The number of travel booking websites you can choose from is astonishing: Priceline, Expedia, Kayak.com plus a hundred others. With so many choices, adding a credit card travel portal to the mix might feel unnecessary. But don’t be so quick to dismiss them. Credit card booking engines can be convenient and easy to use. Plus, they offer a distinct advantage: Your bookings automatically integrate into your existing rewards program.
Featured Partner Offers
What Are Credit Card Travel Portals?
Credit card travel portals are online booking platforms managed by your credit card issuer. To access the booking engine, you’ll need to hold an eligible credit card through that issuer and may need to login before beginning (or finalizing) your reservation.
For the most part, credit card travel portals work exactly the same way as other booking platforms you may have used in the past. The search interfaces are intuitive, with comprehensive results and clear pricing. The main difference between your card’s booking engine and a generic online travel agency is that you typically have the option to pay with your card, rewards or a combination of both.
Why You Should Book Through Credit Card Travel Portals
Earning Points
Several cards offer additional points per dollar on bookings made through their travel portal and charged to your credit card. In some cases, this can add up to huge earnings. For example, the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card earns 2 miles per dollar on all eligible purchases, 5 miles per dollar on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Travel, 5 miles per dollar on Capital One Entertainment purchases through 12/31/25 and 10 miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars when booking via Capital One Travel. That means hotel and car rental reservations made through the Capital One travel platform outearn reservations made elsewhere by a huge margin.
This is far from the only card offering considerable rewards for qualifying bookings. Check your specific card details to see if booking through their card portals has an incentive for doing so.
Redeeming Points
The ability to pay with points is a major convenience for cardholders. You can skip the step to transfer points to frequent flier or hotel reward programs—and the blackout dates or inventory constraints that often come with award bookings. You can skip the step to convert points to cash back, too. Simply select the option to pay with points in full or in part at check-out.
Best of all, some cards offer an increased value per point when using points to book travel through their portal rather than redeeming them toward cash. This is true of many Chase Ultimate Rewards® cards. The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card both provide 25% more value (1.25 cents per point) when redeeming rewards to book travel through the Chase Travel℠ portal. Other cards may also offer premiums toward travel redemptions.
Travel Credits
On select cards, you might have an even richer reason to use a credit card booking portal: Statement credits that essentially reimburse you for your purchase. For instance, with The Platinum Card® from American Express (Terms apply) you can earn up to $200 in statement credits when you prepay for a qualifying hotel reservation through American Express Fine Hotels + Resorts or The Hotel Collection via AmexTravel.com.
Pitfalls of Using Credit Card Booking Engines
While travel portals have their benefits, they come with downsides, too. For one thing, any reservations you make via your card’s travel portal will be treated as a third-party reservation, just like bookings made through other online travel agencies.
When it comes to hotel stays, third-party bookings are almost always ineligible to participate in branded loyalty programs such as Marriott Bonvoy or Hilton Honors. You won’t earn hotel points on your stay—instead you may earn credit card points—and you won’t earn stay credits toward elite status. You also won’t receive elite benefits. For independent properties (or hotel programs you aren’t a member of), this might not be a consideration.
Another limitation of third-party bookings is that you often can’t work directly with the airline or hotel to make changes or cancellations to your reservation. Instead, you’ll contact the credit card travel agency to make these changes. When you have unexpected issues with your travel, such as a canceled flight due to weather, this can put you at a disadvantage. There may be delays in processing your change or they may not have as many options available to you.
Lastly, keep an eye on prices before booking through your credit card travel portal. Sometimes, the cost of a hotel stay, flight or car rental may be identical to booking directly with your provider. Other times, booking through a portal may have an upcharge or disqualify you from member discounts
Popular Credit Card Booking Engines
American Express
Book: Flights, hotels, air + hotel packages, car rentals, cruises
The value of Amex Travel varies based on precisely which American Express credit cards you hold. While many of them give you the option to earn and redeem Membership Rewards when using the travel portal, some cards also provide access to additional benefits.
