Amex Partners With Airbnb

American Express is partnering with home rental service Airbnb to provide easy reward points redemption scheme for its cardmembers.

The partnership essentially integrates Airbnb’s offerings into Amex’s card benefits, which will now include allowing Amex cardmembers to log in to their Airbnb account using their Amex login ID and password and redeem their stay against points earned through spending on their Amex card.

Amex also announced the integration of an exclusive Amex checkout process, which much like Visa Checkout will allow members to pay for their booking without the need of pulling their card out of their wallet, according to a press release.

While the partnership facilitates ease of booking for Amex users, its benefits, in a way, extend even to non-Amex Airbnb users. All Airbnb members with a registered Amex card will be able to identify themselves as an Amex cardmember, which will act as another layer of additional verification that many Airbnb hosts might find meaningful given the nature of business. The company said when a cardmember sets up their Airbnb account using their Amex login, their Airbnb profile will show a badge to identify them and will allow hosts and guests to get more information on one another.

“This partnership makes booking an Airbnb in over 190 countries seamless and allows cardmembers to be verified with their American Express login within the trusted community of Airbnb,” said Lex Bayer, head of global payments and business development for Airbnb.

Airbnb’s Global Presence. Source: Airbnb.com

To kick off the partnership, Amex is offering eligible U.S. cardholders a $50 discount on all Airbnb bookings costing $100 or more from now until the end of the year — a move that aligns well with Amex’s latest attempts to regain its falling number of card users.

Since late last year, the New York-based company has faced a series of debacles after it announced the end of its partnership with Costco, which reportedly accounts for 20 percent of Amex’s loan portfolio. The company suffered another blow when it failed to meet Wall Street expectations in its earnings report last month. The company said that its bottom line declined 16 percent from a year ago, reflecting the pressures of both a stronger U.S. dollar and higher expenses.

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