the service fee between you and your guest. This is typically the fee structure that hosts will choose.

However, note that the costs are not split evenly. Most hosts will pay a 3% service fee of the booking subtotal before taxes and Airbnb fees. Note that this increases for Airbnb Plus hosts, Airbnbs in Italy, hosts with strict cancellation policies and more. This fee is automatically taken from the earnings.

Meanwhile, the guest service fee will depend on many booking factors but will be under 14.2% of the booking subtotal cost.

Host-only fee

Some hosts may opt to take on the entire service fee themselves, exempting the guests from paying this fee altogether. The host-only fee will range from 14%-16%, with the final price dependent on various factors and will automatically be deducted from the host's payout.

While you'll find service fees on most Airbnb listings, you could message and ask your host to take on the host-only fee rather than the split-fee structure.

Are service fees refundable?

In general, the service fee is refundable if you meet all of the following criteria:

• You cancel within 48 hours of booking.
• You haven't already canceled three reservations in the last 12 months.
• The reservation you're canceling doesn't overlap with another reservation in your account.
• The total nightly rate is fully refundable according to your host's cancellation policy.

There are exceptions, of course. Some hosts may be more generous and can allow a service fee refund 14 to 28 days before check-in. For bookings in Italy and South Korean travelers, these are the criteria you must meet to receive a service fee refund:

• You cancel before check-in.

Occupancy taxes

Occupancy taxes are another fee you'll see tacked onto listings. These fees are defined by the city, county and state and are exactly the same fees that apply to local hotels in that area. Airbnb charges value-added taxes (VAT, JCT and GST) for customers in certain countries, but these taxes are included in the total cost of the occupancy taxes.

Note that occupancy taxes and fees are mandatory, and Airbnb does not profit whatsoever. However, it's up to the local government to set the exact tax, so the occupancy fee is nonnegotiable.

Cleaning fees

The last fee you'll find at checkout is the cleaning fee. Perhaps the most controversial fee out there is a one-time charge set entirely by the host — meaning Airbnb does not profit either. Instead, the cleaning fee will go directly to the host's payout and is intended to pay for the cleaning expenses before arrival and after checkout.

Some hosts will opt to clean their listings themselves (resulting in a cheaper cleaning fee), or others may hire professional cleaners.

While it's rare to find a listing that doesn't charge a cleaning fee, this fee could be potentially negotiable by messaging the host before booking. But, again, note that the cleaning fee is not a way for Airbnb to make extra revenue and will be paid directly to the host.

Other common Airbnb fees

Besides those top three standard Airbnb fees, there are a couple of other optional charges that you may find with your booking:

• Pet fee: Some hosts may charge extra for bringing your furry friends. Note that some properties do not allow for pets whatsoever, so be sure to check the fine print.
• Extra guest fee: If you're bringing more guests than the set number (as defined by the host), the host may decide to charge an additional guest fee per person.
• Security deposit: Airbnb or the host may implement a security deposit based on the home's features or timing of the booking, refundable once there's no property damage during your reservation. You should always make the security deposit payment on Airbnb and never take the transaction offline.

These fees may be negotiable but will be entirely dependent on the circumstance and host.

How to see the final Airbnb price before checkout, including taxes and fees

When searching for an Airbnb, you can use the "Price" feature to filter out listings by nightly price. However, some customers may find this frustrating as the nightly price does not include the additional taxes and fees mentioned above and will vary from listing to listing.

While there's currently no way to see an "all-in price," including all of the taxes and fees, when conducting your initial search, you can see the total price before you press "Reserve." Then, simply click on the listing, enter your dates and number of guests, and find the clear breakdown of the additional charges you'll face upon booking.

Related: Best credit cards for Airbnb stays

While this isn't a perfect solution and can be time-consuming for guests shopping for the absolute best price, this is a way you can find the total cost before you begin the checkout process.

Related: Best ways to earn points and miles on vacation rentals with Airbnb and VRBO

Bottom line

Airbnb certainly has its pros and cons, but with many more pros to note for guests looking for unique and unforgettable stays that hotels can't offer. While the fees may turn you off from booking through Airbnb, consider that hotels also charge occupancy taxes set by the local government. The only other costs you'll potentially face as an Airbnb guest are the service fee and cleaning fee. So while it's true that sometimes Airbnb isn't the more affordable option compared to hotels, you can check out the total price before you commit to booking your reservation.

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Best Credit Cards for Booking Airbnb Stays

December 16, 2020

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Airbnb has become one of the most popular options for travelers whether visiting remote locations or big cities around the world. Unsurprisingly, we’re often asked about whether there’s an Airbnb credit card and, if not, which credit cards are best for booking an Airbnb.

With that in mind, we wanted to take a deep dive into your options and touch on how you can maximize your Airbnb bookings.

Now, let’s get into it!

What is Airbnb?

Simply put, an “Airbnb” is a private residence made available to rent. An Airbnb could be a great alternative to a hotel stay. You can rent pretty much anything, from a room in a shared house or apartment to an oceanfront villa in some of the most exclusive locations in the world.

One of the biggest questions on a traveler’s mind when looking for vacation rentals is will I save money by booking an Airbnb and what am I giving up by not staying at a hotel? The short answer is, it depends.

Airbnbs aren’t always cheaper than traditional hotels, especially in very popular destinations at the peak of the tourist season. But you’ll usually get larger accommodations, a kitchen and more room to spread out.

In exchange, you are giving up daily housekeeping, the concierge, room service and other hotel amenities. And larger groups of travelers would almost always come out ahead by booking an Airbnb instead of several hotel rooms.

Best Credit Cards for Booking Airbnb

While there have been rumors of Airbnb partnering with a bank to release a co-branded Airbnb credit card, that hasn’t happened yet. However, there are still a number of credit cards that are great for booking Airbnb stays.

Let’s look at a few of the best credit cards that offer the options for earning and redeeming points for Airbnb stays.

Chase Sapphire Reserve®

One of the most popular travel cards is the Chase Sapphire Reserve® credit card which earns 3X on all travel purchases after the $300 travel credit, including Airbnb.

Chase Ultimate Rewards® Points

after you spend $4,000 in 3 months

Annual Fee: $550

The card has a $300 annual travel credit, which you can use on Airbnb stays.

The card also earns 3X on dining and 1X on everything else. In addition to the travel credit, the card also comes with a $100 Global Entry and TSA Precheck application fee credit every four years.

Another benefit that helps offset the annual fee is the Priority Pass membership which includes access to a network of over 1,200 airport lounges and restaurants worldwide.

This is a great card for any frequent traveler. In addition to the generous earning rate and the travel credit, it comes with a  host of other benefits , such as travel interruption insurance and Lyft Pink membership.

The annual fee is $550 and the card doesn’t have foreign transaction fees.

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

The Chase Sapphire Preferred credit card is another favorite.

bonus points

after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months of account opening.

Annual Fee: $95

Its annual fee is $95 and there are no foreign transaction fees.

Chase Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card

The Chase Ink Business Preferred card comes with 100,000 Ultimate Rewards welcome bonus after you spend $15,000 in the first three months after account opening.

Chase Ultimate Rewards Points®

after you spend $8,000 on purchases in the first 3 months after account opening

The Chase Ink Preferred card earns 3X on the first $150,000 in combined purchases each account anniversary year in the following categories:

• Shipping purchases
• Internet, cable and phone services
• Advertising purchases made with social media sites and search engines

This is a great card for any business owner and will earn 3X on Airbnb stays.

The card doesn’t have foreign transaction fees and the annual fee is $95.

Chase Ink Business Cash® Credit Card

The Chase Ink Business Cash® Credit Card might be considered an unconventional choice because it just earns 1X on all travel purchases, including Airbnb. But there’s a good reason why I am including it here.

bonus cash back when you spend $3,000 on purchases

in the first three months and additional $400 when you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first six months after account opening

The card earns 5X at office supply stores and on internet, cable and cell phone bills (on the first $25,000 spent each anniversary year in combined purchases), 2X at gas stations and restaurants (on the first $25,000 spent each anniversary year in combined purchases) and 1% back on all other purchases.

So, how can you earn 5X on Airbnb stays?

The card earns 5X at office supply stores and most office supply stores (Staples and OfficeDepot/OfficeMax) sell Airbnb gift cards. So you can buy an Airbnb gift card and use it to pay for your stay, thus earning 5X.

There’s one important caveat which is that Airbnb gift cards need to be loaded into your Airbnb account before you make the reservation and then, at checkout, just choose the gift cards as a method of payment. You can’t use the gift cards on a reservation that has already been partially prepaid with a credit card as gift cards only work for brand new reservations.

While this may involve some extra steps, you won’t find any other card or method that will earn you 5X on Airbnb!

American Express Green Card

Editors Note: All information about The American Express Green Card has been collected independently by 10xTravel. The American Express Green Card is no longer available through 10xTravel.

The standard welcome bonus on this card is 30,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $2,000 on purchases, but we’ve seen it go as high as 45,000 points. This is an excellent card for travelers because it has no foreign transaction fees and earns 3X on travel and restaurants and 1X on everything else.

The travel category is very broadly defined, from rideshare services to airlines to hotels to Airbnb. You can’t use Membership Rewards points for an Airbnb, but if you use the American Express Green card to pay for your stay, you’ll earn a lot of valuable points.

American Express® Green Card

Membership Rewards® Points

after you spend $3,000 on purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. All information about the American Express® Green Card has been collected independently by 10xTravel.

Annual Fee: $150 Terms Apply.

To help offset the annual fee of $150, the card comes with $100 CLEAR credit per calendar year and $100 LoungeBuddy Credit.

The card has no foreign transaction fees.

Wells Fargo Propel American Express Card

The Wells Fargo Propel American Express Card comes with 20,000 Go Far Rewards bonus points when you spend $1,000 in purchases in the first three months.

You’ll earn 3x points on dining, gas stations, rideshares, and transit, flights, hotels, homestays, car rentals and popular streaming services.

Go Far Rewards points are worth 1 cent each and can be redeemed for a variety of things, including travel and cashback. So you’ll earn three points back for every dollar spent on Airbnb and redeem at 1 cent per point when redeeming as cashback (which can be used toward Airbnb charges).

The card has no annual fee.

Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

Capital One Venture card comes with a welcome bonus of 60,000 miles once you spend $3,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening, equal to $600 in travel.

after you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening.

The card earns 2X on all purchases, and there are no bonus earning categories.

The “currency” you earn with this card is called miles, and you can transfer Capital One points to some airline partners. However, the card also works like a cashback card. You’ll earn 2X on every dollar spent on all purchases, including Airbnb purchases. And if you were to redeem your miles for an Airbnb, you’ll redeem at 1 cent per mile when redeeming as a travel statement credit.

One of the best travel benefits of the card includes up to a $100 credit for Global Entry or TSA Precheck.

The annual fee is $95 and there are no foreign transaction fees.

Maximize Your Airbnb Purchases

So now that we know which credit cards to use to book an Airbnb, let’s go a step further and see how else we can maximize each booking by using a  shopping portal . A shopping portal will help us extract even more value out of each dollar spent. So how can we double dip?

Delta and British Airways both have a partnership with Airbnb, so before booking your stay,  navigate first to  Delta’s  or  British Airways Airbnb portal , and you’ll be earning extra miles on each booking. The prices are the same, whether you go straight to Airbnb or through one of these portals, so why not start your search there and earn a bunch of miles in the process?

You’ll earn 1X going through the Delta portal or 2X going through the British Airways portal.

You’ll earn miles in one of these programs in addition to the points and miles you’ll earn with your credit card!

