Banks and credit card companies are not only in the business of awarding points and miles when you spend money—they also serve as travel agents with their own booking portals. As The Points Guy points out, there are some advantages to reserving your flights, hotels, and rental cars through programs like Chase Ultimate Rewards, Capital One Travel, and American Express Travel even if you’re not using your rewards. But depending on your circumstances (and travel plans), sometimes it’s better to book directly.
Here’s when you should (and shouldn’t) book travel through a rewards portal.
When you should book travel via a rewards portal
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You should consider booking your travel through a credit card portal when this offers good value for your dollar:
- You have credit card points or miles to redeem. You should regularly use your travel rewards, which are likely to lose value over time. We recommend banking only what you plan to use in the next year and spending the rest. Obviously, you want the best value for your points, which in some cases may mean transferring them to a partner before booking (more on that below).
- You have travel credits to use. Certain credit card and reward portal combinations unlock significant travel credits that can be used toward flights, hotels, and rental car reservations. For example, Capital One Venture X cardholders are eligible for $300 annually on travel booked through the Capital One Travel portal.
- Your earnings are higher. Similarly, some travel credit cards accrue points or miles at an even higher rate when used on bookings through rewards portals compared to purchases made directly with hotels and airlines. Chase Sapphire Reserve cardholders earn 3 points per dollar on most travel—that jumps to 10 points per dollar on rental cars and hotels and 5 points per dollar on flights booked through Chase Ultimate Rewards.
- You’re eligible for free perks. When reserving certain hotels—such as Amex Fine Hotels + Resorts properties and Chase Luxury Hotel & Resort Collection—through your credit card portal, you may get access to extras like free breakfast, cash credits, late checkout, or room upgrades not offered with direct bookings.
When booking through a rewards portal, be sure to read any fine print, as the fare rules and restrictions on reimbursement or changing/canceling your reservation may be strict.
When you should book directly with an airline or hotel
In some cases, though, it’s better to book your flights and hotel stays directly:
- You have hotel or car loyalty program perks to apply. Depending on the rewards portal, you may not have the option to connect your hotel loyalty program number to your reservation, meaning you could lose out on benefits like mobile check-in, preferred rooms, and free nights. The same goes for car rentals: without express check-in, you could end up waiting in a long line during pickup. Even if you are able to add your loyalty number, you may be ineligible for some perks.
- You may need to change or cancel your flight. If you think there’s a chance that your travel plans will change, you may want to consider booking with the airline directly, which may make reimbursement or rebooking smoother than navigating a credit card portal and associated points. Similarly, if your flight is canceled due to weather, you may be required to go through the portal rather than the airline to rebook. You’re also not guaranteed to get points redeposited versus receiving a voucher for future travel.
- Your points or miles are worth more through transfer partners. Credit card reward portals allow points to be transferred to partner programs, including airlines and hotels, which can then be booked directly. Chase Ultimate Rewards users have access to 11 airline and three hotel partner programs; American Express offers nearly double that. In some cases, points are actually more valuable once transferred.
It’s also generally safer to book directly than via an online travel agency (OTA) such as Expedia or Kayak. These third-party sites often have stricter policies around changes, cancellations, and refunds as well as worse customer service than the actual airline or hotel. While they may occasionally be cheaper, OTAs generally aren’t worth it.