You have many options for booking travel, whether you want to book directly with airlines and hotels, use an online travel agency or book with your credit card’s travel portal. Using a credit card travel portal may allow you to take advantage of cardholder benefits and credits and give you additional choices for your booking.
Understand how to use credit card travel portals to save money on your next trip and maybe get some elevated perks along the way — but also recognize when it doesn’t make sense.
[Read: Best Travel Rewards Credit Cards.]
What Are Credit Card Travel Portals?
Similar to online travel agencies, such as Expedia or Booking.com, credit card travel portals are online travel booking platforms. Cardholders can use credit card travel portals to browse and book travel options, including flights, hotels, rental cars and experiences using your credit card or rewards.
Credit card travel portals include:
— American Express Travel.
— Capital One Travel.
— Chase Travel.
— Citi Travel.
Some credit cards offer cardholder savings or perks when you book travel using the issuer’s credit card portal, such as travel credits or cardholder privileges, including free breakfast or late checkout.
How Credit Card Travel Portals Stack Up
When you use a credit card travel portal, the amount and method of payment may be the deciding factors in how you book. Using a credit card travel portal to book travel can save you money, but not always.
We compared a midweek economy flight from Los Angeles to New York and a weeklong stay at a three-star hotel in Manhattan. In some cases, credit card travel portals were competitive, but Expedia had the lowest overall price for flight and hotel costs on this test trip.
Still, this is just one example, and travel prices can fluctuate depending on how you book. It’s always a good idea to compare all of your options.
[Read: Best Cash Back Credit Cards.]
Benefits of Credit Card Travel Portals
Booking your travel with a credit card travel portal can help you earn more points or redeem travel credits. Some examples:
— Cardholders of the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card get a $300 annual travel credit for bookings through the Capital One Travel site. When booking on the Capital One Travel site, cardholders earn unlimited 10 miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars and 5 miles per dollar on flights. (See Rates and Fees)
— With The Platinum Card® from American Express, cardholders get a $200 annual hotel credit for prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts or The Hotel Collection bookings with American Express Travel and earn five points per dollar on flights and prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel. (See Rates and Fees)
— Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card holders get a $50 annual Chase Travel hotel credit and earn five points per dollar on Chase Travel purchases.
“Using the travel credits is huge,” says JT Genter, editor in chief of rewards and travel tracking tool AwardWallet. “Card issuers are leaning more towards those only being accessible through the portal.”
Credit card travel portal bookings may help your points go further, too. “Because I have a Chase Sapphire Preferred Card, when I use the (Chase) portal to book travel, my points get an extra 25% bump,” says Chip Chinery, personal finance blogger at Chip’s Money Tips. For example, you’d only pay 100,000 points for a flight or hotel that would require 125,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points to book without the points boost.
Helpful features can add up to savings on credit card travel portals. For example, Capital One Travel offers a price match guarantee. Genter used the Capital One Travel price match feature on a flight from Cairo to Marrakech, Morocco. Although he booked with Capital One Travel, an online travel agency had a better price. He was able to price match with Capital One Travel to get a travel credit.
Genter points out that cardholders of The Platinum Card from American Express can take advantage of the International Airline Program for potential savings on international flights in first, business or premium economy.
You may also get benefits for booking with credit card travel portals, particularly when booking hotels. For example:
— Cardholders of The Platinum Card from American Express get elite benefits at participating hotels, including early check-in, room upgrades, breakfast for two, a $100 experience credit, complimentary Wi-Fi and guaranteed 4 p.m. check-out.
— If you have a Chase Sapphire Reserve®, you can book The Edit properties through Chase Travel and receive benefits, including daily breakfast for two, a $100 on-property credit, room upgrades, early check-in and late check-out and complimentary Wi-Fi.
Drawbacks of Credit Card Travel Portals
Travel credits and on-property perks are compelling reasons to use a credit card travel portal. However, it pays to compare pricing among your card’s portal, direct booking or an online travel agency, because the lowest-priced option depends on the trip you’re taking. Also, you may forfeit some benefits, as credit card travel portals are third-party bookings.
With a third-party booking, you’ll have less flexibility in customer service and cancellation than you would if you booked directly. For example, if you’re dealing with a delayed flight and need service from the airline, you may be directed to the travel portal customer service. You may have limited options for cancellation and how you get your money or rewards back.
Another major point to consider with third-party bookings: You generally won’t be able to earn points or miles with the airline or hotel, though you can earn points with your card. Additionally, you may not be able to use elite benefits for any status you hold. For example, if you have Hilton Honors status that entitles you to a daily food and beverage credit, you’re not likely to get it when you book a stay with your credit card travel portal.
[Read: Best 0% APR Credit Cards.]
When to Use a Credit Card Travel Portal
Booking travel with a credit card travel portal can make sense in some scenarios. For instance:
— You want to compare your travel options across multiple airlines or hotels in the portal.
— You have a travel credit available that can only be redeemed through the issuer’s travel portal.
— You have rewards you want to redeem on the portal, and booking this way offers a good redemption value.
— You want to take advantage of benefits, such as elite hotel perks that you can get when using a credit card travel portal.
— Your booking options on the portal are priced lower compared with other options.
— Booking on the portal earns elevated rewards, and the prices and benefits are comparable to those of other booking options.
“It makes sense if you want to take advantage of the credits but also to earn bonus points,” says Genter. “And sometimes, they have promotions such as hyper-targeted offers.”
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Should You Use a Credit Card Travel Portal? originally appeared on usnews.com
