Chase is migrating cardholders to new Ultimate Rewards travel booking site
Update 12/20/2021: The article was updated with information from Expedia regarding the migration timeline. We also added a note about how new portal bookings do not usually earn hotel points.
What's old is sometimes new, and such is the case here as Chase has begun to migrate cardholders from the current Expedia-powered Chase Ultimate Rewards travel portal to one powered by cxLoyalty. Some Chase cardholders are already seeing the new booking system on the Ultimate Rewards portal.
For some background, in mid-2018, the Chase Ultimate Rewards travel portal dropped from its former Online Travel Agency partner, cxLoyalty, in favor of Expedia. Since then, Expedia has handled all travel bookings made through the portal, including flights and hotels.
In an interesting turn of events, Chase acquired cxLoyalty in late 2020. Since then, loyalty travel enthusiasts have been waiting for Chase to switch back to the platform — a welcome change given Expedia's booking portal has long been plagued with issues, like not being able to book low-cost air carriers.
Some Chase cardholders are seeing the new portal one their Ultimate Rewards-earning cards already, while others are still on the old Expedia portal. We would expect all card members to be migrated to the new portal in the near future. Expedia confirmed to TPG that it still has a relationship with Chase, so some cards will remain on the Expedia platform for several months.
Here's what to expect as Chase transitions back to cxLoyalty.
Get the latest points, miles and travel news by signing up for TPG’s free daily newsletter.
Using the new Chase Ultimate Rewards travel portal
The new cxLoyalty-powered portal is functionally similar to the old Expedia portal. You can access it the same as before through the Ultimate Rewards site – just click the Travel button from the Earn/Use toolbar at the top.
Once there, you'll notice that the user interface has slightly changed. It looks remarkably similar to the Citi ThankYou booking portal, which is also powered by cxLoyalty.
One major difference is that ultra-low-cost carriers now display in search results. As discussed, Expedia's portal didn't show airlines Frontier and Spirit in search results, and many reports said they weren't bookable over the phone. According to Expedia, it was a "business decision based on the requirements needed" to not include low-cost carriers. Under the new cxLoyalty portal, most of these airlines can be booked with cash or points online.
The only major exceptions are Allegiant and Southwest, which, according to Chase, must be booked over the phone.
Another interesting change is that the portal now asks for a hotel loyalty number when booking hotels. That said, we tested the new platform and found that you will most likely not earn hotel points on stays booked through the portal.
Bottom line
We are encouraged as Chase starts the switch from Expedia back to cxLoyalty.
The new portal looks to have already fixed some of the major issues users had with the Expedia-powered portal, like the inability to book ultra-low-cost carriers. We'll continue diving deep into the portal and update you with further changes we find.
Feature photo by AaronP/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images
Top offers from our partners
How we chose these cards
TPG featured card
Rewards
| 6X | 6x Marriott Bonvoy Points on each dollar of eligible purchases at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy® program. |
| 4X | 4x points for purchases made at restaurants worldwide, at U.S. gas stations, on wireless telephone services purchased directly from U.S. service providers and on U.S. purchases for shipping. |
| 2X | 2x points on all other eligible purchases. |
Intro offer
Annual Fee
Recommended Credit
Why We Chose It
The Marriott Bonvoy Business Amex is a stacked card with a rewards rate that will help you earn bonus points on everyday and business-related purchases. You'll earn 15 elite night credits each calendar year, and receive automatic Gold elite status. Finally, the free night award certificate with a redemption level of 35,000 points or less can get you hundreds of dollars in potential value each year.Pros
- 6 points per dollar on eligible purchases at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy program
- 4 points per dollar at restaurants worldwide, U.S. gas stations, wireless telephone services purchased directly from U.S. service providers and U.S. shipping
- 2 points per dollar on all other eligible purchases
- Earn a free-night award each card renewal month (up to 35,000 points)
- Receive 15 elite night credits to jump-start status
- Transfer Marriott points to 40+ airlines
Cons
- Airline points transfer ratios are poor
- Must spend $60,000 in a year for second free-night award
- Limited Time Offer: Earn 125,000 Bonus Marriott Bonvoy Points after you use your new Card to make $5,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of Card Membership. Offer ends 5/3/23.
- Receive a 7% discount off standard rates for reservations of standard guest rooms at hotels that participate in the Marriott Bonvoy program when you book directly. Terms and Conditions Apply.
- 6x Marriott Bonvoy Points on each dollar of eligible purchases at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy® program.
- 4x points for purchases made at restaurants worldwide, at U.S. gas stations, on wireless telephone services purchased directly from U.S. service providers and on U.S. purchases for shipping.
- 2x points on all other eligible purchases.
- Receive 1 Free Night Award every year after your Card renewal month. Plus, earn an additional Free Night Award after you spend $60K in purchases on your Card in a calendar year. Awards can be used for one night (redemption level at or under 35,000 Marriott Bonvoy® points) at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy®. Certain hotels have resort fees.
- Enjoy Complimentary Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite Status with your Card.
- Terms apply.
Rewards Rate
| 6X | 6x Marriott Bonvoy Points on each dollar of eligible purchases at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy® program. |
| 4X | 4x points for purchases made at restaurants worldwide, at U.S. gas stations, on wireless telephone services purchased directly from U.S. service providers and on U.S. purchases for shipping. |
| 2X | 2x points on all other eligible purchases. |
Intro Offer
Limited Time Offer: Earn 125,000 Bonus Marriott Bonvoy Points after you use your new Card to make $5,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of Card Membership. Offer ends 5/3/23.Earn 125,000 points75,000 pointsAnnual Fee
$125Recommended Credit
Credit ranges are a variation of FICO© Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application.670-850Excellent/Good
Why We Chose It
The Marriott Bonvoy Business Amex is a stacked card with a rewards rate that will help you earn bonus points on everyday and business-related purchases. You'll earn 15 elite night credits each calendar year, and receive automatic Gold elite status. Finally, the free night award certificate with a redemption level of 35,000 points or less can get you hundreds of dollars in potential value each year.Pros
- 6 points per dollar on eligible purchases at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy program
- 4 points per dollar at restaurants worldwide, U.S. gas stations, wireless telephone services purchased directly from U.S. service providers and U.S. shipping
- 2 points per dollar on all other eligible purchases
- Earn a free-night award each card renewal month (up to 35,000 points)
- Receive 15 elite night credits to jump-start status
- Transfer Marriott points to 40+ airlines
Cons
- Airline points transfer ratios are poor
- Must spend $60,000 in a year for second free-night award
- Limited Time Offer: Earn 125,000 Bonus Marriott Bonvoy Points after you use your new Card to make $5,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of Card Membership. Offer ends 5/3/23.
- Receive a 7% discount off standard rates for reservations of standard guest rooms at hotels that participate in the Marriott Bonvoy program when you book directly. Terms and Conditions Apply.
- 6x Marriott Bonvoy Points on each dollar of eligible purchases at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy® program.
- 4x points for purchases made at restaurants worldwide, at U.S. gas stations, on wireless telephone services purchased directly from U.S. service providers and on U.S. purchases for shipping.
- 2x points on all other eligible purchases.
- Receive 1 Free Night Award every year after your Card renewal month. Plus, earn an additional Free Night Award after you spend $60K in purchases on your Card in a calendar year. Awards can be used for one night (redemption level at or under 35,000 Marriott Bonvoy® points) at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy®. Certain hotels have resort fees.
- Enjoy Complimentary Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite Status with your Card.
- Terms apply.