How to Check Your Airbnb Gift Card Balance (and Why It Won't Redeem)
An Airbnb gift card has no stand-alone balance page. Its value only becomes visible once you add the card to an Airbnb account, where it turns into Airbnb gift credit under Account settings → Payments. Here is how to redeem a physical card or a digital link, where to read the balance, the country rule that rejects more cards than anything else, and why a card bought in Europe pays for a stay but not for an Experience.
Check your account country matches the card
Do this first, because once a card is on an account it cannot be moved. Airbnb's redemption article says claiming a gift card requires your account's Country of Residence to match the card's issuing country. Every regional terms page adds a second condition: you need a payment method issued in that same country. The US terms, for example, limit cards bought in the US to people living in the US — not US territories or possessions — with a US-issued payment method.
- A US card needs a US-resident account and a US-issued card or bank method on file.
- A UK, Canadian or Australian card works the same way for its own country; travelling does not unlock a foreign card.
- A European card is the exception: Airbnb says members in the European Economic Area can redeem cards from other EEA countries if they hold a valid payment method from that region. The Europe terms list the countries whose residents can use them — Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.
Redeem the gift card
Airbnb's Help Center describes three routes, depending on what kind of card you have.
Physical card or shared code, from any browser:
- Go to airbnb.com/gift.
- Log in, or sign up if you do not have an account yet.
- Enter the 19-digit gift card number and the alphanumeric PIN (on the back of a physical card).
- Click Redeem gift card.
Already signed in on desktop:
- Click Profile, then Account settings, then Payments.
- Click Credits and coupons, then Add gift card.
- Enter the 19-digit number and the PIN, then click Redeem gift card.
Digital card sent by email or text:
- Open the email or text and tap the claim link (the Redeem button).
- Log in or create an account if asked.
- The redemption page opens pre-filled; tap Redeem gift card.
Airbnb recommends updating the app first, particularly for digital links. Once redeemed, a physical card or shared code is deactivated and its full value moves to your account, where it stays: the balance cannot be transferred to anyone else.
Read your Airbnb gift credit balance
- On Airbnb, click Menu (or Profile in the app).
- Open Account settings, then Payments.
- Find Airbnb gift credit — the figure shown is your current balance.
- Click Current balance to see which gift cards have been applied to your account.
That is the only place a balance exists. Airbnb's balance article is explicit that you will only see a balance after you have added the gift card's funds to your account, and its gift card page gives the same answer: after you redeem, the balance appears in Account settings. Every card you add is pooled into one gift credit total, and a balance can be spread across more than one booking.
Note that the menu labels differ slightly between Airbnb's own pages (Payments in the Help Center, Payment Methods in the gift card FAQ) and between app versions. If you cannot find it, look for the payments section of Account settings rather than for a specific label.
Apply the credit before you confirm a booking
Airbnb applies gift credit automatically when you book an eligible stay, Experience or service. The one thing to check is that it is there before you confirm: the redemption article says gift credit must be applied before checkout and a confirmed booking cannot be changed to use a gift card afterwards. The regional terms also exclude changes to existing reservations.
- Balance smaller than the booking: the rest is charged to another payment method.
- Split payments: Airbnb says gift cards can be used with Pay Part Now, Part Later and Reserve Now, Pay Later.
- Cancelled booking: Airbnb's buying guide says refunds from cancelled bookings go back to the gift card balance, not to a bank card.
What the balance pays for: US vs Europe
This is the rule that surprises people most. Outside Europe, gift credit covers everything Airbnb sells to guests. Inside the EEA and Switzerland it covers stays only. The Europe terms put it in one line: “In Europe, Gift Card balances may only be used to buy Accommodations.” Airbnb's gift card page says the same in plainer words: “If you are based in Europe, gift cards can only be used to book homes.”
| Charge | US, Canada, UK, Australia | EEA and Switzerland |
|---|---|---|
| Accommodation (homes, stays) | Yes | Yes |
| Airbnb Experiences | Yes | No |
| Airbnb Services | Yes | No |
| Changes to an existing reservation | No (excluded in the UK and Australia terms) | No |
| Resolution Center payments and Damage Report amounts | No | No |
| Buying another Airbnb gift card | No | No |
| Cash withdrawal or transfer to another account | No, except where the law requires it | No, except where the law requires it |
If you live in Europe and want to spend the balance on an Experience, the honest answer is that you cannot. Put it towards the accommodation part of a trip and pay for the Experience with a bank card.
