Thinking About Using a Travel Portal? Here Are the Few Cases It Makes Sense (Aside From When Your Credit Card Gives You “Free Money”)

As Americans get their ducks in a row for summer plans, a large number might choose to book travel in a surprising way — through a travel portal. A 2024 Skift story identified how Americans have turned away from online travel giants like Expedia and Booking.com in favor of portals powered by banks such as American Express and Chase. It’s not just them, either: Capital One, Citi, and U.S. Bank, plus smaller fintechs like Bilt, SoFi, and Robinhood, have all been part of a “travel portal renaissance.” But should you book through a travel portal? That depends on whether you need to.

Use at all costs: If you’re using a travel portal offered by a bank, odds are you have a premium credit card that offers statement credits for spending within their ecosystem. Capital One’s Venture X offers $300 in flexible travel credit to spend in their portal. Chase’s Sapphire Reserve and Amex’s Platinum Card offer $250 and $300 biannual statement credits for select hotels. Their goal is to get you hooked on their portal by making it sleek, easy, and loaded with card perks. But booking direct is almost always the better option — except in a few cases:

• When you need to spend credits: If your card has a travel credit, use it — you already paid for it.
• When you get paid to do so: Not all transfer portals offer the same earnings, so it’s worth a little price-shopping.
• When fixed-value redemptions make sense: Sometimes spending points through a portal is cheaper than transferring them elsewhere.

When a Portal Can Pay

Booking through a third party comes with trade-offs. If something goes wrong, you’ll likely have to deal with the portal, not the airline or hotel. Cancellation policies can also be less flexible than booking direct. A few rules of thumb:

• When it makes sense: Some travel portals (like Capital One Shopping) offer 10x points on hotels, car rentals, and vacation rentals — and you can generally call if you find a lower price elsewhere.
• When it doesn’t: Avoid booking flights through travel portals if you can help it — you’ll earn less, and if anything goes wrong, it’s a headache to fix.

A different kind of price check: While most people know to watch fares on tools like Google Travel — but don’t overlook shopping portals. Rates there can fluctuate, and catching a good deal could make your trip cheaper than booking direct.