We recently returned from our trip to Europe which included stops in Venice, Prague, and Croatia.  If you’ve ever travel with a family to Europe you probably know how difficult it is to find hotel rooms that will fit 3 let alone 4 people.  We ended up with two rooms at both hotels in Venice and Prague.

For our two stops in Croatia, I booked our first ever Airbnb stays.  I wish I would have tried Airbnb sooner, we had two great experiences in Split and Dubrovnik.

I can’t wait to book another stay.  And yes, the photo above is the airbnb we stayed in Durbovnik.

But with my excitement in booking the stays, I made a few mistakes that I want to share with you so you don’t make the same mistakes.

I had no idea that I could earn Delta miles (which never expire) on Airbnb stays just by going through the website:  http://www.deltaairbnb.com

You earn 1 Delta mile per $1 spent on Airbnb stays – it couldn’t be easier.

MISTAKE #2 – NOT MAXIMIZING MILES EARNED

Sure I used my Chase Sapphire Preferred credit card which earns 2X points on travel, but I should have earned 5X points by using my Chase Freedom card to purchase Airbnb gift cards at the quarter’s 5X category (typically gas stations, grocery stores, or pharmacies).

I could have also bought discounted gift cards on ebay or Raise.com ($10 off your first purchase).  You can also earn United miles by buying Airbnb gift cards through the MileagePlus X app.

Don’t forget to load gift cards to your Airbnb account before booking a stay or experience.

Chase Sapphire Preferred

This is arguably the best all-around card for beginners.  The 60,000 point welcome offer is worth at least $750 when used on the Chase Travel portal to book travel.  But I prefer to get even more value from the points by transferring them to Chase’s travel partners such as Hyatt, United, and Southwest.

The card also offers 2 points per dollar for all travel & dining purchases, no foreign transaction fees when traveling abroad, and includes primary rental car coverage so you can decline rental car companies insurance.

The card’s annual fee is only $95.  Learn more and apply here.

Chase Freedom

There is currently a $150 bonus (15,000 points) after you spend $500 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.

Earn 5X points on up to $1500 each quarter in rotating categories (Restaurants, Grocery Stores, Amazon.com, etc).

Points are worth 1¢ each (15,000 points = $150) unless you hold a Chase Premium Ultimate Rewards card (such as the Sapphire Preferred or Sapphire Reserve) where you can transfer points to airlines and hotels.

No Annual Fee.  Learn more and apply here.

MISTAKE #3 – NOT USING A REFERRAL LINK

I could have saved $40 off my first stay and another $15 off my first Airbnb experience (cooking class, tour, etc) if I had used someone referral link, but didn’t.

Don’t have an Airbnb account yet?  Sign up with my referral link to get your $55 off your first stay.  And don’t worry if you aren’t booking a stay right away – you have a full year from account sign up before the credit expires.

NEED TO KNOWS

• Be sure to book through www.deltaairbnb.com to earn Delta miles on Airbnb stays
• Be sure to maximize points and miles earned when booking stays by buying gift cards where you can earn 3X, 4X, or 5X miles and points and/or purchase discounted gift cards
• Use a referral link to save $55 off your first stay