CNBC Points Pro: Is it better to book travel directly or through a credit card issuer's portal?

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Welcome to the Points Pro, where I answer your credit cards and travel rewards questions each week. If you have a question you'd like answered, you can submit it here.

Is it better to book hotels and airfare through card issuer travel sites or directly with the hotel or airline?

This question has been edited for brevity and clarity.

Michael has these travel credit cards, all of which offer a travel booking site for cardholders:

• Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (see rates and fees)
• Citi Strata Premier^® Card
• Wells Fargo Autograph Journey® Card
• Bank of America® Premium Rewards® Credit Card

The hotels and airlines that Michael uses include Southwest Airlines, United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, American Airlines, Marriott, IHG and Hilton.

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

CNBC Select Rating5.0Learn More

On Chase's site

CNBC Select Rating5.0Learn More

On Chase's site

Spotlight

With Points Boost, your rewards will be worth up to 1.5X on thousands of top-booked hotels and flights from select airlines through Chase Travel^SM.

Credit scoreRegular APR

19.24% - 27.49% variable

Annual fee

$95

Welcome bonus

Earn 75,000 bonus points

See rates and fees. Terms apply. Member FDIC.

Read our Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card review.

Our expert take

The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card packs a punch for a $95 annual fee card, offering annual travel credits, comprehensive travel protections, flexible rewards and more.

Pros & cons

• You can transfer rewards to all of Chase's travel partners including World of Hyatt, Southwest Rapid Rewards and many more
• Long list of travel and shopping protections
• Annual Chase Travel hotel credit

• Has an annual fee
• Requires a high credit score

More details

Highlights

Highlights shown here are provided by the issuer and have not been reviewed by CNBC Select's editorial staff.

• Earn 75,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
• Enjoy benefits such as 5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel^SM, 3x on dining, 3x on vacation homes, 3x on gas & EV charging, 3x on top streaming services and online groceries (excluding Walmart, Target, and wholesale clubs), 2x on all other travel purchases, 1x on all other purchases
• Earn up to $100 in statement credits each account anniversary year for hotel stays through Chase Travel
• Count on Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver, Emergency Evacuation and Transportation and more
• Get a year of complimentary Apple TV when activated by December 31, 2026 - a value of $156.
• Complimentary DashPass which unlocks $0 delivery fees & lower service fees for 12 months when you activate by 12/31/27. Plus, a $10 promo each month on non-restaurant orders.
• Receive one statement credit of up to $120 every four years as reimbursement for the application fee charged to your card for a Global Entry, TSA Precheck® or NEXUS application.
• Transfer points to leading airline and hotel loyalty programs
• Member FDIC

Balance transfer fee

Either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater

Citi Strata Premier® Card

CNBC Select Rating4.8Learn More

On Citi's site

CNBC Select Rating4.8Learn More

On Citi's site

Credit scoreRegular APR

19.74% - 27.74% variable

Annual fee

$95

Welcome bonus

Earn 60,000 bonus ThankYou® Points

See rates and fees. Terms apply.

Our expert take

The Citi Strata Premier^® Card has competitive rewards rates and unlocks access to all of the Citi ThankYou® transfer partners, which boosts the value of your points.

Pros & cons

• Unlocks point transfers to all of the Citi ThankYou® partners, including Emirates Skywards, Choice Privileges, Flying Blue and more
• Generous bonus spending categories include dining, supermarkets, hotels and flights
• Valuable welcome bonus

• Has an annual fee
• Car rental coverage is secondary, not primary

More details

Highlights

Highlights shown here are provided by the issuer and have not been reviewed by CNBC Select's editorial staff.

• Earn 60,000 bonus ThankYou® Points after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months of account opening, redeemable for $600 in gift cards or travel rewards at thankyou.com.
• Earn 10 Points per $1 spent on Hotels, Car Rentals, and Attractions booked on CitiTravel.com.
• Earn 3 Points per $1 on Air Travel and Other Hotel Purchases, at Restaurants, Supermarkets, Gas and EV Charging Stations.
• Earn 1 Point per $1 spent on all other purchases
• $100 Annual Hotel Benefit: Once per calendar year, enjoy $100 off a single hotel stay of $500 or more (excluding taxes and fees) when booked through CitiTravel.com. Benefit applied instantly at time of booking.
• No expiration and no limit to the amount of points you can earn with this card
• No Foreign Transaction Fees on purchases

Balance transfer fee

Balance transfer fee applies with this offer 5% of each balance transfer; $5 minimum.

3 questions to help you decide

• What are the benefits and trade-offs (besides price)?
• Do you care about elite status perks or loyalty rewards?
• What happens if your plans change or are they are interrupted?

What are the benefits and trade-offs (besides price)?