Expiry, fees and refunds by country
Airbnb publishes separate gift card terms per market. We read the five most relevant to English-speaking readers; all five say there are no fees and no expiry.
| Market | Issuer | Terms last updated | Expiry / fees | Notable rule |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | Airbnb Gift Card Services, LLC | July 29, 2025 | Never / none | US residents only, not territories; Virginia law, arbitration |
| Canada | Airbnb Ireland UC | July 29, 2025 | Never / none | Canadian payment method required; Quebec residents keep Quebec law |
| United Kingdom | Airbnb Ireland UC | June 10, 2025 | Never / none | UK payment method required |
| Australia | Airbnb Ireland UC | September 12, 2025 | Never / none | Australian payment method required |
| EEA and Switzerland | Airbnb Ireland UC | November 11, 2024 | Never / none | Accommodation only; 14-day withdrawal right for cards bought online, which ends once the card is added to an account |
Airbnb also publishes terms for Mexico, New Zealand and Brazil. In Brazil gift cards are not sold on Airbnb.com at all — only through third-party retailers and stores.
Troubleshooting: why an Airbnb gift card will not redeem
| What you see | Likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Card refused when you try to claim it | Your account's Country of Residence differs from the card's issuing country | Check the country in Account settings. If you genuinely live elsewhere, the card belongs on an account in its own country. |
| “Invalid” number or PIN | Look-alike characters typed wrong | Airbnb flags O vs 0 and I vs 1 specifically. Retype the 19-digit number and PIN slowly. |
| Card already redeemed | It was added to an account, possibly someone else's | Check every Airbnb account you or your family use. If nobody you know redeemed it, contact Airbnb Customer Support with the receipt. |
| Credit not taken at checkout | The booking is an Experience or service and your card is European, or the charge is excluded (reservation change, damage claim) | See what the balance pays for. Pay the excluded part with another method. |
| Booking confirmed without the credit | Gift credit was not applied before checkout | Airbnb cannot switch a confirmed booking to a gift card. Use the balance on your next booking. |
| Buying a card fails | Billing address country differs from the card's purchase country | Buy from the Airbnb site for your own country with a payment method issued there. |
| Digital link does nothing in the app | Outdated app version | Update the Airbnb app, or open the link in a browser and redeem at airbnb.com/gift. |
Lost cards, unclaimed property and cancellations
Lost or stolen before redemption. The US and Canada terms put the risk of loss on the buyer or recipient from the moment the card is delivered, and the issuer is not responsible for cards that are lost, stolen, destroyed or used without permission. Airbnb's guide adds that recovery is often impossible without the number and PIN — keep the receipt and a photo of the card.
Unclaimed property (US). The balance does not expire, but Airbnb notes that in the US a card left unused for several years may be subject to state unclaimed property laws. Redeeming the card onto your account soon after you receive it avoids the question.
Fixed value. Airbnb's buying guide says “The value of a gift card is locked at the time of purchase and cannot be increased or decreased.” Cards cannot be reloaded; to add value, buy another card and redeem it to the same account — multiple cards combine into one balance.
Refunds of the card itself. Gift cards are non-refundable, except that in Europe a card bought online carries a 14-day withdrawal right that ends as soon as it is added to an Airbnb account.
Balance-check sites and other scams
Airbnb runs no card-number balance checker. A site that asks you to type in an unredeemed number and PIN “to check the balance” can do only one useful thing with them: redeem the card on its own account. The FTC's gift card scam guidance applies here as it does to every brand:
- Only enter an Airbnb gift card on airbnb.com or in the Airbnb app.
- Hosts never need a gift card. Airbnb's terms only let gift credit pay for bookings made through the platform; a host or “Airbnb agent” who asks for a gift card number to secure a stay off-platform is running a scam.
- Never read out or photograph a PIN for someone else. A redeemed card is locked to the account that redeemed it.
- If it has already happened, contact the seller of the card and Airbnb Customer Support immediately, and report it at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
Buying Airbnb gift cards for a team
A stay is one of the few rewards people remember years later, which makes Airbnb a common pick for work anniversaries, sales-incentive winners and end-of-year thanks. Airbnb sells to businesses through three routes:
| Route | Best for | Delivery |
|---|---|---|
| Airbnb.com gift card store | A handful of cards; you choose the design, amount and a message of up to 150 characters | Email (now or scheduled), shareable text link, or mail |
| Airbnb's business gift card portal | Corporate bulk orders; Airbnb's help article sends bulk buyers to its Business portal | Digital |
| Airbnb sales team | Orders of $10,000 or more, per Airbnb's US gift card page | Arranged with sales |
Physical cards are also sold at retailers; in the US Airbnb lists Target, Walmart, Best Buy, CVS, Walgreens, Kroger, Safeway and Whole Foods. Airbnb's own pages disagree on mailed cards: the buying guide lists mail delivery for the US and Canada with Australia and the UK “coming soon”, while the “How Airbnb gift cards work” article already lists all four. Check at checkout before you promise a physical card.