If you don’t have a Delta or British Airways account yet, open one before you start booking an Airbnb.

Another way to earn extra points on Airbnb is to purchase Airbnb gift cards at grocery stores, Target or warehouse clubs. If you have a card that earns more than 1X in these categories or a card like Chase Freedom Flex℠ that has quarterly spending bonuses, be on the lookout for the Airbnb gift cards at these retailers.

Final Thoughts

Airbnb can be a great alternative to a hotel – you can book some truly unique properties or larger accommodations fit for a group. I like to book Airbnbs for longer stays or if I know I’d like to stay somewhere with a kitchen.

Airbnb doesn’t have its own credit card or rewards program, but there are a few good credit card options for earning points on Airbnb stays. And don’t forget to use a shopping portal to earn extra airline miles in the process.

Which credit card do you use to book your Airbnb stays?

Travel well,

New to the world of points and miles? The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is the best card to start with.

With a bonus of 75,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months of account opening. , 5x points on travel booked through the Chase Travel Portal and 3x points on restaurants, streaming services, and online groceries (excluding Target, Walmart, and wholesale clubs), this card truly cannot be beat for getting started!

Editors Note: Opinions expressed here are author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.

Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card

Venture Miles

after you spend $4,000 in purchases in the first 3 months.

American Express® Gold Card

after you spend $6,000 on eligible purchases with your new Card within the first 6 months. Terms apply.

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Which credit cards earn rewards for Airbnb and VRBO stays?

This piece was last updated on Oct. 25, 2023, to reflect current credit card details.

The pandemic has changed so much about the way Americans and others around the world travel, including an unprecedented reduction in work-related trips. A December 2020 study from IdeaWorks even shows that business travel may stay depressed indefinitely, with a loss to airlines in the 19 percent to 36 percent range overall. Further, intracompany meetings, which make up 20 percent of business air trips, could decrease as much as 60 percent.

And, what about hotel stays? Obviously, fewer air trips for business travelers could easily result in fewer hotel stays and a declining focus on hotel loyalty. And with an extended focus on social distancing, the hotel industry, which caters to large crowds, is primed to struggle anyway.

With all this in mind, you may be wondering how you can earn rewards for Airbnb and VRBO stays. Doing so could make it easier for you to book more pandemic-friendly options, as well as larger properties that can work better for families.

How to earn points and miles on vacation rentals

Earning points and miles on vacation rentals requires you to sign up for a rewards credit card . However, there may be situations where you can earn rewards in a related program you belong to regardless of how you pay for your vacation rental booking.

Rumors of an Airbnb loyalty program abound, but Airbnb loyalists haven’t seen anything come together so far. Either way, earning rewards for Airbnb stays is easy with the right credit card, and you can even “double-dip” on your rewards.

For example, both Delta and British Airways have portals that let you earn miles when you book with Airbnb. The Delta Airbnb portal lets you rack up 1 mile for each dollar you spend on Airbnbs worldwide, and the British Airways Airbnb portal lets you earn 2 Avios for each dollar you spend. However, if you’re brand-new to the Airbnb program, you can earn 6 Avios per dollar spent on your first booking.

Many Airbnb enthusiasts also strategically buy gift cards in order to boost rewards on Airbnb stays. This can make sense if you have a credit card that earns bonus rewards at grocery stores and drugstores where Airbnb gift cards can be found or if you buy gift cards through the United MileagePlus app. Either option can let you earn more points on your Airbnb stay than you would if you booked it directly and paid with a rewards card.

With VRBO.com, you can book private homes, luxurious villas, condominiums and more, and you have a few different ways to earn more points. For starters, you’ll want to make sure you pay with a rewards credit card and maybe even a travel credit card that offers bonus points on travel bookings. Just keep in mind that, based on many reports, VRBO bookings do not always code as travel on your credit card statement. In some cases, your purchase may code as “property management” or “real estate” instead, in which case it wouldn’t qualify for bonus points if your card offers them.

You may also be able to earn some extra cash back if you click through a portal like Cashback Monitor or TopCashback before you make your VRBO booking. Both offer 3 percent in cash back at the time of this writing, although their promotions are always subject to change.

Redeeming credit card points for vacation rental stays

When it comes to redeeming rewards for vacation rental stays, the strategies to consider and the value of your points can vary widely. The best way to move forward will depend on the type of rewards you have taken the time to earn, and they can vary even more depending on the exact rewards credit card you have.

For example, if you have the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card , your points are worth 1.25 cents each when you book vacation rentals through Chase Ultimate Rewards . Yet, points accrued with Chase Sapphire Reserve® are worth 1.5 cents each when used to book vacation rentals through the same process. You could also use either of these cards to make vacation rental bookings directly with VRBO.com or Airbnb then redeem your points for statement credits at a rate of 1 cent each.

Another solid travel credit card for Airbnb and VRBO bookings is the new Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card . This card lets you earn 10X miles on hotel and rental car Capital One Travel bookings and 5X miles on flights through Capital One Travel, plus 2X miles on all other purchases. Also, you can redeem your miles for any travel you want at a rate of 1 cent per mile. This means you can use this card to pay for your Airbnb or VRBO booking directly, then use your miles to make up for all or part of the charge.

Also, note that Wyndham Rewards stands out among other hotel loyalty programs due to its many vacation rental options. In fact, you can use points in this program to book Wyndham vacation rental properties, private homes or even vacation cottages on Cottages.com.

Best credit cards for earning rewards on Airbnb and VRBO stays

While an Airbnb rewards credit card is only a pipe dream, for now, there are plenty of rewards credit cards that can help you rack up points when you book a vacation rental. Here are Bankrate’s top credit cards for earning rewards on Airbnb and VRBO stays, as well as your other travel expenses.

Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card: Best for credits and bonuses

• Welcome bonus of 75,000 miles after spending $4,000 on purchases within the first three months of opening your account
• Earn 10X miles on hotel and rental car Capital One Travel bookings and 5X miles on flights through Capital One Travel, plus 2X miles on all other purchases
• Up to $300 in annual Capital One Travel booking credit
• Get a 10,000-mile account anniversary bonus
• Receive up to $100 in credit toward your Global Entry or TSA Precheck application fee (every four years)
• $395 annual fee

The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card is the issuer’s first premium travel credit card, and it created quite the stir in the travel credit card world with its debut. You can use your rewards as statement credit to cover travel-related expenses you charge on your card, like vacation rentals. We should also note that Wyndham Rewards is one of Capital One’s transfer partners, which means you can transfer your points and use your rewards to book Wyndham vacation rentals or cottages, as well.

If you decide not to use your rewards for vacation rental bookings,  you can transfer them to airline or hotel partners or use them to cover purchases made on Amazon.com or PayPal.com. Although this card comes with a hefty annual fee, the $300 in annual Capital One Travel credit and 10,000-mile anniversary bonus (worth $100) help justify that fee.

Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card: Best for flat-rate rewards

• Enjoy a one-time bonus of 75,000 miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel
• Unlimited 5X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, 2X miles for each dollar you spend
• Receive up to $100 in credits toward Global Entry or TSA Precheck membership (every four years)
• $95 annual fee

The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card is a more basic version of the Venture X card but offers many of the same features including the option to redeem rewards for statement credit to cover travel purcahses as well as the ability to book travel in Capital One’s travel portal . For a $95 annual fee, this Capital One credit card earns you 5X miles on hotels and rental cards purchased through the Capital One portal, 2X miles on every purchase you make and up to $100 in credits toward Global Entry or TSA Precheck membership every four years.

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card: Best for flexibility

• Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That’s $750 when you redeem for travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards.
• Enjoy benefits such as a $50 annual hotel credit for a stay booked through the Ultimate Rewards portal, 5X points on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards, 3X points on dining and 2X points on all other travel purchases.

If you want to earn generous rewards on vacation rental stays, but you also want some flexibility in your rewards program, the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card could be a good fit. This card lets you earn 2X points on travel purchases, including on Airbnb and VRBO stays, and you can also earn a generous welcome bonus. Note that you can redeem your rewards for vacation rentals through Chase Ultimate Rewards, but you can also transfer points to Chase airline and hotel partners. Other redemption options include gift cards, merchandise, cash back and statement credits. A $95 annual fee applies.

Chase Sapphire Reserve®: Best for luxury travel perks

• Earn 60,000 points after spending $4,000 on purchases within your first three months
• Earn 5X total points on air travel and 10X total points on hotels and car rentals (after earning your $300 annual travel credit) when you purchase travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards.
• Earn 3X points on other travel and dining, and 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases.
• Major benefits include a $300 annual travel credit, Priority Pass Select airport lounge membership, DashPass Subscription ( $0 delivery fee and reduced service fees on orders over $12 for a minimum of one year on qualifying food purchases with DashPass, DoorDash’s subscription service. (Activate by December 12, 2024 )
• $550 annual fee

If you want to earn rewards on Airbnb stays but also want access to luxury travel benefits, the Chase Sapphire Reserve could be the way to go. You’ll have to pay a $550 annual fee, but you’ll get benefits like a Priority Pass Select airport lounge membership, an up to $300 annual travel credit, a free DashPass membership (activation required) and more.

Citi® Double Cash Card: Best for earning cash back

• Earn 2 percent cash back on all your purchases — 1 percent when you make a purchase and another 1 percent when you pay it off
• No annual fee
• Rewards can be used for statement credits, a check or a credit to a linked account once you have a cash rewards balance of $25 or more

The Citi® Double Cash Card is an excellent choice if you prefer to earn cash back when you book Airbnb and VRBO stays. This card lets you earn a total of 2 percent back on everything you buy — 1 percent when you make a purchase and another 1 percent when you pay it off. There’s no annual fee, and you can even redeem your rewards as cash back to cover your vacation rental stays. This card can also be good for balance transfers since you get an introductory 0 percent APR on balance transfers for 18 months, followed by a variable APR of 19.24 percent to 29.24 percent (transfers must be made in the first four months to qualify).

Additional options for booking Airbnb and VRBO stays (and other vacation rentals) with credit card rewards

There are many different ways to book a vacation rental for leisure or business travel, just as there are many ways to use rewards to cover the cost. The following strategies might help you get more bang for your buck the next time to use credit card rewards for vacation rental stays:

• Buy gift cards with premium rewards credit cards. Grocery stores can be an excellent place to pick up gift cards for Airbnb or even VRBO, and the same is true for drugstores. If you use a credit card that offers more points on these purchases, you can boost your rewards haul compared to if you had booked the rental with your credit card directly. As an example, the Chase Freedom Unlimited® * offers 1.5 percent cash back on regular purchases and 3 percent cash back on dining at restaurants and drugstore purchases. Meanwhile, the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express lets you earn 6 percent back on up to $6,000 spent at U.S. supermarkets each year (then 1 percent back).
• Book through the Chase portal. While the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal lets you book vacation rentals with points, you can also book with a mix of points and cash or cash only. Fortunately, both Chase Freedom cards (the Chase Freedom Unlimited® and the Chase Freedom Flex℠ *) offer 5 percent back on travel bookings made through Chase Ultimate Rewards.
• Consider hotel programs with vacation rental options. Also, be sure to look at hotel programs that offer vacation rental options, including Wyndham Rewards. You could even look at Marriott Rewards, which offers bookable units with kitchens and living areas with some of their brands, like Residence Inn.
• Redeem for statement credits. Remember that, in some cases, it makes sense to redeem your rewards for statement credits. This option makes it possible to use cash back rewards for Airbnb or VRBO rentals or to use rewards to cover any other purchases made to your card.