It's a good idea to compare prices across sites before deciding which platform to book with. Third-party sites make it easier to compare prices across airlines and hotels by allowing you to search multiple options at once — but that doesn't mean you'll always see the lowest price through these sites.

You'll also want to factor in credit card perks related to booking through the issuer's portal, whether it's featured promotions or card-specific statement credits. For example, the Citi Strata Premier offers access to The Reserve by Citi Travel and The Hotel Collection. These programs get you additional benefits when you book eligible hotels through Citi Travel, like complimentary Wi-Fi, daily breakfast for two people, early check-in (when available) and late check-out (when available).

As mentioned, there are also card-specific credits and discounts available when booking through that issuer's travel platform. In Mike's situation, he can take advantage of these credits:

• A $100 Chase Travel Hotel Credit every cardmember year with the Chase Sapphire Preferred
• $100 off each year on a $500+ prepaid hotel stay (excluding taxes and fees) booked through Citi Travel with the Citi Strata Premier

Third-party bookings may not trigger credits like these. For example, the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey's $50 annual airline credit requires the purchase to code as an airline or air carrier. So, a flight purchased through Wells Fargo Travel may not trigger the credit (although any fees you pay directly to the airline after booking could qualify, as long as the eligible purchase is at least $50).

Wells Fargo Autograph Journey® Card

CNBC Select Rating4.8Learn More

On Wells Fargo's site

CNBC Select Rating4.8Learn More

On Wells Fargo's site

Credit scoreRegular APR

19.74%, 25.74%, or 28.74% Variable APR

Annual fee

$95

Welcome bonus

Earn 60,000 bonus points

Terms apply

Our expert take

The Wells Fargo Autograph Journey® Card offers generous rewards on travel and dining purchases, along with flexible redemption options, all for a modest annual fee.

Pros & cons

• Excellent tiered rewards rates on purchases with hotels, airlines and general travel
• Access to all of the Wells Fargo transfer partners, including Flying Blue (Air France/KLM) and Virgin Red
• Offers an easy-to-use $50 airline credit each year
• Up to $1,000 in cell phone protection against damage, theft, or unintended separation (subject to $25 deductible)

• Wells Fargo offers fewer transfer partners than comparable programs
• No intro APR offer on purchases or balance transfers

More details

Highlights

Highlights shown here are provided by the issuer and have not been reviewed by CNBC Select's editorial staff.

• Select Learn More to take advantage of this offer and learn more about product features, terms and conditions.
• Earn 60,000 bonus points when you spend $4,000 in purchases in the first 3 months – that's $600 toward your next trip.
• Earn unlimited 5X points with hotels, 4X points with airlines, 3X points on restaurants and other travel, and 1X points on other purchases.
• $95 annual fee.
• Book your travel with the Autograph Journey Card and enjoy Travel Accident Insurance, Lost Baggage Reimbursement, Trip Cancellation and Interruption Protection and Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver. 
• Earn a $50 annual statement credit with $50 minimum airline purchase. 
• Up to $1,000 of cell phone protection against damage or theft. Subject to a $25 deductible.
• Find tickets to top sports and entertainment events, book travel, make dinner reservations and more with your complimentary 24/7 Visa Signature® Concierge.

Balance Transfer Fee

3% intro for 120 days from account opening, then up to 5%, min: $5

Foreign transaction fee

None

Do you care about hotel elite status perks or loyalty rewards?

When you book flights through third-party booking platforms, you typically earn frequent flyer miles and receive elite status perks (on eligible fares). However, the same is not true when you reserve hotels through these sites.

Hotel stays booked through your card issuer's travel portal typically won't earn elite night credits or points, including bonus points or discounts available through limited-time promotions, which usually require direct bookings. If you have elite status with that hotel chain, you also may not receive those perks, such as room upgrades, free breakfast or late check-out. If you have top-tier elite status, you'll want to carefully consider what you'll miss out on by not booking directly.

You may be able to add your hotel loyalty number to a third-party reservation after booking or at check-in and receive elite perks and loyalty rewards. But this is the exception to the rule. There are also third-party sites that process certain hotel reservations as direct bookings, such as Bilt Travel, but the card issuer travel platforms Mike has access to typically don't work this way.

What happens if your plans change or are interrupted?

Third-party travel platforms make it easier to compare prices and may offer special deals, but if you need to make changes to a reservation, you'll have to contact the travel site's customer service, not the airline you're flying with or hotel you're staying at. You may love Southwest's or Delta's customer service, but when you book through a travel portal, those aren't the people you'll be dealing with.

This can add extra complications and confusion. For example, if you need to cancel or adjust a flight within 24 hours of departure, you'll typically need to contact the airline operating the flight, not the travel site you booked through. While working with a travel site's customer service may be seamless most of the time, when things go wrong, it can be tougher to get things fixed compared to working directly with a travel provider.

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