The content is accurate at the time of publication and is subject to change.
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Posted on Aug 23, 2023
Updated on Aug 23, 2023
The content is accurate at the time of publication and is subject to change.
Citi is a Credit-Land.com advertising partner.
As an avid traveler, you may have ways and strategies to save on travel and maximize points or miles earning. Chances are you are using a travel credit card to earn rewards and redeem them for travel-related expenses as they usually offer more value. Plus, many travel rewards credit cards offer extra rewards when used at issuer's travel portals.
Banks' travel portals help you use your card rewards and benefits in the best way possible. Travel portals offer various redemption options, but the best value is usually offered for travel redemptions, flight redemptions to be more specific. Credit card travel portals may also offer exclusive experiences, event tickets, and premium services.
Major credit card issuers like American Express, Capital One, Citi and Chase have their own travel portals where eligible cardmembers can book flights, hotels, or rental cars and earn additional rewards. Travel portals are also an easier and more straightforward way to redeem earned miles and points, and often with added value.
However, before you book a trip through a travel portal, it's worth cross-checking pricing and availability first. Here are the reasons for booking through your issuer's travel portal.
Credit card travel portals can offer extra rewards when you book travel directly though the issuer's portal. For example, with the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card, you can earn 10X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel and 5X miles on flights booked through Capital One Travel versus 2X miles on all other purchases.
Another example is the Citi Rewards+® Card that, for a limited time, earns 5X ThankYou® Points on hotel, car rentals and attractions booked on the Citi Travel portal through December 31, 2025. Unfortunately, air travel is excluded from the offer. If you do not book through the portal, you'll earn 1X points on air travel, hotels, and points on car rentals.
Some issuers increase the value of earned points or miles when redeemed through their travel portal. Thus, for instance, with the Chase Sapphire Reserve® credit Card, you'll get 50% more value when you redeem your points for travel through Chase Travel℠ portal, and if you use the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, you'll get 25% more value.
American Express also has a similar offer for eligible cardmembers. For instance, the Business Platinum Card® holders can receive 35% Membership Rewards® points back after using the Pay With Points feature to book a first class or business class flight through American Express Travel (the maximum is up to 1 million bonus points back per calendar year).
There are ways to combine credit cards to maximize rewards earning and redeeming. Issuers like American Express, Chase, Citi, and Capital One allow you to pull the rewards you earn across family cards to redeem them all on one trip. For example, you can combine these three Citi credit cards to get maximum Citi ThankYou Points: the Citi Rewards+® Card and Citi Double Cash® Card.
Credit card combinations usually include a more premium travel credit card with one or more cards for everyday spending. This way you can optimize earning and redeeming rewards. However, if you have a habit of carrying a balance on your credit cards, we would not recommend card-combining strategies.
Some credit cards may offer additional benefits and perks for using travel portals. Those can be in the form of travel credits, complimentary services, additional benefits on hotel bookings (a late checkout or free breakfast), or discounted airfare deals.
These extras are more common with premium travel credit cards that have higher annual fees. For example, with the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card, you can get up to $300 back annually in statement credits for bookings through Capital One Travel. Another example is the Platinum Card® from American Express. The card gives $200 back in statement credits each year on prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts® or The Hotel Collection bookings through American Express Travel.
Travel portals are designed to make it easier for eligible cardmembers to redeem their points or get extra rewards and some travel perks. These booking platforms have different functionality and performance. The value of your credit card points depends on how useful they are. Here we gathered information about travel portals provided by major issuers: Capital One, Citi, American Express, Bank of America, and Chase.
While using your credit card at the issuer's travel portal can come with many benefits, there may be some disadvantages too.
The issuer's travel portals do not always provide the best prices. Even if you have enough rewards to book an award travel, that still may not be the best deal for you. There also may be limited availability for tickets and travel accommodations to book.
Another caveat is that you may not be able to use your elite status privileges and perks when booking through the issuer's travel portal. When you book a hotel stay especially, you may not be eligible for such benefits as room upgrades, late checkout, or complimentary meals if you book through a third-party website.
If you change your travel plans, it also may be difficult to change or cancel the airfare you booked with a third party.
Therefore, it's recommended to always read the terms and conditions of the issuer's travel portal booking closely. You can also use portals to compare prices against other sites. If the benefits you get through your issuer are not worth the convenience of booking through the portal, then you might want to bypass the issuer's platform.
There is no clear winner for the best travel portal as each has unique features and benefits. At the same time, they all are not ideal and have some flaws. The issuer's travel portal can be a great tool for comparing prices and for booking your next trip, though.
It's best to make your issuer's travel portal a part of your strategy to maximize your rewards, get discounts or exclusive travel deals. If you are not of a rewards strategy type, you can simply use portals to get the best deal possible.
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Read moreThis content is not provided by Citi. Any opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed here are those of the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the Citi.
For Capital One products listed on this page, some of the above benefits are provided by Visa® or Mastercard® and may vary by product. See the respective Guide to Benefits for details, as terms and exclusions apply.
Disclaimer: This editorial content is not provided or commissioned by the credit card issuer(s). Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, not those of the credit card issuer(s), and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the credit card issuer(s). Reasonable efforts are made to present accurate information, however all information is presented without warranty. Consult a card's issuing bank for the terms & conditions. All rates and fees, and other terms and conditions of the products mentioned in this article/post are actual as of the last update date but are subject to change. See the current products' Terms & Conditions on the issuing banks' websites.