The bottom line

Vacation rentals can be more convenient for large families and those who want to cook or have more space while on vacation. However, you shouldn’t just pay with any credit card. Do some research to find the best credit cards with Airbnb rewards or VRBO potential based on your needs and spending style, and you’ll be on your way to more free travel in no time.

The information about the Chase Freedom Unlimited® and Chase Freedom Flex SM has been collected independently by Bankrate.com. The card details have not been reviewed or approved by the card issuer.

5 Best Airbnb Key Lockboxes 2023 – Top Rated

• 4 years ago
• / Airbnb Shopping Lists     Product Reviews
• / By Phil Sykora

Looking for an Airbnb lockbox? We’ve got you covered.

If you don’t want to travel onsite every time you rent out your Airbnb, a key lockbox is a fantastic solution. You can “hand off” your keys to the next guest without having to risk your rental’s security. Our guide will help you find exactly which lockbox is best for you so that you can allow your guests to quickly and easily check themselves in without having to spend all day waiting around the house.

These options are affordable, and almost all of them have reprogrammable passwords. That way, you can rest easy when they leave, knowing that your apartment is safe and secure .

Let’s get started.

At a Glance: Our Top 5 Picks for Airbnb Lockboxes

The top 5 airbnb lockboxes, 1. wordlock lockbox.

• Words are easier to remember than numbers (convenient for your guests).
• Intelligent weatherproof design.
• Around $30: About mid-range for lockboxes.
• Doesn’t require a wall mount.
• Words are easier to remember than numbers (easier to break into).
• Some reviewers have complained that it’s easy to pick. There’s a certain click and feel when the right letters are inputted, so if a thief has the time (and motivation) to play around with it, it might not be the best option.

This lockbox has a 4-letter keyword combination. As we mentioned above, the good news is words are easier to remember than numbers, but the bad news is words are easier to remember than numbers, and that might make it easier for a potential intruder to break into your home.

There are less than 500 possible four-letter word combinations with the given options on each combination dial (there are much fewer than 26 letters per dial).

If you live in a dangerous area, this isn’t your best option. If you just need something quick and easy, though, it’ll work perfectly.

2. Iron Lock Lockbox

• Good storage capacity. The dimensions inside are 2.5in x 3.5in.
• Tons of good reviews from Airbnb owners.
• You can reset the code. Once one guest leaves, change the code for the next guest.
• It has a protective cover. This way weather damage doesn’t cause the combination to stick.
• Comes with a wall-mounting kit.
• You have to remember to keep the protective cover down.
• You have to have somewhere to mount it.
• One reviewer complained that the lock stopped working after a month (and another complained that it was easy to pick, which might just be common across all lockbox reviews.

The best thing, by far, about the Iron Lock lockbox is the ability to reset the code. It’s probably unlikely, but if a guest knows the code to the lockbox, they can come back at any time if they want to.

With this lockbox, you can reset the code whenever you want, as many times as you want. If you’re ever worried that a guest might decide to come back one day because you have a self-check-in system that’s just a little bit too simple, worry no more.

3. YDO Security Key Lock Box

• At under $20, this is one of the cheapest lockbox options on Amazon.
• You can reset the combination.
• Plenty of space inside: 9cm x 6.5cm x 3.3cm.
• Wall-mounting kit comes with 4 screws and 4 nylon expanding wall anchors.
• You’ll have to have somewhere to mount it.
• One reviewer said they found setting the password to be a little tricky at first. And make sure you handle the screws carefully before installing them. Once they’re installed, they seem to hold well.

The YDO Security Key Lock Box is easily one of the best value lockboxes on this list. And the long list of reviews shows that it holds up well to the weather. Just make sure you try out the lock before you install it.

This is as simple as it gets when it comes to lockboxes. If you’re on a budget and you want something that works, this is a product that’s worth a second look.

4. Kingsley Guard-A-Key Lockbox

• At around $15, this is the cheapest lockbox yet.
• You can reset the code.
• You don’t have to mount it on the wall.
• Works best installed indoors.
• 10,000 possible combinations.
• Can fit up to 5 keys.
• Without a protective cover around the combination dials, weather can eventually corrode the material.
• If you live in an extremely cold environment, consider something else.
• Some reviewers complain about being unable to open the lock the first time.

Didn’t think it could get any cheaper than the YDO Lock Box? Think again. The Kingsley could make the perfect Airbnb lockbox for someone on a budget (given, however, they live somewhere where the weather won’t interfere with the dials). This would also be a great option for locking up indoor storage (like pool toy storage ) or keeping the keys to equipment you have available for guests to use, like ATVs or Snowmobiles.

At around $15, this might be a good product to keep around in case you ever need —and not just want —to have your guests check themselves in. If you’re ever on vacation or traveling out of town for business, it would be nice to be able to keep your Airbnb listed.

5. Kidde AccessPoint Push-Button Lockbox (TOP PICK)

• Solid construction.
• Highly durable.
• You can set your code to any length of numbers.
• Reviewed and approved by a professional locksmith.
• Pretty much the gold standard for realtors.
• A little bit pricier than the other options on this list.
• You’ll have to have somewhere to mount it.

Finally, on the other end of the spectrum, is the Kidde Push-Button Lockbox . If you need an Airbnb lockbox that’s going to last (and that needs to be able to take a beating), the Kidde Push-Button lockbox is the option for you.

At just under $30, it comes in a little bit pricier than most models. But just check out the top review on Amazon, from a professional locksmith:

They’re solidly constructed, EXTREMELY hard to cut open, and if mounted correctly to a concrete fixture, virtually impossible to remove without anything short of using a sledgehammer to take a chunk of the wall out… and THEN they’d still need to get it OPEN, which is a WHOLE different trial Top Amazon Review for Kidde Push-Button Lockbox, “ My professional opinion. “

Typically push-button lockboxes are criticized for being less safe than other types of lockboxes, and some reviewers claim that, because you can enter the numbers in any order, not just the order you set them in, it’s much less safe than it seems. But that’s not the case here.

Since you can enter any number of digits when you’re setting the code (want it to be “123” (not recommended)? It could also be “3028058230580”), it’s pretty much impossible to guess the correct combination. And it’s available in multiple colors to make it a discreet addition to your entryway.

What is a lockbox? Why should I get one for my Airbnb?

A lockbox, or a key safe, is essentially a little locker for your keys.

Instead of physically handing your guests a key, you can put the key inside of a lockbox, and that lockbox can be unlocked with whatever combination you set it up with. That way, in order for your guests to get inside the rental, they only need the lockbox combination and not the key itself.

All you have to do is set up the lockbox somewhere, put a code (32-15-29, for example) in the “check-in directions” on your Airbnb page, as well as directions to the location of your lockbox, and you’re good to go.

AirHost Academy Survey: 84% of Airbnb Users Prefer Self Check-In

One of the worst things about Airbnb, for guests and hosts alike, is coordinating a time for check-in. Flights get delayed, buses are missed, and cell phones stop working. It’s a perfect example of Murphy’s Law: anything that can go wrong will go wrong.

How can you, as a host, avoid at least some of the pains associated with check-in? Simple: by buying a lockbox and letting the guests do it themselves.

More importantly, people love this option.

In fact, according to a poll that we conducted on Reddit , Airbnb hosts and guests overwhelmingly prefer self-check-in against any other check-in model:

Traveling can be very, very stressful — and people aren’t always looking forward to having to chat with another person just after hopping off a plane. Sometimes, you just want to get inside and get to sleep so you can see the sights tomorrow.

A lockbox will give your guest that ability with as little effort on your part as possible. It’s a win-win: You can go out and grab a drink while your guest can check in to the rental and get some much-needed shut-eye.

4 Things to Keep In Mind

The best lockbox for your rental will depend on four main factors:

• Weather . Do you have an Airbnb in a location that experiences extreme cold? Some lockboxes, particularly push-button lockboxes, will freeze up and become virtually impossible to unlock in the cold. You’ll want to opt for something with a cover.
• Crime. You want to strike a balance between “difficult to break into” and “easy to unlock,” and this will depend on the prevalence of crime in your area. Generally, wheel combination padlocks (like the type you probably used in high school) are more difficult to break into than pushbutton models (which are easy to use but not as secure).
• Price . How important is the security of your home? What is your monthly Airbnb maintenance budget? This one, of course, ties into the bullet point on crime, but it’s different in that you don’t want to buy an expensive lockbox that’s going to erase your profit for the next three months (doubtful, but possible).
• Purpose. While most hosts will use a lock box to swap keys with guests, there are other reasons to purchase one. And those reasons will affect the style and features you’re looking for. Indoor lockboxes work better for storage, maintenance equipment, or expensive toys.

It’s difficult to say, definitively, that “these are the best lockboxes and key safes for your Airbnb,” because, as with virtually everything, it’s going to depend on your exact circumstances.

So, keep the above factors in mind as you pick the right Airbnb lockbox for you.

Quick Review: Top 5 Airbnb Key Lockboxes

Roughly 85% of Airbnb users prefer self-check-in over other check-in methods. It’s easier, it’s less awkward, and it’s affordable. If you want an Airbnb lockbox, go with one of these five options:

• WordLock Lockbox
• Iron Lock Lockbox
• YDO Security Key Lock Box
• Kingsley Guard-A-Key Lockbox
• Kidde AccessPoint Push-Button Lockbox (TOP PICK)

About the Author Phil Sykora

Phil Sykora is a freelance writer from Cleveland, OH. His work is focused on the real estate industry covering short term rentals. Phil is currently living in Costa Rica taking advantage of "geoarbitrage." Phil combines his passion for travel with his short term rental experiences to offer hosts advice on how to make guests feel right at home.

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Inside Airbnb’s ‘Guerrilla War’ Against Local Governments

"Read my lips: We want to pay taxes,” Chris Lehane, Airbnb’s global head of public policy, told the nation’s mayors in 2016. In the years since, the home-sharing site has repeated the declaration in press releases , op-eds , emails , and on billboards . On its website, Airbnb says it is “democratizing revenue by generating tens of millions of new tax dollars for governments all over the world.”

But when Palm Beach County, Florida, a popular tourist destination, passed an ordinance in October 2018 requiring Airbnb and other short-term rental companies to collect and pay the county’s 6 percent occupancy tax on visits arranged through their sites, Airbnb sued.

Palm Beach County tax collector Anne Gannon wasn’t surprised. “We knew we were going to get sued,” she says. “That’s what they do all over the country. It’s their mode of operation.”

Gannon has been cajoling, threatening, and ordering Airbnb to collect taxes for its hosts since 2014. Five years, three lawsuits, and millions in unpaid occupancy taxes later, she’s still trying. “All we want them to do is pay their taxes,” she says. “They absolutely don’t want to pay their taxes the way we want to collect them. That’s the bottom line.”

Similar dramas are playing out around the country. From Nashville to New Orleans to Honolulu, Airbnb is battling local officials over requests to collect occupancy taxes and ensure that the properties listed on its site comply with zoning and safety rules. In the past five months alone, the company has spent more than half a million dollars to overturn regulations in San Diego and has sued Boston, Miami, and Palm Beach County over local ordinances that require Airbnb to collect taxes or remove illegal listings. Elsewhere, Airbnb has fought city officials over regulations aimed at preventing homes from being transformed into de facto hotels and requests from tax authorities for more specific data about hosts and visits.

Airbnb is engaged in “a city-by-city, block-by-block guerrilla war” against local governments, says Ulrik Binzer, CEO of Host Compliance, which helps cities draft and enforce rules for short-term rentals, sometimes putting it at odds with hosting platforms. “They need to essentially fight every one of these battles like it is the most important battle they have.”

