We have a suggestion if you took advantage of the card_name‘s initial welcome promotion and still need to use your $200 vacation rental credit. It’s perfect if you prefer staying in hotels instead of other people’s homes.
The Initial Offer
Unfortunately, the promotion is no longer available to new applicants. But those who took advantage received up to $200 statement credit for purchases made through vacation rental companies Airbnb, Turnkey, Vacasa, and VRBO. The credit benefit is valid during the cardholder’s first year and not an annual perk — merely something offered as part of the now-defunct welcome offer. (See the current welcome offer in this post.)
Book Hotels Through Airbnb and VRBO!
I recently traveled to New York for the big reveal of Delta’s new Terminal C at LaGuardia Airport and what will be the airline’s biggest Sky Club.
I planned to stay for a few days and, naturally, needed somewhere to stay. I’m much more a “hotel person” than a “stay-in-someone-else’s-home” person. Even when it comes to visiting family, sometimes I’m like, Nah, I’ll bed down at a hotel, thanks.
That’s weird to some people, I know. I’m not against vacation rentals. In fact, I’ve enjoyed some great stays at a few vacation rentals. But, given a choice, I usually prefer hotels.
Still, I had my Cap One Venture X $200 vacation rental credit to burn. So, I logged into Airbnb to see what was available in Manhattan. Maybe a quaint place in Greenwich Village? Somewhere decent near Central Park?
Lo and behold, Airbnb showed me dozens of hotels!
Each listing gives a quick pitch of the property and doesn’t name the hotel in the search results. You have to click through to discover exactly which hotel is featured. For example, “Hotel room in Theater District” was Hotel 46 Times Square. “Hotel room in Midtown Manhattan” was the Yotel New York.
Most hotels were boutique properties.
I found the StayPineapple on West 36th Street between 8th and 9th Avenues. (Review coming soon.) Its proximity to Penn Station was great. (Although, the neighborhood isn’t fantastic — especially at night.) Plus, it looked like a fun, quirky hotel that would be cool for a one-night stay.
The price point attracted me, too. After taxes, the total was $208.90 for a single night. So, I booked it. (I used a free night certificate and points to stay at the Crowne Plaza HY36 Midtown Manhattan for the final two nights.)
The statement credit showed up about a week later. My reservation ultimately cost me $8.90!
I knew ahead of time the hotel charges a $25 amenity fee. (That’s standard, by the way, for many hotels now.) That came to $28.69 (after tax, of course) and I paid onsite with my card_name because it earns 3X Chase Ultimate Rewards®® points on travel purchases.
Paying $37.59 for one night at a decent hotel is excellent.
In case you’re curious: check-in and everything else was treated just like a “normal” hotel booking. There were no problems at all.
VRBO is a Capital One shopping portal partner and offers 5% statement credit on purchases. That should stack with your vacation rental statement option, too. However, VRBO’s hotel selection pales in comparison to Airbnb’s. (At least, from my research.)
Final Approach
Don’t stress if you don’t enjoy staying in strangers’ homes (especially when they’re there — that’s kinda strange to me). If you opened a card_name when the $200 vacation rental statement credit benefit was available and still need to use it, VRBO and Airbnb offer hotels. Booking a hotel through Airbnb worked for me. So, remember to use the benefit and enjoy your trip!
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An excellent reminder than many metropolitan areas, including the Big Apple, have countless independent hotels of varying quality!
I really appreciate this article as I’m about to use my $200 credit. The AIRBNB and VRBO selections for where I’m going are pretty comparable. As such, I’m going to use VRBO and take advantage of the 5% statement credit of which I was previously unaware.
I’m glad this helped you! I was about to let a couple of friends who love Airbnb use my credit. But then I thought, “Ah, maybe I can find something in New York.” Everyone wins! (Well, except those two friends who would’ve used my credit. 🙂 )