Thanks to a new Amex Airbnb partnership, you can now book Airbnbs through Amex Travel and earn bonus points on those stays. And if you have The Platinum Card® from American Express or The Business Platinum Card® from American Express, your up-to-$600 annual hotel credit is now called the lodging credit and now covers eligible Airbnb Luxe homes, too. Those stays can also come with up to $250 for Airbnb Experiences. The bad news is that starting in 2027, you’ll need to book at least two nights to use the credit, so say goodbye to the one-night fancy hotel splurge.

In other Airbnb news, the company is cracking down on checkout chores. For bookings made on or after Nov. 20, hosts can’t make you strip the beds or take out the trash, which seems fair when you’re already paying a cleaning fee.

Meanwhile, Air China just launched a Copenhagen-to-Reykjavik flight. It sounds like a typo, but it’s a great example of a fifth freedom route. These flights can get you a much nicer seat on a shorter trip, and they can be cheaper, too. We explain what they are and how to book them.

Rove is a free travel rewards program that lets you earn transferable Rove Miles on hotels, flights, dining, and shopping using the credit cards you already have.

The real standout is hotels. Book a Loyalty Eligible rate through Rove and you can earn Rove Miles alongside your hotel points and elite night credits. Departure Digest listeners get a 1,000-mile welcome bonus instantly upon joining.

Don’t ignore repositioning flights. Flying from a nearby airport can sometimes unlock dramatically cheaper award space.

Have a travel or points question? Submit it here and it may be featured in a future episode.

The weirdest new route of the year launches today, and I’m way more excited about it than I should be.

This is Departure Digest. Today, we’re talking about a popular credit card benefit that just got a little less fun, Airbnb taking chores off your checkout list, and that weird new flight.

Let’s start with Amex. You can now book Airbnbs through Amex Travel and earn bonus points on those stays.

And if you have the Platinum Card from American Express or the Business Platinum, it gets even better, because your hotel credit now covers some of those stays too.

As a refresher, that credit gives you up to $600 a year toward prepaid stays through Fine Hotels + Resorts or The Hotel Collection, which you book through Amex Travel. It comes as two credits of up to $300, one for each half of the year.

It’s been renamed the lodging credit, and it now works on Airbnb Luxe bookings, which are high-end homes that Airbnb vets. Plus, when you book a prepaid Airbnb Luxe stay through Amex Travel, you’ll get a new credit of up to $250 for Airbnb Experiences. Think walking tours and cooking classes.

Now, the bad news, especially if that credit has been your excuse to book one night at a fancy hotel. Starting next year, you’ll need to stay at least two nights to use the credit. The Hotel Collection already worked that way, but Fine Hotels + Resorts let you use it on a single night.

To me, that single night was the whole appeal. At some of these hotels, $300 can basically cover a night. Now it’s just not as valuable. You can still book a one-night Fine Hotels + Resorts stay and get perks like breakfast and a 4 p.m. checkout, but the credit won’t apply.

If you haven’t used your credit yet, I’d book a one-night staycation before the end of the year.

Speaking of Airbnb, it made a big announcement of its own.

For bookings made on or after Nov. 20, hosts can no longer require you to do the work a cleaner would normally do. That means no more stripping the beds, washing and putting away dishes, starting laundry, or taking the trash out.

That’s fair, since you’re usually paying a cleaning fee too. Getting a chore list on top of that always felt a bit like paying for a car wash and then getting handed the sponge.

Hosts can still ask for small stuff, like putting dishes in the sink. And they can’t add surprise rules after you book, like a checklist taped to the fridge.

There are exceptions for local rules, like using the bear-proof trash can. And honestly, I’d probably do that one without being asked.

If your Thanksgiving rental is already booked, the new policy won’t apply, so check the house rules before you go.

Now, let’s talk about that weird new route. Air China just started flying from Copenhagen to Iceland today, which is a sentence I never expected to say. It’s also the kind of flight news I’d send the group chat and get zero replies.

The plane starts in Beijing and stops in Copenhagen on the way, so that last leg is what’s called a fifth freedom flight. It’s when an airline flies between two countries that aren’t its own, and it’s allowed to sell tickets on that stretch alone.

It works like a train. You don’t have to board at the first station. If it’s stopping where you are and heading where you want to go, you can hop on for just that part of the trip.

These routes often use big long-haul planes, so you can get a much nicer seat on a short trip. They can also be cheaper, or easier to book with points, because the airline is competing on someone else’s home turf.

And a few of these leave from right here in New York. Emirates flies from JFK to Milan, and from Newark to Athens, both continuing to Dubai. Singapore Airlines flies from JFK to Frankfurt on its way to Singapore.

I’d argue these are some of the most comfortable ways to get to Europe. Between the food, the service, and the seats, Emirates and Singapore are a step up from most U.S. and European airlines. I’ve flown the Singapore New York to Frankfurt route, and there’s something so fun about getting a little taste of Asia on your way to Germany.

So next time you’re planning a trip to Europe, keep an eye out for these flights. Depending on your dates, they could cost about the same as a U.S. airline, or have award seats when everyone else is sold out.

Okay friends, that’ll do it for today. And if your next Airbnb was booked before Nov. 20, sorry, the dishes might still be on you. Talk to you Wednesday.