Founded in 2008 as an early champion of the sharing economy by allowing people to rent homes, apartments, and rooms to others, Airbnb has grown into a lodging colossus, offering more than 6 million places to stay in more than 191 countries. Its listings outnumber those of the top six hotel chains combined, helping the company reportedly generate more than $1 billion in revenue in the third quarter of 2018. It is valued by investors at $31 billion, making it the country’s second most valuable startup, after Uber. By comparison, Hilton and Marriott’s current market capitalizations are $25 billion and $43 billion, respectively. Earlier this month, Airbnb acquired last-minute hotel booking service HotelTonight, reportedly for more than $400 million.

Kate O'Flaherty

Alistair Charlton

Dan Gearino

One reason Airbnb is often a cheap option for travelers: Running a hotel or bed and breakfast is expensive; snapping photos of your home, apartment, or spare room and filling out an online profile is not. Hotels must comply with a litany of health, safety, and zoning rules—as well as register with local agencies and agree to collect certain taxes—before they can book a single guest.

Airbnb maintains that, in some cases, it’s not permitted to collect occupancy taxes required of hotels and other lodgings; it’s also not responsible for ensuring the rooms and homes listed on its sites comply with zoning or health regulations. The company says it follows local and state laws but considers itself a “platform,” serving merely to connect hosts and visitors, rather than a lodging provider—more akin to Facebook than Marriott.

The onus is on hosts, Airbnb argues, to collect and pay any relevant taxes and to comply with other regulations. In practice, though, few actually do—at least not without considerable effort by local authorities—according to interviews with more than a dozen local government officials and advisers.

Some officials agree with Airbnb. In an early 2018 survey of state tax departments by Bloomberg , officials in 25 states said it was the host’s responsibility to pay occupancy tax for an Airbnb stay. Officials in 14 states said they consider it the responsibility of Airbnb or other short-term rental operators. The survey was taken before the US Supreme Court ruled in June that states may collect sales tax from online retailers even when they don’t have a physical presence in that state. The survey did not include local authorities, who are often more reliant on revenue from occupancy taxes, especially in popular tourist areas.

To be sure, these aren’t Airbnb’s taxes, any more than Hilton “pays” taxes for its guests’ hotel stays. Rather, the officials sparring with Airbnb want the company to collect and forward the taxes from guests, much as hotels do. Airbnb says it isn’t required to collect the taxes in many places; early on, it largely didn’t.

That changed around 2014, when Airbnb began striking deals with officials in select cities to collect and deliver taxes from its hosts. It calls these Voluntary Collection Agreements, or VCAs. In Portland, site of the first agreement, city officials legalized home-sharing and lowered the registration fee for short-term rentals around the same time Airbnb agreed to add a 11.5 percent occupancy tax on each booking. It later negotiated similar deals in San Francisco, Chicago, Philadelphia, Washington, DC, and elsewhere. The company says it has signed more than 350 such agreements nationwide and more than 500 around the world, and has collected more than $1 billion in taxes.

“Some governments have rules requiring platforms like Airbnb to collect and remit taxes, and we make every attempt to comply with these obligations,” says Christopher Nulty, Airbnb’s head of public policy. “However, many governments do not have such rules and so Airbnb has proactively established more than 500 voluntary collection agreements globally to ensure our community is paying their fair share of taxes. We are eager to do everything we can to ensure we are paying our fair share and willing to work with any government that will work with us.”

However, those agreements don’t require hosts to meet other zoning, health, and safety rules, and they prohibit cities from attempting to collect back taxes. Some also create obstacles for local agencies to identify and police hosts who list through the site. Dan Bucks, former director of the Montana Department of Revenue and former executive director of the US Multistate Tax Commission, analyzed some of the few publicly available Airbnb agreements and found that most prevented city officials from learning the names or addresses of Airbnb hosts, making it impossible for officials to enforce local codes. Bucks says the agreements helped Airbnb grow by “providing a shield of secrecy” to hosts. His study was partially funded by the American Hotel and Lodging Association, which is often at odds with Airbnb and other short-term rental companies.

Airbnb says its VCAs are designed to help government agencies collect tax revenue, not to help them enforce other laws related to short-term rentals. The company says the agreements show that it is a responsible corporate citizen.

Historically, other online rental services, such as Booking.com, HomeAway, and VRBO, have not collected these taxes in many places. In the past two years, HomeAway and VRBO have begun collecting some occupancy taxes in a handful of areas—sometimes using their own version of a VCA. Booking.com does not offer any occupancy-tax collection services, compounding the revenue drain for municipalities. Booking.com’s global communications manager, Kim Soward, says the company pays all required taxes. Expedia Group—owner of HomeAway, VRBO, VacationRentals, and other sites—did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

Airbnb is the undeniable giant of the field, and is reportedly preparing for an initial public offering. About 51 percent of all short-term rental listings in the US are on Airbnb, according to an analysis by Binzer, of Host Compliance. VRBO controls 17 percent of listings and HomeAway 11 percent, he says.

New Orleans was hailed as the poster child for Airbnb’s work with local governments after signing a VCA in December 2016. Around the same time, the city struck a deal with Airbnb to legalize short-term rentals while requesting that the company share the names and addresses of hosts, ban certain illegal listings, and create an online system that automatically registers hosts with the city, among other things. Many viewed the deal as a sign Airbnb was learning to live with local taxes and regulations.

Today, city officials say they’re disappointed. They say a surge in short-term rentals has exacerbated New Orleans’ affordable housing crunch and turned entire residential blocks into de facto hotels. Jane's Place Neighborhood Sustainability Initiative, a local housing group, says there were 4,319 whole-unit Airbnb listings in the city last year, more than double the 1,764 in 2015. The group found that 11 percent of operators, including many from outside Louisiana, control 42 percent of the city’s short-term rentals.

The largest operator, a company called Sonder, has 197 short-term rental permits. Nearly 80 percent of Sonder’s listings are booked through platforms like Airbnb, according to Sonder’s director of communications, Mason Harrison. “That’s a different story than the mom-and-pop” narrative that Airbnb often uses to describe its hosts, says New Orleans councilmember Kristin Gisleson Palmer.

City officials say the registration system Airbnb launched in April 2017 didn’t give them some data they had requested, such as the identity of the property owner or tenant, the number of bedrooms in the property, and contact information for the property manager. To collect the missing data, city staffers say they had to contact 4,786 applicants over three months. “We could not really effectively use [the data provided] for enforcement and holding folks accountable,” Palmer says.

In May 2018, the city council imposed a nine-month freeze in some areas on new permits for renting a home without an owner present. The following month, Airbnb disabled the registration system—including another enforcement-enabling feature, which displayed hosts’ license numbers on their Airbnb listings.

A February 15 report by the city’s Department of Safety and Permits, obtained by WIRED, states that disabling the registration system caused a year of work by city officials tracking short-term rentals to “disappear overnight.” The report concludes that Airbnb and other short-term rental companies had engaged in “deliberate data obfuscation, refusal to provide the required data, and a total failure of cooperation with any enforcement mechanisms pursued by the City.” The report notes that Airbnb continues to collect and remit occupancy taxes for its listings in the city.

Airbnb says city officials’ description of events is “inaccurate,” and that it is supplying all the information that is required. The company says there were “initial bumps in the road that Airbnb was working with the city to address, only to have lawmakers abruptly change the rules in May 2018.” Those changes, the company says, made the registration system ineffective.

“Housing affordability is a challenge in New Orleans—in fact 70 percent of our host community have said they rely on the income they make to stay in their homes,” Airbnb says. The company says it is committed to working with officials to resolve any concerns.

A February report by the New Orleans Department of Safety and Permits is critical of short-term rental companies.

Airbnb says it complies with laws that require it to collect and pay taxes for hosts. But it has also worked to forestall such laws—even seeking at times to strip cities of authority over short-term rentals. That’s what happened in Nashville in late 2017 and early 2018.

As the city inched closer to prohibiting so-called “mini hotels”—non-owner-occupied homes used exclusively as vacation rentals—Airbnb shifted its focus from City Hall to the state Capitol three blocks away. In the latter half of 2017, the company more than doubled the number of lobbyists it employed in Tennessee, to from four to 11, and spent between $225,000 and $350,000 on lobbying between February 2017 and August 2018, according to reports the company filed with the state.

In January 2018, the Tennessee Department of Revenue signed a VCA with Airbnb. The agreement requires Airbnb to collect and pay the 7 percent state sales tax on its bookings, but does not cover the 5 percent occupancy tax in Nashville, by far its largest market in the state. A few days later, Nashville passed its ordinance prohibiting mini hotels.

Around this time, a political action committee called the Committee to Expand Middle Class By Airbnb, Inc. donated $10,000 to groups representing Tennessee Republicans, according to campaign finance records. The donations included $2,500 to the campaign of state representative Cameron Sexton, who had introduced a bill in 2017 specifying that short-term rentals should not be considered hotels under state law. The bill, known as the Short-Term Rental Unit Act, was drafted in consultation with Airbnb and other short-term rental companies, including HomeAway, according to the Tennessean . It included a provision stripping cities of the power to ban existing short-term rentals. The Tennessee General Assembly passed the bill in April 2018.

Local activists say the law cripples cities’ ability to tackle an important local issue. “The Tennessee state Legislature and Tennessee's governor decided to severely weaken the basic protections for the health, safety, and well-being of Nashvillians that were created by our local government,” John Stern, president of the Nashville Neighborhood Alliance, a residents’ group, says via email.

Airbnb says the Tennessee law was the work of “state lawmakers who care deeply about this issue and worked to organize a broad coalition of supporters—including the business, technology, property rights, and home sharing communities.” Sexton did not return a request for comment.

Similar scenarios have unfolded elsewhere after cities have moved to restrict short-term rentals. In February 2016, the Austin City Council voted to phase out mini hotels in residential areas by 2022. In the following months, several other Texas cities passed similar restrictions. Then, early in 2017, Texas state lawmakers introduced two bills in the legislature preventing municipalities from banning short-term rentals and enforcing many regulations.

A few months later, in April 2017, Airbnb announced that it had signed a VCA with Texas officials to collect state occupancy taxes. Bennett Sandlin, executive director of the Texas Municipal League, which represents cities, called the deal “a smokescreen to cover the company’s refusal to pay taxes.” The 2017 bills eventually stalled in the Texas legislature, but lawmakers plan to try again this year .

Airbnb says it has “excellent working relationships” with many Texas cities and hopes to extend the VCA with the state to “new tax agreements with Texas municipalities to help them collect new revenue from home sharing.”

Gannon, the Palm Beach tax collector, has been tilting at travel companies for a decade. In 2009, she sued Expedia, Orbitz, Priceline, and Travelocity for failing to collect and pay occupancy taxes on the full cost of the hotel rooms they were selling; three years later, the companies settled the suit and agreed to pay nearly $2 million in back taxes.

She then turned to the online home-rental companies. In 2014, she sued Airbnb, HomeAway, and TripAdvisor, alleging they should be classified as “dealers” renting accommodations under Florida law, and thus required to collect occupancy taxes on behalf of their hosts. In January, after five years, a judge ruled that the services were not dealers under Florida law and did not have to collect the taxes for hosts. Gannon is appealing the ruling .

In 2015, the Florida Department of Revenue signed a VCA authorizing Airbnb to collect and remit the 6 percent sales tax for all listings in the state, plus local sales and occupancy taxes for some counties.

Soon after, Gannon asked to see the details of the agreement; state officials told her it was confidential. So she sued the Florida Department of Revenue, alleging that the agency’s secrecy violated the state’s public records law. A few hours later, the department faxed a copy of its Airbnb VCA to Gannon’s office; she says she was instructed not to share it with anyone. It required Airbnb to provide the state only with aggregate data and allowed the company to withhold “any personally identifiable information” about hosts or guests. Most other VCAs signed with state or local governments contain identical language.