Three things to plan for before you buy for a team:
The country lock. Each card works only for residents of the country it was bought in (or, in Europe, the EEA countries in its terms), and you must buy it with a payment method from that country. A team spread across the US, UK and Germany needs three separate purchases — the same constraint covered in our guides to buying Amazon gift cards in bulk and Visa gift cards in bulk. Your European employees also get a card that only pays for stays.
Not everyone wants a trip. A stay needs time off and a reason to travel. For milestone rewards it lands well; as a routine spot award it can sit unused. A choice-based reward, where each person picks from a catalogue of brands, avoids that.
Tax. In the US a gift card given to an employee is a cash equivalent and taxable as wages whatever the amount — see the IRS rules on gift cards for employees. Other countries have their own thresholds, for example the UK trivial benefits exemption, and our guide to rewarding remote teams across countries compares them. For programmes that send rewards continuously, a bulk gift card API issues and delivers codes in each recipient's currency automatically; our bulk gift cards buyer's guide compares the options.
Frequently asked questions
How do I check my Airbnb gift card balance?
Redeem the card first, then go to Menu → Account settings → Payments and find Airbnb gift credit. The amount shown is your balance; click Current balance to see the individual cards applied.
Can I check an Airbnb gift card balance without redeeming it?
No. Airbnb offers no card-number-and-PIN lookup; the balance only appears after the card's funds are added to an account. Any site claiming to check an unredeemed Airbnb card is not Airbnb.
Where do I enter an Airbnb gift card code?
At airbnb.com/gift, or when signed in under Profile → Account settings → Payments → Credits and coupons → Add gift card. You need the 19-digit card number and the PIN. A digital card redeems from the link in its email or text.
Do Airbnb gift cards expire?
No. Airbnb's US, Canada, UK, Australia and Europe terms all say gift cards and balances do not expire and no fees apply. In the US a card left unused for years may fall under state unclaimed property laws, so redeem it early.
Can I use an Airbnb gift card for Experiences?
In the US, Canada, the UK and Australia, yes — gift credit covers accommodation, Experiences and services. In the EEA and Switzerland, no: gift card balances may only be used for accommodation.
Can I use an Airbnb gift card from another country?
Usually not. Your account's Country of Residence must match the card's issuing country and you need a payment method from that country. Within the EEA, members can redeem cards from other EEA countries with a valid payment method from the region.
Can I add a gift card to a booking I already made?
No. Airbnb says gift credit must be applied before checkout and confirmed bookings cannot be changed to use a gift card. Keep the balance for your next booking.
What happens to my gift card money if I cancel?
Airbnb says refunds from cancelled bookings go back to your gift card balance rather than to a bank card.
Can I transfer my Airbnb gift credit to someone else?
No. Once a card is claimed, its balance is locked to that account. If you want to give it away, pass on the unredeemed card number and PIN instead.
Can I combine several Airbnb gift cards?
Yes. Every card you redeem adds to one gift credit balance, and that balance can be used across more than one booking.
About the author and reviewer
Maciej has worked in the digital gift card and rewards industry for over 5 years, with hands-on experience integrating and testing balance-check, activation, and redemption flows for 5,000+ brands across 150+ countries. He verified every step, rule and policy statement in this guide against Airbnb's Help Center articles and its US, Canada, UK, Australia and Europe gift card terms on November 4, 2026.
- Airbnb Help Center — Checking your gift card balance (Menu → Account settings → Payments → Airbnb gift credit, Current balance, balance only after redemption) — verified November 4, 2026
- Airbnb Help Center — Redeeming your Airbnb gift card (airbnb.com/gift, 19-digit number and PIN, Credits and coupons path, digital links, Country of Residence rule, EEA cross-border rule, apply before checkout)
- Airbnb Help Center — How Airbnb gift cards work (delivery formats, no expiry or fees, unclaimed property, lost cards, split payments, EEA accommodation-only, O/0 and I/1)
- Airbnb Help Center — Buying an Airbnb gift card (countries, billing-address rule, fixed value, refunds of cancelled bookings to the balance, Business portal)
- Airbnb — U.S. Gift Card Terms and Conditions (Airbnb Gift Card Services, LLC; last updated July 29, 2025)
- Airbnb — Canada Gift Card Terms and Conditions (last updated July 29, 2025)
- Airbnb — UK Gift Card Terms and Conditions (last updated June 10, 2025)
- Airbnb — Australia Gift Card Terms and Conditions (last updated September 12, 2025)
- Airbnb — Europe Gift Card Terms and Conditions (accommodation only, eligible countries, 14-day withdrawal right; last updated November 11, 2024)
- Airbnb — Gift cards (US) (retailers, Europe homes-only FAQ, business purchases, $10,000+ orders via sales; checked November 4, 2026)
- US Federal Trade Commission — Gift Card Scams