After dealing with a frustrating situation with capital one and my venture X, I’m done using booking portals. When I have issues, hotels and airlines almost always point to capital one, and they haven’t been helpful at all. I prefer to look for deals and book directly since I rarely find good offers through the portal. I’m not a luxury traveler, but I travel often.
Any suggestions for cards that earn good points when booking travel directly? Lounge access would be great, but it’s not a dealbreaker. Thanks!
By the way, I’m fine with any annual fee as long as it’s worth it. I have an 800+ credit score. Thanks again!
Ciel said:
Wells Fargo Autograph Journey is a good choice
WF-AJ is best if you spend more than $2300 each year on hotels or over $4550 each year on flights.
If not, go for WF-A.
Another option is US Bank Altitude Connect. No annual fee, 4% back on travel and gas up to $1k each quarter, plus 4 lounge passes a year, travel insurance, free TSA pre-check, and 5GB international cell plan.
Amex Platinum offers 5x points if you book directly with an airline. Combining that with hotel-specific cards might be your best option. Just keep in mind the Amex Platinum fee may or may not be worth it, depending on how much you use the credits. I find it very valuable, but that’s just my take.
You could go with Amex Green or Chase Sapphire Reserve for a broad 3x on travel (hotels, trains, flights) and dining (only restaurants on the Green, but BSR includes coffee shops and bakeries). Amex Gold gives 3x on flights booked directly and 1x on hotels, and Chase Sapphire Preferred gives 2x on travel.
I agree. I checked the Cap1 portal as well, and even with their 5x or 10x points for using it, it rarely saves money on most hotels. I prefer using Rakuten, and even before that, it was more affordable to book directly from hotels.com for some options. Often, after the miles, the savings aren’t much with the portal. I prefer to compare prices instead of trusting Cap1 or other portals blindly.
US Bank Altitude Connect has no annual fee, 4% back on travel and gas (gas is capped, travel is not), provides credits for TSA pre-check or global entry, offers a few Priority Pass lounge visits, and travel protections.
The only catch is that to get the full 4% back, you need to redeem it into a US Bank checking account or for travel (you can still book directly via real-time rewards without needing a portal). Otherwise, redeeming as a statement credit gives you only 0.8 cpp, which means you get 3.2% back on travel, still better than the Wells Fargo Autograph.
Amex Green often doesn’t get the credit it deserves. It offers 3X for flights, hotels, restaurants, transit, parking, trains, car rentals, taxis, tolls, and rideshare. You don’t need any portals. That’s a good deal for $150 in my book.
Gaining lounge access usually requires cards with higher fees ($550 or more). It’s not an easy add-on. Whether those cards are worth it really depends on your lifestyle and needs.
@Pippin
With the WF Autograph, you can get 3x in all those categories for no fee. I don’t see why anyone would choose the Green in its current form. It could use a refresh.
I’d choose the Amex Platinum at a $695 annual fee with 5x for direct flight bookings, with or without the Amex Portal.
Chase Business Ink Preferred has a $95 fee, offering 3x on all types of travel, including hotels, flights, taxis, rideshares, and parking. It also gives 3x on phone, internet, or cable bills.
Tal said:
Have you considered using Cap1 transfer partners to book directly instead of going through the travel portal?
Not the person who originally posted, but I find that Capital One’s transfer partners are quite limited. I hardly ever get good availability or prices with their partners when I try to book.
For the original poster, regarding hotels… why not do your research, find a good price, go to Capital One’s portal, book it there, and then call to have it price matched to what you found? I understand the Venture X may not be great for flights, but the 10x on hotels plus price matching makes their portal decent for booking hotels.
Tal said: @Bright
That’s interesting. My experience has been different, but results may vary.
Since their transfer partners are mostly set up for international trips, it’s not surprising. But there are options for domestic travel (like BA and LM/AC).
@Taliesin
Air Canada is the only partner where I’ve found good deals, but availability is hit or miss. BA has high fees, but I once booked a JAL premium economy ticket through them. The one time I tried to use LifeMiles, it was a ghost listing, so now I’m just trying to keep those miles alive.
Amex isn’t much better, but now that you can transfer Hawaiian to Alaska, I’ve found plenty of excellent redemptions, both domestically and to Asia.
I also use AA and usually find the best-priced award flights through them.
I’m considering whether to apply for Venture X or Amex Platinum. After hearing about the issues with the booking portals and customer service, which one do you really recommend?
I have a score of 800+ and I currently hold the Chase CSP, Chase Marriott Boundless, Chase IHG, Amex no fees, Discover, Apple, and JetBlue True Blue.