Officials say such details about hosts and their rentals are crucial to enforcing local laws and ensuring the lump sum tax payments match up with detailed data on stays. Shielding names and other details from tax officials “is a gross departure from standard practice,” says Bucks, the former tax commissioner.

In New Orleans, the February report by the city’s Department of Safety and Permits says Airbnb provided officials there with anonymous account numbers in place of addresses or taxpayer identifiers, making it difficult for the city to audit the information. “It is impossible to track whether we are getting all the money that we are supposed to get,” says Andrew Sullivan, chief of staff for Palmer, the New Orleans councilmember.

Airbnb disagrees. “Airbnb provides the necessary information to ensure tax payments are accurate, including number of nights, charges, and the amount of tax collected,” Nulty says. He says the company welcomes audits; however, many of the company’s VCAs prohibit cities from auditing Airbnb more than once every two years.

Airbnb's 2016 VCA with Sonoma County, California.

Palm Beach County’s monthly commissioners meeting is typically a dull affair. But October 16, 2018, was different.

The chambers were packed with people dressed in white, holding hot pink flyers. The reason: Gannon’s proposal to amend the county’s Tourist Development Ordinance to require platforms such as Airbnb to collect and remit occupancy taxes on behalf of hosts, and to share more data with the county.

A few weeks earlier, emails from Airbnb had arrived in the inboxes of its hosts in the county. “Home-sharing in Palm Beach County is under attack,” many declared in bold letters, asserting that Gannon had proposed an “unfriendly” ordinance that would make hosts’ lives more difficult. The emails implored hosts to attend the hearing and “use your voice to oppose this proposal and share the benefits” of home sharing.

Around 100 hosts attended the meeting. But Gannon was prepared. Having seen several of the emails, she assembled a three-page document rebutting what she calls Airbnb’s “campaign of misinformation,” line by line. The packet was printed on hot pink paper and given to each person who walked through the door.

During the meeting, some hosts expressed doubts about Airbnb’s position. Some recalled seeing a message from Airbnb stating that it was collecting and remitting taxes on their rentals, though the company was not. “I have this underlying fear ... that I am breaking a law that I don’t really know about,” said Ruth Riegelhaupt-Herzig, an Airbnb host since 2015.

“We thought Airbnb took care of everything, and I was a little scared I was in trouble with the government,” host Maria Vale said at the meeting. “All I’m saying is we’re the middle—the hosts are stuck in the middle.”

Nulty says that Airbnb makes it clear to hosts which taxes it collects via this webpage , which lists areas with VCAs and what taxes they cover. The page does not explain which taxes hosts are required to collect on their own. A different Airbnb page instructs hosts to tell guests to bring extra money when checking in so the host can collect taxes in person. Riegelhaupt-Herzig says that isn’t effective, as most guests are wary of paying an additional 6 or 10 percent directly to the host, in addition to the booking charges they paid online through Airbnb.

What’s more, all stays booked in the area have a charge labeled “Occupancy Taxes and Fees” added to the final bill, because of the state’s VCA. “So for us to turn around and say, ‘I’m sorry, you haven’t paid the occupancy tax in Palm Beach County,’ they think we’re scamming them,” which isn’t good for a reviews-based business, Riegelhaupt-Herzig told WIRED. She says she has been paying the county occupancy tax since October out of her own pocket.

Screenshot of the confirmation for a booking in Palm Beach County, Florida, showing occupancy taxes and fees.

After more than an hour of testimony, commissioner Dave Kerner said Airbnb had allowed its hosts to “be misled” about paying taxes. “That is concerning,” Palm Beach County mayor Melissa McKinlay said. ”And so I will support this ordinance today.” It was approved unanimously seconds later.

In San Diego last year, Airbnb took a different tack to counter a new law. City officials had signed a VCA with Airbnb in 2015. But they grew unhappy with the setup’s lack of transparency and the inability to audit, says San Diego councilmember Barbara Bry. What’s more, Airbnb use had skyrocketed in San Diego since then. In March 2015, there were more than 2,600 rental units listed on short-term rental sites in San Diego, according to Host Compliance; by 2019, that total had soared to more than 11,500. Host Compliance says two-thirds of short-term rentals in San Diego are posted on Airbnb. Bry says that the rise of full-time investor-owned short-term rentals in residential areas has hurt enrollment in public schools, transformed neighborhoods into districts of mini hotels, and contributed to a citywide housing shortage.

Last August, the San Diego City Council passed an ordinance that banned the short-term rental of homes that aren’t the owner’s primary residence and required platforms to collect taxes on behalf of their hosts, effectively overriding their VCA. Bry says she assumed Airbnb would sue, but it didn’t. Within days, Airbnb threw its weight behind a movement to overturn the new rules through a citywide referendum.

Public records show Airbnb donated $1.1 million to a California political action committee called “Committee To Expand the Middle Class, Supported by Airbnb, Inc.” That group reported spending $300,000 to hire signature gatherers to circulate petitions opposing the San Diego ordinance. Airbnb also directly donated $276,358 to a second group around the same time, records show.

Four weeks after the city council approved the new rules, representatives of Airbnb, HomeAway, and Stand for Jobs delivered more than 62,000 signatures calling for a referendum to rescind the ordinance, nearly twice the number needed to force a citywide vote.

City councilmembers said they didn’t want to risk losing the vote, so they rescinded the ordinance, with plans to try again. “I’m disappointed that a corporation reportedly valued at $31 billion descended upon our city with its unlimited millions of dollars and used deceptive tactics to force us to where we are today,” Bry said during a council meeting on October 22, just before the council voted to rescind its ordinance.

Airbnb says the petitions garnered so many signatures because the ordinance “would have devastated the local economy, impacted property rights in every San Diego neighborhood, and cost the city millions annually in tax revenue.”

The San Diego City Council plans to introduce a new short-term rental ordinance sometime this fall, Bry told WIRED. If Airbnb challenges a new ordinance, Bry says city officials will be more prepared, and will respond with their own public-education campaign and take the contested ordinance to a public vote.

Airbnb’s battles with local officials have intensified since last year’s Supreme Court ruling in a case involving online retailers. Some tax experts say the decision undercuts Airbnb’s position that it doesn’t have to collect taxes for its hosts. “There is no doubt whatsoever now that on a constitutional basis Airbnb can be required to collect [taxes],” says Bucks. “There is no justification for these special deals anymore.” Airbnb says it’s monitoring state-by-state developments related to the case.

Airbnb’s recent lawsuits against Palm Beach, Boston, and Miami focus on another aspect of those cities’ ordinances: a requirement that platforms remove listings that don’t comply with the law. Airbnb says the requirements are unconstitutional and technologically unfeasible. But the company does remove illegal listings in its hometown of San Francisco , and has conducted occasional or ongoing purges in New Orleans, Santa Monica, Japan , Berlin , Vancouver , and, briefly, New York City. In New York, Airbnb sued to block a city ordinance requiring it to turn over more detailed information on listings; a judge in January blocked the law from taking effect.

In Boston, city councilor Michelle Wu helped lead the push last year for an ordinance aimed at discouraging hosts from turning apartments and homes into mini hotels. The ordinance requires hosts to register with the city and restricts short-term rentals to owner-occupied units. “Airbnb describes itself as a quaint little home-sharing service … but the reality is that it has grown to be a corporate entity that makes millions of dollars from businesses taking advantage of loopholes and running de facto hotels,” she says.

On April 17, Airbnb sent emails to thousands of Boston Airbnb users criticizing Wu. The email claimed that she was aligned with “big hotel interests” and falsely said she intended to place a "restrictive 30-day cap on unhosted stays.” Wu says Airbnb never sought to discuss the ordinance or check the claims in the email. Airbnb says Wu’s proposal was “anti-tenant, anti-middle class,” and “overly restrictive.”

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The ordinance passed in June. Four months later, Airbnb sued the city, alleging the rules—which went into effect January 1—violate state and federal laws. Wu says the city modeled its ordinance after San Francisco's, which Airbnb complies with. The Boston lawsuit—much like others recently filed by Airbnb—only challenges requirements that platforms remove illegal listings and share information with local officials to aid enforcement. The suit seeks an injunction against parts of the law, and the city has agreed not to enforce those sections until a judge rules.

A few weeks after Airbnb sued Boston, Massachusetts governor Charlie Baker signed legislation to tax and regulate short-term rentals at both the state and local levels. The law, which goes into effect in July, requires hosts to register with the state. Information about hosts—minus specific house numbers—will be displayed on a publicly available registry, and hosts who run multiple rentals must pay additional taxes. Airbnb says the law will “jeopardize the privacy of our hosts while placing significant and unnecessary burdens” on them. The company says it is working with state officials to address those concerns.

Airbnb’s municipal confrontations have been a boon for Binzer, whose company Host Compliance works with 150 cities to identify short-term rental owners skirting taxes and regulations and to devise an enforcement strategy without striking deals with Airbnb. He used to be an occasional Airbnb host himself—and paid occupancy taxes—when he lived in Tiburon, California; then he was tapped to help local officials quantify Airbnb’s business in town. He says cities are often overmatched by Airbnb, in part because the company periodically tweaks the site in ways that impede tax collectors and enforcement agencies.

For example, Binzer says that until December 2016, Airbnb included the street name of a property in the metadata attached to the listing. Airbnb’s terms of service prohibit third parties from scraping its site for this kind of information, but critics say it’s crucial for enforcement. Officials in some cities used this data to identify hidden hosts. Then Airbnb removed the street name, and altered the geocoding for listings, changing the latitude and longitude so properties appear in slightly different locations.

“It's a cat and mouse game,” Binzer says. “They literally put the pin in the wrong place of where the actual property is.”

Airbnb says it shields the street name and other personal information related to hosts “to ensure an added level of privacy when third-party scrape sites aim to compile listing information.”

Around the time Palm Beach County Commissioners passed the short-term rental tax ordinance in October, Gannon says she spoke with a representative from Airbnb. She recalls the company floating a gradual implementation strategy: Airbnb would comply with some of the new rules immediately, but others—like a system requiring hosts to be properly registered with tax authorities—would be phased in over time.

Gannon thought that seemed reasonable, as long as Airbnb collected and paid the taxes. But she didn’t have time to see the discussion through. A month and a half after the ordinance was passed, Airbnb sued the county. The suit argues Airbnb can’t be required to police illegal listings and share host information because “Airbnb is a realization of Congress’s [free speech] goals” and a “classic intermediary.” It doesn’t question whether the company can be compelled to collect occupancy taxes; Airbnb is not collecting them in the county, though the ordinance went into effect on January 20. HomeAway also sued the county; the suits have since been combined.

“They were just stringing us along until they had their lawsuit ready to file,” Gannon says. “It’s typical of Airbnb … They're getting ready to issue an IPO and go public.”

Airbnb's lawsuit against Palm Beach County, Florida.

Updated 3-21-2019, 5:30 pm EDT: This story was updated to clarify the relationship between the American Hotel and Lodging Association and Airbnb, to clarify a characterization of Airbnb’s corporate citizenship, and to add a comment clarifying Airbnb’s position about its cooperation with the city of New Orleans. The updated story also makes clear that HomeAway was among the companies that helped draft a Tennessee law and that HomeAway has sued Palm Beach County.

Updated 4-5-2019, 4:50 pm EDT: This story was updated to correct the amount Airbnb spent to oppose a San Diego ordinance.

