If you’ve ever searched for a flight through a credit card travel portal, you may have thought, “This seems more expensive than booking directly.” You wouldn’t be alone in this thinking, as it’s a topic that TPG readers have frequently asked about.
So, with the help of some other TPG staffers, I collected 785 data points across 157 round-trip flight itineraries to determine whether flights are more expensive on average when you book through a credit card travel portal.
Compared to booking directly, our data showed fares are, on average, slightly less expensive through Chase Travel℠, slightly more expensive through Capital One Travel and American Express Travel, and much more expensive through Citi Travel. However, there’s more to this story, so I encourage you to check out this article for my complete findings.
Of course, there are many reasons why you might want to book through a credit card travel portal. For example, I’ll sometimes book flights through Capital One Travel to use the $300 travel credit I get each cardmember year with my Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card. And if I suspect my flight’s price may drop soon, I’ll use the Capital One Travel portal for its price-drop protection.
If earnings are what you are after, you can often earn credit card rewards at a higher rate when you book flights through that card’s travel portal versus booking directly with the airline. So make sure you compare prices and decide which is the best option for your situation.
Posts in this newsletter contains references to products from one or more of our advertisers. We may receive compensation when you click on links to those products, and this may impact how or where they appear. For an explanation of our Advertising Policy, visit this page.
You are receiving this email because you opted in atthepointsguy.com.
Where to find us:
The Points Guy 100 5th Ave., 16th Floor New York, NY 10011 USA USA
If this newsletter was forwarded to you, you can subscribe here.
Advertiser Disclosure:
The cards we feature here are from partners who compensate us when you are approved through our site, and this may impact how or where these products appear. We don’t cover all available credit cards, but our analysis, reviews, and opinions are entirely from our editorial team. Please view our advertising policy and product review methodology for more information.
Editorial Note: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airlines or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.