There are two main things that stand out in the Amex Travel booking engine. First, if you’re logged into your Gold or Platinum card account, you’ll notice you have access to properties designated as part of The Hotel Collection or Fine Hotels + Resorts. These bookings offer on-property credits or elite-like benefits during your stay, with perks like early check-in, room upgrades and complimentary breakfast.
Second, you might be eligible for discounts on some flights. When searching for airfare on Amex Travel, some results may be labeled as Insider Fares—you’ll get a discount when paying entirely with points. Additionally, different versions of the Amex Platinum card include additional flight discounts. The International Airlines Program offers discounts on premium fares for select flights and The Business Platinum Card® from American Express (Terms apply) rebates up to 35% of a flight’s price in points on qualifying airfare booked and paid for with Membership Rewards.
Capital One
Book: Flights, hotels, rental cars
Capital One’s travel booking platform keeps things simple, with rewards worth a flat 1 cent per point when used toward travel. While that’s nothing special, the portal is anything but boring.
Capital One Travel integrates tools to help you find the lowest flight price right into its engine. When searching, you’ll see color-coded calendars designating cheaper days in case you’re flexible. Furthermore, when you click through to a specific flight result, the portal suggests whether or not it’s a good time to book, thanks to prediction algorithms provided by their partner Hopper.
Hotel reservations don’t have the same integrations, but Capital One Travel does offer a Premier Collection of specially-designated luxury properties that include complimentary breakfast, complimentary WiFi and a $100 experience credit for on-site charges such as spa treatments or dining. These bonus perks can add tremendous value to your stay. However, the selection of participating hotels is limited and many destinations don’t have properties with these perks.
Chase
Book: Flights, hotels, rental cars, cruises and activities
The Chase Travel is the most comprehensive credit card booking platform, with the ability to book tours and other activities worldwide in addition to making more standard travel reservations. Not only does this give you more opportunities to earn or redeem rewards, but it also makes it a one-stop shop where you can book (and track) all your plans.
Beyond that, though, Chase keeps things simple without all the bells and whistles. They don’t have splashy features or impressive discounts. Instead, Chase Travel focuses on displaying broad results with clear pricing. The differences between multiple airfare options are clearly displayed, as are different hotel room types and booking options.
In short, the Chase booking engine delivers an easy user experience but most of its users are probably there to earn or redeem points or use a travel credit included with their card.
One exception is for travelers booking Chase Luxury Hotels & Resorts, which is a feature only available to Chase cardholders of specific cards. These properties, like Amex’s Fine Hotels + Resorts or Capital One’s Premier Collection, include extra benefits with your stay. Property benefits and credits vary by hotel so check the listing carefully before booking.
Citi
Book: Flights, hotels, rental cars and activities
After years of an underwhelming and restricted user interface, the Citi travel portal has finally been upgraded to a usable booking experience powered by Booking.com. Its minimalist booking experience keeps things focused and easy to learn, offering search functions and filters that can help travelers find what they need quickly.
Though the website is now easier to use, there are still a handful of limitations. When booking hotels, the portal defaults to nonrefundable bookings, which might be a dealbreaker for some travelers. In fact, a sample search in Munich only offered 94 properties with optionally refundable rates out of 136 hotels—making the incentives included on select Citi cards a whole lot less valuable.
One other constraint to the Citi portal is that you aren’t able to book multi-city flights. In some cases, you might be able to work around this by booking two one-way tickets. However, as experienced travelers know, it can often be cheaper to book an open-jaw or multi-city itinerary than booking separate segments, especially when traveling internationally.
Despite these hurdles, there’s still value in booking through the Citi portal, especially if your card includes discounts or bonus rewards for doing so. When completing your reservation, cardmembers can choose between paying with points, cash or a mixture of both.
Find the Best Travel Credit Cards for 2024
Find the best travel credit card for your travel needs.
Bottom Line
Credit card travel portals fill an important need for reward travelers: You can often book flights or hotels that would be unavailable through branded loyalty programs. Cardholders can also earn points at elevated rates, potentially outperforming what you could find through other booking avenues. However, not all card booking engines are created equally and there can be downsides to using them. As with all travel, compare your options to find what works best for you.