Updated 4-12-2019, 6:00 pm EDT: This story was updated to incorporate additional comment from Airbnb regarding the company's stance on collecting taxes.

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The top destinations in 2022 and 2023 travel trends, revealed

Key Takeaways

• In 2022, travelers sought out pools, beaches and iconic cities as their top destinations.
• With destinations such as Spain, Australia and New Zealand trending for 2023, give the gift of international travel with an Airbnb gift card this holiday season.
• For those who plan to gather in-person with loved ones again, consider hosting while away to earn some extra cash.

Airbnb is wrapping up the year with a bow, revealing the stays, categories and destinations that topped the charts in 2022, sharing our annual  holiday travel trends, and providing a sneak peak at what 2023 has in store for travel. 

If you’re still searching for that perfect gift for a loved one or friend, consider giving the gift of travel this holiday season with an Airbnb gift card. An Airbnb gift card 1   unlocks access to the platform’s vast collection of unique homes and one-of-a-kind Airbnb Experiences.

Top Categories for 2022 

In 2022, travelers found themselves sitting poolside or catching rays on a sandy beach . Both of these water-related Categories came in at the top spots, with Tropical , Beachfront , Surf Spot and Lake Houses also making appearances. 

Based on bookings from May 11 through September 30, these were the top 2022 travel categories for US guests 2 :

• Iconic City
• Countryside
• Cabin 
• Lake House 
• Ski Destination 

And just in time for holiday travel, the Airbnb 2022 Winter Release , introduced six new Categories this month, which are sure to join the ranks of most popular:

• New – Homes added to Airbnb within the past 10 weeks.
• Top of the world – Homes around 10,000 feet above sea level, often with stunning views.
• Trending – Highly-rated homes that received more listing views compared to the previous week.
• Adapted – Homes adapted for wheelchair access, with verified step-free paths into the home, bedroom and bathroom.
• Play – Homes with basketball courts, game rooms, miniature golf, water slides and more.
• Hanoks – Traditional Korean homes constructed of natural materials.

The return of international travel 

In 2022, we continued to see changes in the way people live, work and travel on Airbnb. It’s clear that the newfound flexibility offered by remote and hybrid work has led to a revolution in how we travel –especially when it comes to international destinations. 

The reopening of the largest inbound travel market in the world also unlocked pent-up demand from international travelers eager to reconnect with loved ones or visit their favorite stateside destinations once more. 

Between November 8, 2021 and September 30, 2022, stays of 28 nights or longer have been the fastest growing trip length among foreign travelers to the US 3 . In addition, more than 30 percent of international guests to the US this past year have been between the ages of 30 and 40. In the year since US borders reopened to international travelers, Airbnb Hosts in more than 7,500 different destinations across the US have welcomed international guests 4 . 

As cross-border travel has returned to the US over the past year, the most international guests have come from the following five cities 5 :

• London, United Kingdom
• Toronto, Canada
• Paris, France
• Seoul, South Korea
• Mexico City, Mexico

Besides the US, travelers crossed seas and continents to visit other foreign destinations which included locations ranging from Asia to Australia, and Europe to South America.

The following locations became the top trending global destinations that caught travelers’ attention, based on searches on the platform during 2022 6 : 

• Bangkok, Thailand
• Sydney, Australia
• Málaga, Spain
• Melbourne, Australia
• Itapema, Brazil
• Angra dos Reis, Brazil
• Capão da Canoa, Brazil
• Auckland, New Zealand
• Brisbane, Australia

‘Tis the season for sunshine getaways

For the  upcoming holiday season, travelers are continuing to escape the cold to warmer getaway destinations, still favoring pool, beach and tropical destinations. In the US, the top Categories for check-in dates between November 23 and December 31 are as follows 7 : 

• Iconic city
• Ski destination

From Terlingua, TX to Malibu, CA, here are some of the most wishlisted stays from the Top Categories of 2022 to help provide some wanderlust inspiration for your upcoming travel planning 8 .

This holiday season also presents a unique opportunity to take advantage of anticipated travel, and earn some additional income, and perhaps even pay for a trip to a trending destination. Earlier this month, Airbnb made it even easier to Airbnb your home through Airbnb Setup , featuring one-to-one guidance from a Superhost, the opportunity to host an experienced guest as your first guest, as well as one-tap access to specially-trained Community support agents. Together with even more AirCover for Hosts , which tripled damage protection to $3 million and expanded guest identity verification, among other top protections for both inside and outside your home, it’s a great time to become a Host and start earning.

Looking ahead to 2023

If you’re still searching for the perfect holiday gift, give the gift of travel with an Airbnb gift card . If you’re hoping to put your passport to use, consider exploring one of these top trending travel spots for 2023 international travel 9 . 

• Queenstown, New Zealand
• Florianópolis, Brazil
• Porto Seguro, Brazil
• Perth, Australia
• Salvador, Brazil

All bookings included in this press release are intended to inspire and illustrate. Airbnb does not endorse or promote these listings or any other accommodations or experiences on the platform.

Any forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release and reflect our beliefs and opinions as of the date of this press release. We expressly disclaim any obligation to update or revise any information contained in this press release, except as required by law.

Occupancy taxes

How do taxes work for hosts, how does tax payout and reporting work, how does occupancy tax collection and remittance by airbnb work, in what areas is occupancy tax collection and remittance by airbnb available, can i collect occupancy taxes for bookings, how to add taxes to listings, how does manual occupancy tax collection and payment work, how does occupancy tax collection and remittance work for hotels on airbnb travel llc, related topics.

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Portland’s Airbnb Fiasco Shows Why Regulation Often Fails

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Destinations around the country are trying to crack down on Airbnb and other short-term rentals. From megalopolises like New York and Los Angeles to vacation destinations like Aspen, Colorado, and Honolulu, local governments are attempting to limit the effect that short-term rentals have on their communities in areas like the availability of affordable housing for locals and safety for visitors.

But enacting restrictions on Airbnbs is one thing. Enforcing such regulations in the real world is another. And few cities demonstrate the perils of trying to put the home-sharing genie back in the bottle better than Portland, Oregon.

10 years of trial and error

A decade ago, Portland began requiring owners of short-term rentals to get a license for their property. However, Airbnb failed to remove listings that didn't comply with this law, so in 2019, Portland demanded that the platform offer better data sharing to allow it to check its registry of licensed rentals against properties actually on the platform.

Yet a scathing report from The Oregonian newspaper in 2023 revealed that local officials lacked the staff and technical expertise to use the data Airbnb provided, leaving many unlicensed rentals illegally operating on Airbnb.

In an email, Scott Karter, audit and accounting manager for the city of Portland’s revenue division, said the number of currently operating unlicensed rentals on Airbnb is believed to be "several hundred and possibly over 1,000."

"As we work through this process, we will be able to get a more accurate figure. We are still in the early stages of this process with Airbnb," Karter said.

Airbnb added a required permit number field to its listings in December 2023. A follow-up report from The Oregonian found that hundreds of rentals added bogus permit numbers, including eight properties that simply used the example number on the Airbnb website.

“There are some individuals who work hard and creatively to circumvent the permitting process,” Karter said.

The city of Portland isn't penalizing hosts or Airbnb for noncompliance because it lacks the resources to identify which properties lack licenses and which haven’t had theirs approved. The upshot is a vacation rental Wild West, with some hosts following regulations, others avoiding them, and guests largely clueless about whether their rental is operating illegally.

Housing and safety

Portland housing advocates have been waiting 10 years for the city to enforce the rules it established to minimize the impact of short-term rentals.

Lauren Everett, an organizer with Portland Tenants United, says it doesn’t make sense to pass bond measures and take other steps aimed at increasing affordable housing “while allowing people to use houses as hotels.”

Illegal Airbnbs, like those currently operating in Portland, sap housing supply at a time of dire need, according to Everett. The city’s lackadaisical enforcement approach means fewer available homes for residents.

“It has become a way for people to extract rent without worrying about tenants' rights,” Everett says.

Yet Airbnb insists that its short-term rentals represent a minuscule segment of Portland's overall housing supply.

"The majority of hosts in Portland share just one home to supplement their income and entire home listings represent approximately 1% of the city’s housing stock," Jordan Mitchell, a policy manager at Airbnb, said in an email. "We are committed to continuing to work with the City to support compliance, including identifying streamlined solutions to help address their registration backlog and staffing shortages, to ensure local residents and small businesses can continue to benefit from short-term rentals.”

Another issue driving attempts at regulation is safety. Portland’s official short-term license process involves a safety inspection. Yet to speed up permit processing, the city has performed only 14 of these inspections since 2019, according to The Oregonian report. That means that the vast majority of rentals are operating with no local safety oversight.

The dangers of unregulated short-term rentals were highlighted last year in Montreal when a fire at an illegal Airbnb killed seven people. Montreal, like Portland, has struggled to enforce its short-term rental policies, even after stricter regulations were introduced following the deadly fire.

A cautionary tale

Portland was one of the first major cities in the U.S. to require registration of short-term rentals like Airbnb. Ten years later, it is struggling to enforce these regulations. And it's hardly alone.

The city of Santa Barbara, California, recently hired a team of special investigators to crack down on illegal rentals, which the team estimated there are about 1,300. The enforcement team collected $595,000 in fines from 40 properties in its first year.

Los Angeles also requires short-term rental operators to obtain a license with the city. But according to a report from the McGill University School of Urban Planning, nearly half of the city's Airbnbs were operating illegally in 2022.

The similarities between these efforts to regulate short-term rentals suggest that cities need to focus on how regulations will actually be enforced. Otherwise, illegal rentals will proliferate, irritating local communities and those hosts who are complying with the law.

And some suggest Airbnb should be asked to shoulder more of the burden.

“Airbnb is making money off these communities,” Everett says. “They should be the ones paying for enforcement.”

How to maximize your rewards

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Bern Ticket

From your very first overnight stay at a tourist accommodation in the city of Bern, you will receive a Bern Ticket for your entire stay, which lets you travel for free on public transport in zones 100/101 operated by the LIBERO Association.

The Bern Ticket is ideal for travelling from A to B or for exploring and getting to know the federal city. With this ticket, you enjoy free travel in Bern and the surrounding area. All streetcar and bus journeys in zones 100/101 operated by the LIBERO Association are included.

Activate your Bern Ticket in the Bern Welcome app

To the step-by-step guide

Overview of the fare zones 100 and 101 in Bern

more information (German only)

The Bern Ticket also includes the famous Gurten and Marzili funiculars and the elevator to the platform of the Bern Minster.

On the day of your arrival, you won’t have to worry about a transfer ticket. If you haven’t already activated the ticket in advance via the Bern Welcome app, the hotel’s reservation confirmation is sufficient to travel from the train station or BERN Airport to your accommodation.

Discover Bern

Unesco stroll through the old city.

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When you’re planning your next Florida getaway, consider staying in one of our Pass-a-grille Beach vacation rentals! Pass-a-grille Beach is a hidden gem of Florida that has all the makings of an exciting vacation, whether you’re planning a romantic trip with your sweetheart or a fun family getaway. Either way, our vacation rentals in Pass-a-grille Beach have all kinds of great amenities to keep you in luxuries such as high-speed internet, a fully equipped kitchen, shared parking spaces, and close proximity to popular attractions!

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During your stay in one of our Pass-a-grille vacation rentals, you’ll never be more than a few minutes away from the best activities in the area. Head down to the beach to stick your toes in the sand and enjoy a little solitude in the sunshine, or get your souvenir shopping done on the World’s Smallest Main Street! You can also spend time on the water with a fishing charter or a sunset cruise. Of course, Pass-a-grille Beach is just a short drive away from St. Pete Beach, where you’ll find plenty more to discover!

