Capital One Travel price match and price drop protection: How it works

We don't always recommend booking trips through a travel portal, but doing so can come with some benefits.

Two of the perks of this route are price drop protection and a price match guarantee you can take advantage of when booking through Capital One's travel portal.

Here's what you need to know about Capital One price drop protection and Capital One price match.

Booking through the Capital One portal

If you have an eligible Capital One credit card, you can access the Capital One travel portal to book flights, accommodation and rental cars.

And this isn't just for those with the top-tier Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card or Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card. Chances are, if you have a Capital One card in your wallet, you can use the Capital One travel portal.

Related: How to use the Capital One travel portal

Capital One price drop protection

When searching for a flight in the Capital One travel portal, you may notice a recommendation to purchase the flight immediately.

When this happens, the platform predicts that airfare prices will increase in the future and suggests that you lock in the lower price now. In fact, Capital One (in partnership with travel technology company Hopper) is so confident in its algorithm that it will automatically apply price drop protection to that particular purchase — for free.

With price drop protection, Capital One will monitor the price of a flight for 10 days after you buy it. The terms of the protection can change based on your exact itinerary and dates, but if the price drops during that time, you'll get a travel credit for the difference (up to $50).

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Related: Book now and then check for hotel and airline price drops

Capital One price match guarantee

If you book a flight, hotel or rental car through the portal and find a cheaper price within 24 hours of booking, you can file a claim with Capital One and receive 100% of the price difference as a travel credit if your claim is eligible.

The cheaper itinerary must:

• Match your original itinerary exactly
• Be priced in U.S. Dollars
• Be available to the general public
• Be available at the time you contact Capital One

My experience using Capital One's price match guarantee

I recently used this benefit and was impressed at how easy the process was.

Usually, I book flights directly through the airline rather than via an online travel agency like Capital One Travel. However, I wanted to use the $300 annual travel credit I received with my Venture X card.

I found a one-way flight on Viva Aerobus from Mexico City to San Antonio just after Thanksgiving for $145 directly through the airline, but it was priced $25 higher through Capital One Travel at $171.

So, I booked the itinerary through Capital One and immediately called them at 844-422-6922. A helpful agent picked up right away and asked for the trip ID number and where I'd found the cheaper price.

They promptly confirmed they could see the cheaper price through the Viva Aerobus website and immediately applied a $25 travel credit to my Capital One account. I didn't have to send screenshots, and the phone call took under seven minutes.

Plus, I'll earn 5 miles per dollar spent on my flight through the travel portal (855 miles) rather than the 2 miles per dollar spent had I booked directly with the airline (290 miles). According to our valuations, those extra miles are worth ~$10.

The only drawback is that if the airline or I need to change or cancel the flight, I'll have to deal with Capital One (rather than Viva Aerobus), as they own my itinerary.

Bottom line

We usually recommend booking directly with the airline to reduce any hassle in case you need to change or cancel your flight. However, the Capital One price drop protection feature is useful for receiving up to $50 in travel credits if a flight drops in price after you book it. The Capital One Travel price match guarantee gives you the confidence to know you can get a travel credit if the flight, hotel or rental car you book through the portal is priced higher than elsewhere.

Related: Why you don't earn hotel points when booking through online travel agencies