So you have a stash of transferable points and are ready to book a flight, but where do you even start? In this post, we’ll help you answer the question of whether to book through your credit card’s travel portal or transfer your points to airline partners. 

It can be a complex question, and the answer will depend on factors like: 

• The value of your points in a particular portal
• Cash cost of the ticket
• The chances you’ll need to cancel or change your ticket
• How many people you’re traveling with
• Your risk tolerance if something goes wrong 
• How much time and effort you’re able to put into your booking. 

No need to be intimidated, though. We’re going to walk you through a process to help you make an informed decision for your trip. 

 

Value of Points in a Portal 

If you’re going to book in a bank portal, one of the most important considerations is what your points are worth in that portal. Ideally, you want to get more than 1 cent per point of value when booking in the portal—and one major portal offers up to 2 cents per point. 

Usually, we say “you do you” when it comes to your points (and that’s still the case here). But if you want to book in a travel portal and you’re only getting 1 cent per point of value, you likely don’t want to book through the portal. You’re probably better off cashing out your points at 1 cent per point and using those funds to book your ticket directly with the airline. You’d get the same value from your points (1 cent per point), but cashing points out and booking directly with the airline will allow you to avoid some of the risks mentioned later in this post—primarily the risk of having a third party (the travel agency the portal uses) caught between you and the airline, which can be troublesome if you run into any flight-scheduling issues. 

 

Point Values in Major Portals 

American Express, Capital One, and Citi’s points are typically worth 1 cent or less in their respective travel portals. That’s not an ideal value for your valuable transferable points. The notable exception is if you hold card_name which allows you to receive a 35% points rebate when booking with your selected airline via American Express Travel. That rebate can stretch your points further. 

Chase currently offers between 1 and 2 cents per point, depending on the redemption and the card you hold. Look for the redemptions marked Points Boost for the higher values. 

 

Advantages of Booking in a Portal 

Booking through a portal has one major advantage—it’s quick and easy. You simply log in, find your flight (as if you were booking on a site like Expedia), and book with points or cash. 

Another advantage of using the portal is that you’re not beholden to the airlines with which you have points. The only airline whose points I currently collect is Southwest®, but sometimes, I need to fly a different airline. In fact, I recently booked a flight from Salt Lake City to Washington, D.C., on a different airline to get home from an Award Travel Academy student meetup even though I had Southwest® points. 

Southwest’s schedule didn’t work for me that day, but luckily, I was able to book a Delta flight home via Chase Travel℠. The flight cost $584 for Delta Comfort (which I thought was worth it for a four-hour flight). Thanks to holding the card_name, I was able to use Points Boost to get 2 cents per point value on this ticket. So, I paid 29,174 points instead of the cash rate. I saved almost 10,000 points thanks to Points Boost. 

Additionally, most portal bookings with airlines allow you to include your frequent flyer number with that airline. So, you can earn points on your flight, and it should count toward airline status if that’s something you’re pursuing. 

 

Disadvantages of Booking in a Portal 

As mentioned earlier, the major disadvantage of booking in the portal is that if something goes wrong, there is a third party between you and the airline. So rather than working directly with the airline to reschedule your canceled flight or address another issue, the airline may refer you back to the travel agency the bank contracts with to book its travel portal reservations.

Another downside of booking in a portal is that while you can still get a solid 1.5 to 2 cents per point value in some portals, you won’t get the outsized values you can get when transferring your points to some airlines.  

 

Advantages of Transferring to Airlines 

When you transfer your points to airlines, you can often get excellent value, especially if you’re using an international airline. I’ve gotten as much as 14 cents per point booking international premium cabin tickets with Air France and Virgin Atlantic. That’s not something you’ll see in a portal booking. 

By booking directly, you’ll also benefit from being able to work with the airline if you have an issue with your flight or need to cancel it. 

 

Disadvantages of Transferring to Airlines 

The main disadvantage of transferring points to an airline to book flights through the airline is the time and effort required to complete your booking. With most airlines, a limited number of seats on the plane can be booked with points. Premium cabin tickets can be tough to find, making it challenging—and sometimes impossible—to book an entire family on international business-class tickets. 

Additionally, once your points are transferred to the airline, you can’t send these points back to your bank. If you think you may cancel your trip, be prepared for your points to remain with that airline until you can book another trip. 

That said, you can get optimal value for your points if you’re willing to put the time and effort into learning how and when to transfer your points to airlines and hotels. (Award Travel Academy is a great place to start if you want a more in-depth education on this!) 

 

Portal vs. Direct: Questions to Consider 

1. What is the cash price of the ticket if I book directly with the airline? 
2. What is the points price of the ticket if I book directly with the airline? 
3. What is the cash and points price if I book in the portal?
4. Do I have the points to transfer to the airline (or a partner airline if there’s availability), and if so, is it a good value?
5. How likely am I to cancel or change this ticket? If my plans change, what are the cancellation policies of the portal vs. the airline?
6. What is the likelihood that something might go wrong, and would I be comfortable with third-party customer service? 

 

Example Booking: Domestic 

Let’s plan a trip from Newark to Chicago on Friday, October 3, on United Airlines. 

First, I’ll check the cash price directly with United. A fully refundable economy ticket for this short flight is $164 if booked with United. 

 

 

Next, let’s look at United’s points price. Even if you don’t have any United miles, you can transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards® to United if this turns out to be a good deal. United has this same flight for 10,500 miles plus $5.60 in taxes. That’s a solid 1.5 cents per point.   

 

 

 

Next, I’ll check Chase Travel℠. Economy is not eligible for Points Boost in this case, so it’s a very similar price: $164 or 10,898 points. Economy Plus is eligible for Points Boost on this flight, so I could upgrade for a bit more legroom and pay 12,256 points. 

 

 

We also have the option to check one or more of United’s partners for this flight, as that may be a better deal on points. In this case, it’s more points and money to book with Air Canada, so we’ll skip that option. But it’s good to check in case you can find a deal.

 

 

 

This one’s basically a toss-up, though I’d probably transfer to United in this case. If this were a longer flight, I’d spring for Points Boost and book this in the portal at 2 cents per point. Given the short flight duration and the air traffic control issues that have occurred at Newark this year, I’d transfer to United and book directly for peace of mind. But if legroom is important to you, it might be worth it to book through the portal. 

 

Example Booking: International 

Unless there’s an inexpensive cash rate, you’re typically going to get a better price transferring to airlines for transcontinental flights. Let’s say instead of traveling to Chicago, I want to go from Newark to London on that same date. The cash price of this daytime flight on United is $604 in Economy. 

 

 

 

In United miles, this flight would cost 40,000 miles plus $5.60 in taxes. That’s also 1.5 cents per point, a good value. Unfortunately, Air Canada did not have any availability for this itinerary, but it’s always worth checking partner airlines. 

 

 

Now, let’s check Chase Travel℠. This flight is eligible for Points Boost, but it’s more expensive here and slightly more points at 41,933. 

 

 

So, the winner for this itinerary is transferring your Ultimate Rewards® to United. If you prefer to save those points for Hyatt stays, you could always check for availability on Air Canada or another Star Alliance partner airline on a different day—if you have that flexibility. 

 

Bottom Line

Should you transfer points to airlines or book through a portal? Booking through a portal or transferring to an airline is a personal decision, but with some math and careful consideration of your options, you can book the flight you need and maximize the value of your points.

 

Related Posts

Points Boost by Chase: What You Need to Know

Using an Airline Transfer Bonus

Booking One-Way Award Segments