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11 of the best airbnbs for hiking in the US, including homes near national parks and sprawling properties with private trails

When you buy through our links, Business Insider may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more

• Many Airbnbs are located near great hiking and some even have private trails.
• Unlike with camping, an Airbnb offers a hot shower and a real bed for after a long day on the trail.
• We've chosen highly-rated Airbnbs with great hiking options, ranging from $117 to $236 per night.

Camping is fun, but when you're planning on doing a lot of hiking, it's nice to end each day with a hot shower and a soft bed. Instead of sleeping on the ground, you can sleep trailside at an Airbnb within a short driving or walking distance from the trails. There are many cabins and homes located within proximity of some of the country's most famous walking paths and hiking areas, from the Pacific Crest Trail to the Great Smoky Mountains.

In addition to these public trails, some Airbnbs are located on huge properties that offer private trails just for their guests, which can be a great bonus if you're still trying to stay socially distanced this summer. We looked for Airbnbs across the US in proximity to great trails or with private paths.

Browse all of the best Airbnbs for hiking below, or jump to a specific area:

• The best Airbnbs for hiking
• FAQs: Where is the best hiking in the US?

More great outdoor vacation ideas

Here are some of the best airbnbs for hiking in the us, sorted by price from low to high., two-story cabin in marshall, north carolina.

Book this North Carolina Airbnb for hiking

With a wraparound deck and a private balcony in the master bedroom, there are many ways to enjoy the view overlooking the hillside from this Airbnb, but you'll also have access to the trails on the host's 60 mountainous acres. Just 25 minutes outside of Asheville, guests also have easy access to two trailheads (Berry Knob and Wild Harmony) that lead to additional well-maintained trails nearby. Marshall is also just 16 miles from Hot Springs, North Carolina where you can access the Appalachian Trail for even more hiking opportunities.

When you're done hiking, you can return home to soak your achy joints and feet in the outdoor clawfoot tub. The wood-paneled home with angled ceilings has a true rustic cabin feel, but it features modern conveniences like a washer/dryer and Wi-Fi. The kitchen is small, but workable while the upstairs bedroom is spacious with a King-sized bed, a sitting area, and an extra day bed. Cozy up on chillier nights by the gas fireplace in the living room.

Pacific Crest cabin in Meadow Valley, California

Book this Pacific Crest Airbnb for hiking

This 60s-era cabin has recently undergone a total renovation and is located near Bucks Lake Wilderness in Plumas National Forest, just minutes away from part of the famed Pacific Crest Trail. 

Though the cabin, in general, is fairly bare-bones, the kitchen is contemporary, with stainless steel appliances. Wood-paneling, plaid comforter and curtains, and a stone fireplace make for a traditional cabin feel. There is a small dining table and a comfortable living area a few feet from the sleeping quarters, with a full-size futon. Despite the close quarters, the cabin can still feel plenty spacious thanks to the Queen-sized Murphy bed that stays tucked away until you need it.

A screened-in porch is a nice place to enjoy the view without worrying about bugs. If you have a car, there is an attached carport that will keep it protected from snow or rain when not in use.

Warm Springs cabin in Fairplay, Colorado

Book this Colorado Airbnb for hiking

When it's not ski season, guests can make use of this private community's on-site hiking and biking trails or aim to summit Quandary Peak, located 21 miles away. Though you may be tempted to come back for the winter with Breckenridge just 30 miles away. 

The house sits on two private acres and is perched above a sprawling meadow surrounded by an aspen forest, so guests enjoy unobstructed views of the mountains in the distance. The interior is decorated in a contemporary farmhouse style, with yellow shiplap walls, a stone-bedecked fireplace, plush sofas, and a woodland motif that comes through in the mantle-topping moose sculpture and bear bedding.

Spacious home in Taos, New Mexico

Book this New Mexico Airbnb for hiking

Minutes away from numerous trails in Carson National Forest, this huge house has standout features like a heated floor, a huge fireplace in the living room, high-end kitchen appliances, and an outdoor hot tub to soak sore muscles. In addition to the hot tub, the main deck also has a grill, dining area, and a fantastic view of the mountain peeking just over the treeline. Hikers may be interested in venturing out to the nearby Williams Lake Trailhead, 35 minutes away by car, where they can try summiting Wheeler Peak, which sits at about 13,000 feet. 

The interior boasts contemporary furniture, beautiful exposed wooden beams, and plenty of natural light. With four bedrooms and four bathrooms, there's plenty of room to bring the whole family, and there is also a game room with ping pong, darts, and a foosball table. The backyard offers even more space, with benches surrounding the firepit. 

Stone house in Suffern, New York

Book this New York Airbnb for hiking

Located in a 100-year old stone garage steps away from Harriman State Park, this small home 30 miles northwest of New York City near the New Jersey border makes a great escape for an easy weekend away. The trails of the 50,000 acre Harriman State Park are within walking distance from the stone cottage, as is a 16th-century farmhouse where your host lives.

You'll also be able to enjoy the forest view right from the Adirondack chairs in the yard, which also includes a grill, a firepit, and an outdoor dining table for picnicking. The stone exterior is made all the more picturesque thanks to the small garden and pale blue windows. Inside, the home has been recently remodeled but maintains its quaint sensibility thanks to the modest furnishings including a plaid upholstered couch, wooden dresser, and foldout wooden dining table. Spread across two floors, downstairs you'll find the eat-in kitchen, while the bedroom with a Queen-sized bed is upstairs. 

Modern cabin in Shinglehouse, Pennsylvania

Book this Pennsylvania Airbnb for hiking

Sitting on 600 acres of private land, the hosts for this Airbnb allow guests to access their private hiking trails and three bass fishing ponds. Plus, guests are welcome to bring and ride their own horses or ATVs on the property. Though it feels a world away thanks to its remote location, the Allegheny State Forest is just 30 minutes away for additional exploring and hiking opportunities.

Great for a large family, the living room has three deep leather sofas and a gas fireplace surrounding a coffee table decorated with a ranch scene. The kitchen includes stainless steel appliances and an island for gathering, as well as a crockpot and both a Keurig and traditional coffeemaker. However, the real gem of this property is the barrel-shaped sauna, which is sure to be a well-deserved reprieve after a long day on the trails.

1930s farm stay cabin in Charlottesville, Virginia

Book this Virginia Airbnb for hiking

This cabin may be nearly a hundred years old, but it has been recently renovated and looks over Roundtop Mountain, a small orchard, and miles of private trails on this 100-acre private property. 

The house is stacked with amenities and fun features like a fireplace, gym equipment, a ping pong table, a billiards table, and a large library. But the highlight of the home is the beer tap in the kitchen (and if beer isn't your thing there are four wineries within 10 minutes of this home). Out on the deck, there is a firepit and a private hot tub and you'll also find several picnic tables scattered throughout the sprawling property so you can enjoy a nice meal outdoors and soak in the view.

Luxury chalet in Sevierville, Tennessee

Book this Tennessee Airbnb for hiking

This modern log cabin sits on an acre and a half of private property with access to private mountain hiking trails plus excellent proximity to Great Smoky Mountain National Park (and Dollywood in case you are a Parton fan).

From the outside, this angular log cabin strikes an impressive silhouette. With two stories of windows that let in plenty of natural light, the living room and upstairs loft look directly out over the forest canopy and toward the sprawling mountain valley. 

The interiors strike just the right balance between cozy cabin and luxury chalet, thanks to wood-paneled walls, floors, and ceilings, plus modern appliances and perks like a bathroom jacuzzi tub (also wood-paneled of course). As a bonus, there is also a private hot tub out on the deck and guests will have access to the community pool and tennis courts.

Secluded forest house in Leavenworth, Washington

Book this Washington Airbnb for hiking

In the Bavarian-themed town of Leavenworth, where visitors are within easy access of Washington's alp-like Enchantments, this guesthouse is a great home base for hikers. With options for both thru-hikers and day hikers, the trailhead to the Colchuck Lake Trail, which connects to the Enchantments Trail, is about 12 miles away.

Nestled in the forest, this home boasts large glass windows, high ceilings, and contemporary decor from the marble countertops to the geometric rugs. Wall decor like antique snowshoes still gives it a cabin vibe befitting a hiking spot. The larger master bedroom includes a custom-built bed made out of reclaimed oak and a small desk in case you need to get any work done.

A back deck looks out over the treetops and there is also a grill for outdoor dining. The unit is located above the host's garage and if you're looking for a trail a bit closer to home, there is an irrigation stream trail within walking distance.

Mountain lodge in Spearfish, South Dakota

Book this South Dakota Airbnb for hiking

Sitting on 200 private acres in the Black Hills of South Dakota, this huge 3,200 square foot house has four bedrooms and a two-car garage. There is access to a hiking trail right in the backyard and the view, best enjoyed from the deck-topping hot tub, looks out over 16,000 unobstructed acres of natural beauty. Spearfish is also home to many beautiful hiking trails that wind through a canyon rich in stunning waterfalls.

The property has many places to gather under the stars after a long hiking day in the hills, with an outdoor firepit, an under-the-deck fire pit, and a grill and dining table on the deck. There are also two spacious living areas, one with a gas fireplace, as well as a billiards table and complimentary mountain bikes. The interior decor is modest but comfortable, with wildlife decor details and plenty of pine.

Seaside cottage in Mount Desert, Maine

Book this Maine Airbnb for hiking

Located right inside the borders of Acadia National Park, this waterfront cottage is an incredibly rare find. The house is luxuriously modern with a style that is still down to earth, consisting of traditional furniture pieces, warm color tones, and pine walls. With numerous windows that look directly out at the Sound, the home gets excellent natural light and hikers will find themselves well-positioned to enjoy the park's coastal and mountain trails. However, be aware you will need a car to get around to the different trailheads. Even though you're inside a national park, you'll still be just down the road to nearby shops and restaurants.

It's a small house with just one Queen-sized bed, but it is designed for making the most of the beauty of the outdoors, with a wraparound deck that even has a charcoal grill. You'll also have your own private path that leads down to the water where there is a 150 square-foot yoga deck. For less-than-perfect weather days, the wood-burning fireplace can help you embrace the coziness of staying indoors while you enjoy the views. If the location appeals to you, but you have a larger group, the hosts also rent out a three-bedroom home across the stream on the other side of the property.

Which states have the best hiking?

Although hiking is subjective based on your skill level and what kind of landscapes you prefer, you can find great trails in just about any state, although Colorado, Washington, and California tend to be considered some of the best states for hiking thanks to the west coast's high-elevation mountain ranges. However, as the home of the Appalachian Trail, the east coast's hiking shouldn't be downplayed and you can also find lots of great trails from Georgia to Maine that become all the more beautiful when autumn colors take hold.

How do I find the best places to go hiking near me?

One fantastic resource for finding hiking spots is AllTrails , which lets you search for nearby public hiking trails wherever you are and has details on everything from small local loops to ambitious thru-hikes. You can filter by different factors like difficulty, length, accessibility, and dog-friendliness. Each hike has reviews and photos uploaded by hikers. 

Is it safe to hike right now?

Hiking is one of the safest activities you can do as you are out in the fresh air and it is easy to stay socially distanced. According to the latest CDC guidance , masks are not necessary when you are outside and away from others, but you should keep one within easy reach in case you have to pass any other hikers on the trail. The major benefit of staying on Airbnb with a private trail is not having to worry about encountering others.

Is it safe to stay in an Airbnb right now?

