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What Are The Best Sites To Purchase Airline Tickets?
Brian Kelly
Founder + "The Points Guy"
Since launching TPG in 2010, founder Brian Kelly has expanded the team to include a distinguished editorial staff and an extensive network of freelancer contacts from around the globe. Today, TPG reaches 11 million unique monthly visitors and more than 3 million followers across social media platforms and has offices in New York City, Charlotte and the U.K.
Oct. 19, 2014
•
2 min read
What Are The Best Sites To Purchase Airline Tickets?
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TPG reader Victoria tweeted me to ask:
@thepointsguy--"Are there pros/cons to purchasing tickets directly from an airline versus an online travel agency like Expedia or Travelocity?"
I spend a lot of money on airfare, whether it's for me or for my employees, so it's extremely important that I maximize every dollar.
When deciding where to book your ticket, in most cases it's better to book through an online travel agency for a couple different reasons:
- You get more points! For example, the Chase Ultimate Rewards shopping portal will give you extra points for booking through websites like Hotwire. You can go to EV Reward and type in your preferred travel agency to see which sites offer the most cash back or extra points. Generally, you won't earn any cash back or extra miles when you book through an airline website.
- Online travel agencies generally have more flexible cancellation policies than the airline website do. Most airlines have to give you a refund within 24 hours of purchase, but if the flight is within seven days of departure, some airlines (like American) won't refund you, whereas many online travel agencies will.
- If the airline were to go out of business, or something similarly unexpected were to happen, an online travel agency would give you an extra layer of protection (in addition to your credit card company) to recoup losses or damages.
- You'll often see more options or fare combinations through online travel agencies than on the airline's website.
- You can double or triple dip on points, as many online travel agencies have their own loyalty programs.
In general, I don't see much of a point in booking directly with the airline. The exception is Southwest, which only allows you to book their fares on their own website.
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Apply for Capital One Venture X Business
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Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees
Best for businesses with high spending
TPG Editor‘s Rating
Go to reviewCard Rating is based on the opinion of TPG‘s editors and is not influenced by the card issuer.
Rewards Rate
| 2X miles | 2 miles per dollar on every purchase |
| 5X miles | 5 miles per dollar on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel |
| 10X miles | 10 miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Business Travel |
Intro Offer
Earn 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200K miles when you spend $150K in the first 6 monthsLIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus milesAnnual Fee
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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.740-850Excellent
Why We Chose It
The Capital One Venture X Business Card has all the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card has to offer and more. It offers an incredible welcome bonus and requires an equally impressive spend to qualify. In addition, the card comes with premium travel perks like annual travel credit. (Partner offer)Pros
- The Capital One Venture X business card has a very lucrative welcome offer.
- In addition, the card comes with many premium travel perks such as an annual $300 credit for bookings through Capital One Business Travel.
- Business owners are also able to add employee cards for free.
Cons
- The card requires significant spending to earn the welcome offer.
- Another drawback is that the annual travel credit can only be used on bookings made through Capital One Business Travel.
- LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus miles: 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200k miles when you spend $150k in the first 6 months
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, everywhere—with no limits or category restrictions
- Earn 10X miles on hotels and rental cars and 5X miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel
- With no preset spending limit, enjoy big purchasing power that adapts so you can spend more and earn more rewards
- Empower your teams to make business purchases while earning rewards on their transactions, with free employee and virtual cards. Plus, automatically sync your transaction data with your accounting software and pay your vendors with ease
- Redeem your miles on flights, hotels and more. Plus, transfer your miles to any of the 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Every year, you'll get 10,000 bonus miles after your account anniversary date. Plus, receive an annual $300 credit for bookings made through Capital One Business Travel
- Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®. Enjoy access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide, including Capital One Lounge locations and Priority Pass™ lounges, after enrollment
- Enjoy a $100 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Premier Collection
- This is a pay-in-full card, so your balance is due in full every month