We consulted the experts who said the private home vacation rentals on Airbnb are safe , especially when you compare it to a hotel . With a private Airbnb, you remove the interaction with others and all hosts are required to follow Airbnb's enhanced cleaning protocol .

How do I book a vacation rental with private hiking trails?

Unfortunately, Airbnb does not have a filter that can help you find this amenity, but you can try typing in a variety of search terms like "private trails" or "hiking" and see what pops up. If a listing has private trails, many Airbnb hosts will advertise this in the primary title of the listing to get the attention of potential guests.

What is Airbnb's cancellation policy?

Each Airbnb host sets their own cancellation policies, which range from lenient to very strict. Be sure to understand the policy of the home you're considering before you book. You can find a full breakdown of Airbnb's cancellation policies here .

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I'm a Writer in Paris, and These Are the 12 Bag Styles that French Girls Are Carrying Into Summer — From $19

Don’t wait for the next season of Emily in Paris to discover these stylish finds that start at just $19.

Travel + Leisure / Daisy Rodriguez

In Paris, as weekends are planned around cafe terrasses and parks where we can soak up the most sun, French fashion is also shifting with the season . We’re slowly packing away puffer coats and wool winter jackets in favor of lightweight denim and linen blazers, with silk scarves tied expertly in place. Besides being able to wear dresses without tights, in spring I also love people-watching and seeing signs of what’s to come for summer — especially when it comes to bags. 

While catching up with friends for coffee at one of my go-tos like Partisan near Le Marais, I’ve noticed that even though temperatures are still in the 50s, everyone is dressing for the weather we want . Girls are wearing matching shorts-and-blazer sets with camel-colored crossbody purses or canvas bucket bags that could double as a beach tote (but for now carry a book to read in Parc des Buttes-Chaumont). In a city like Paris, where fashion and functionality so effortlessly come together, choosing a bag is similar to figuring out footwear for the day .

This summer, Parisians are trading out totes and fanny packs in favor of sleek slings, vintage-inspired shoulder bags, and crossbody phone purses that are pickpocket-proof yet still look chic. From splurge-worthy leather bags at Madewell to vibrant top-handle clutches at Amazon for less than $20, these 12 styles are all you need to get into the spirit of summer in France, whether you’re visiting Paris during the Olympics or plan to bask at beach clubs on the Riviera. 

Everlane The Studio Bag

Similar to New York, Paris is a city where you often spend the entire day running around and don’t have the chance to make it back to your Airbnb or hotel to freshen up before the next meal or museum visit. Cotton tote bags (especially these illustrated ones from legendary bookshop Shakespeare and Company ) have become as essential as an umbrella or sunglasses. A more structured alternative that will hold everything you need for the day yet still looks elegant for a nice dinner, Everlane’s The Studio Bag is the ideal compromise. 

Roomy enough for a 13-inch laptop, the cognac-colored leather purse snaps closed and has an adjustable shoulder strap, so it can fit snugly by your side. “I've been carrying this bag every day for a few weeks. It is a great size — holds everything without looking giant,” raves one shopper. “The quality of the leather is excellent, and, so far, I haven't seen any sign of it breaking down. The strap is wide enough that it never digs into my shoulder, despite carrying multiple books and a laptop.” I couldn’t imagine higher praise for a purse.

Bostanten Vegan Leather Crossbody Phone Bag

A super savvy take on a phone purse, this compact crossbody conveniently holds everything you’ll need on a trip to Paris in its cleverly designed pockets. The front phone space is disguised under the magnetic snap and can fit larger models like the iPhone Pro, while the main double pockets zip shut and one side has four built-in card slots. 

Great for cycling around town and practically pickpocket-proof for the train or métro , this is one affordable crossbody that looks chic (you can hardly tell it’s vegan leather!) yet is one of the most practical travel purses I’ve seen in a while. More than 5,000 reviewers are also fans: “I purchased this for a Caribbean cruise vacation, and I fit three passports, credit cards, a driver’s license, hotel keycard, car keys, a ship sea pass, and still had room for lipstick, a folded excursion map, receipts, and other essentials,” raved one shopper . “It can be used as a crossbody bag or on the shoulder, or you could also remove the strap and use it as a clutch. I might buy another in a different color.”

Madewell The Sling Crossbody

For a while, sling bags were replaced by fanny packs that are easier to adjust and pin across your chest while cycling or strolling through town. However, Bottega Veneta’s slouchy woven handbags reintroduced the look in a more stylish fashion, and this more functional version from Madewell allows the sling to shift from a shoulder bag to a crossbody. 

The adjustable strap offers more than enough support when worn across your body for a day of sightseeing or biking through vineyards in Provence. Plus, the woven straw material is the ideal look for a summer bag. “I've already gotten many compliments and I've only had this bag a week,” says one shopper. “Also, if you're like me and don't read descriptions, surprise — there's an outside zippered pocket that's perfect for a phone!” 

Telena Small Leather Sling Bag

As someone who has never gotten on board with a backpack (as a student at the University of Florida, I remained loyal to my Longchamp Le Pliage tote), I’ve always favored a fanny pack or sling as a hands-free option for traveling or music festivals. One of 35 different styles from Telena, this boho-chic crossbody sling is compact yet has room for nearly everything you need thanks to multiple organized pockets. An anti-theft pocket on the side can store money and IDs, while the front pouch opens to reveal five card slots, so you can leave bulky wallets at home. 

Even better, the design is reversible, so you can wear it comfortably on either side, depending on your preference. “I didn't think I would like a front sling purse, but I do!” raves one shopper . “It's the perfect size, feels like good quality, sits comfortably on me, and is great for everyday or travel — definitely recommend.”

Madewell The Essential Mini Bucket Tote

In the summer, I tend to go for the most lightweight option possible when it comes to a bag. When I came across this mini bucket tote at Madewell , I knew I found my new city bag. With a magnetic closure and interior pocket, this pint-sized version of the classic staple purse is spacious enough to carry everything I need (phone, keys, wallet, Glossier lip balm, portable charger), yet it’s still slim and streamlined. 

The shape is structured and sophisticated, and the cream color paired with gold hardware gives it that quiet luxury look everyone is embracing at the moment (thank you Succession !). As one shopper said, “ I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the magnet closure that snaps in place so that my belongings don't spill out. GET IT NOW if you're looking for a quality everyday bag that goes with everything.” 

JW PEI Joy Shoulder Bag

Fashion is a series of cycles and we’re reliving those '90s vibes that back then we couldn’t wait to be rid of. I, for one, am enjoying digging into the depths of my closet (and my older friends’ wardrobes) and reviving some of these gems that look similar to this slim, curved shoulder bag from JW Pei.

In Paris, this purse can go from day to night, matching everything from a floral midi button-down dress to tapered jeans with a white button-down and blazer. In the evenings, pair it with a little navy dress and strappy heeled sandals for a stylish date night ensemble that’ll have you fitting right in on your next trip to the City of Light.

Sézane Claude Bag

Sézane is one of those French brands that really can do no wrong. Each collection is as Parisian model-worthy as the next (and yes, they do actually love this brand), yet the pieces aren’t trendy. They’re timeless staples that’ll look just as fashionable in five or 10 years — and they’re known to be durable enough to last that long, too. (What's more, T+L editors love the brand , too.)

This half-moon shoulder bag is my leather go-to for the summer. Oversized but not clunky, the vintage-inspired periwinkle-blue bag can be worn crossbody or over the shoulder and, in addition to an inside and outside patch pocket, there’s also a zipped one to keep valuables secure. Italian-crafted with an adjustable leather strap and metal clasp with light gold finish, this smooth cowhide-leather purse is sleek but still strong enough to hold books, a notebook, and other items you’ll need for a day out in the city. This model is even customizable and can be monogrammed in gold on the back of the bag — voilà, the perfect gift for that friend who has everything. 

Zara Mesh Bucket Bag

The French have a way of making even something as simple as a mesh grocery shopping bag look chic. In summer, these bags often double as beach tote s, stuffed with Turkish towels and espadrilles. A version that plays on the simple household staple and gives it a major upgrade is this bucket bag from Zara, which is lined with an interior fabric bag and closes shut with a drawstring. Buckles cinch either side of the adjustable shoulder strap making it feel more like a purse than a casual carry-all for the market — although it would be a very stylish way to store produce from the morning marché in Paris. 

If you're looking for an affordable beach bag that will ship quickly ahead of your next trip, take a look at this $14 mesh tote at Amazon that's become so popular, more than 3,000 were bought last month. It has more than 6,500 perfect reviews and an impressive 4.7 rating, so you know it's been properly vetted.

Jiechengjophoo Mini Top-Handle Crossbody

Lately, on the métro, I’ve been noticing purses are micro-sized, large enough to hold AirPods, lip gloss, and a few credit cards. This tangerine top handle clutch is a stylish way to store accessories, and — the best part! — you won’t have to dig around to find them. The faux croc makes this glorified coin purse look much more expensive than it is. And, at under $20, it’s an easy purchase that doesn’t require a huge investment but will add that much-welcome pop of color signifying summer is finally here. 

As someone who only recently got on the bandwagon when it comes to colors that aren’t neutral, this shade — which resembles Hermès orange — is one I’ve been gravitating toward lately for everything from dresses to bags. “It's sooo cute — it’s a perfect ‘leave your purse at home’ date night kinda purse,” says one shopper . Another adds : “I have a Michael Kors orange purse and wallet and this color is a pretty good match! This purse is awesome quality for the price and is sewn really well.” 

J.Crew Berkeley Bucket Bag

A bucket bag is a timeless piece that deserves a place in your purse rotation, but what I love about summer in Europe is how canvas becomes the de facto fabric for the season — and this version is one of the chicest I’ve seen yet. Trimmed with cognac-colored leather with stripes running down either side and a simple tie closure, this bucket bag is structured without being bulky — and has enough space to tote a laptop or books. 

The oar-shaped details at the base of the handles (a nod to the brand’s labels from the ‘80s and ‘90s) gives it a sophisticated, vintage feel, and you can even add a personalized touch with a gold or silver foil monogram stamp. I can’t wait to wear this with a trench coat and sailor jeans in late spring or with patterned Zimmermann shorts and a breezy linen top in summer when I’m down in Nice and Cannes. It’s also a much more affordable alternative to pricey designer counterparts from Saint Laurent and Celine. 

JW PEI Aylin Canvas & Quinn Vegan Leather Cell Phone Crossbody Bag

You might’ve noticed a pattern of phone bags and canvas galore, and this polished crossbody, which is loved by Oprah , beautifully combines the two trends. The phone bag is swathed in textured canvas with black leather trim and a black vegan leather back. There are plenty of credit card slots, a pocket for your phone secured by a snap closure, and your keys can be hung from the outside hook.  “This bag is solid and well made,” a shopper wrote . “It’s very practical yet very stylish for on the go.”

In summer, when you want to feel as light as possible, this sleek crossbody won’t weigh you down as you’re cycling along the coast in Brittany or strolling through medieval perched villages in Provence. Plus, you can easily throw it into a larger travel tote so that it’s easier to find your phone and essentials while on a plane. Shop it in a brown version too, which seems to be the color for summer 2024.

Rouje Small Leather Bibi Bag

This vintage-inspired style from French-girl cool brand Rouje is a great everyday summer staple that can be worn with breezy dresses and wedges, a bikini and knit coverup, or with a more dressed-up ensemble like wide-leg jeans, a tailored linen blazer, and micro kitten heels. Adjustable so it can be worn over the shoulder or crossbody, this timeless piece is one that I’ll never get tired of — and it’ll be a great travel bag to bring on my trips since it’s compact and structured enough to pack in a carry-on and won’t get crushed.

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