Why should I book directly vs. using a travel portal?

When it comes to booking flights, there are a multitude of ways you could go about finalizing your travel. You could book directly with the airline you want to fly with using cash, you could book with cash via a partner airline, you could book with points, etc.

There are endless possibilities on how to go about booking your flights. Most notably, some credit card companies, such as Chase and Capital One, offer travel portals through which you can book flights for select airlines using cash or your credit card points.

The best way to book your flights is directly through the airline you want to fly with, or through a partner airline that allows you to book flights with your desired airline. Travel portals can be useful at times, but it’s best practice to book directly through an airline.

Determining The Best Process

The first step when it comes to planning flights is to find out what the cash price of the flight is. The cash price is the basis that you will use to determine what your best option will be for booking the flight.

In my opinion, the best tool for consolidating cash prices is Google Flights. Once you have a cash price to base your decision on, the next step is to determine the mileage/point pricing of the flight.

I like to use award searching tools such as Roame or Seats.aero to check what point options are available for the flights I’m looking to book.

To determine if it’s worth booking a flight with points, I calculate the cents per point (CPP) value that I’d get with the point redemption. I dive deeper into the process in this article.

I also check how much it’d cost to book a flight with my credit card points through my credit card’s travel portal, such as Chase Travel℠ or Capital One Travel. However, this is often my last resort, as it’s always best to book directly with an airline when possible.

Booking Direct

When you book directly with an airline or a partner airline, you’ll have the best flight protections and benefits. You’ll also be given priority when it comes to any issues that arise regarding your travel.

For example, booking directly with points often unlocks a powerful benefit with flights: free cancellation and flexibility with changes. In my experience, when you book directly with an airline using loyalty program points, you’ll be able to cancel or change your flight for free, which is a major advantage for point redemptions.

If you want to have access to the same flexibility rules for cash bookings, you’ll often need to pay a premium, most likely a fully refundable fare. This could run you up hundreds of dollars.

If you have access to credit card points and you want to use them to book your flights, it is usually best to transfer your points to your desired airline’s loyalty program and book your flight directly through their site.

For example, I recently used 37.5k Alaska Airlines miles to book a Japan Airlines flight from Boston (BOS) to Tokyo (NRT). I was able to do this since Alaska Airlines and Japan Airlines are partners. Since I booked my flight directly through an airline using points, my flight is fully refundable, and I can easily cancel my flight and get my miles back if I desire.

Booking Through Travel Portal

Since you aren’t booking directly through an airline when using a travel portal, travel portals are considered third-party booking service providers. This means that, when it comes to any hiccups regarding your flight, such as a cancellation, you’ll have to contact the service provider you booked with instead of the airline.

This can cause many issues, since you’ll be at the mercy of your service provider to help you with any travel-related issues. This is why I always recommend never booking with third-party sites such as Expedia unless the discount is significant and you’re okay with the risks.

Credit card travel portals are a little safer, but they’re still considered third-party sites. The pros of booking with a travel portal are that you could earn bonus points with your credit card, you could get access to discounts, you could save money on flights if you can’t book points directly with the airline, etc.

For example, a few weeks ago, Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card cardholders who applied for the card within the last year were given a $50 Chase Travel℠ voucher. I used this voucher to book a flight from San Francisco to Los Angeles, and was able to save $50 on my flight. I didn’t use my points because I couldn’t find a point redemption with good CPP value.

Since I used my Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card to book my flight through Chase Travel℠, I’ll have access to the travel protections that the card offers. This is also true if I were to use my points to book through the portal.

The cons of using a credit card travel portal are that you can usually get better value out of your points through transfer partners, you’ll be subject to cash fare rules even when using points, etc. I’d save my credit card points for higher-value redemptions, such as business class flight redemptions or Hyatt.

The United flight I booked using Chase Travel℠ is non-refundable, and trying to cancel or change the flight will most likely be difficult. If I had booked the flight directly through United using United MileagePlus miles, my flight would most likely be refundable.

Additionally, the price for using your points to book through a travel portal is always dynamic and tied to the cash price of the fare you’re trying to book. When the cash price increases, so will the point price on platforms such as Chase Travel℠ and Capital One Travel.

The only reason for me to use Chase Travel℠ to book my flight was so I could utilize the $50 voucher I was given. Otherwise, I would’ve just used my card to pay with cash directly through United’s website.

Final Remarks

When it comes to booking flights, convenience should never outweigh control. While travel portals can offer the occasional discount or incentive, such as bonus points or limited-time vouchers, the peace of mind that comes from booking directly with an airline is often unmatched.

Whether it's flexible cancellation policies, easier customer service access, or better integration with frequent flyer programs, direct bookings almost always provide superior long-term value. Before locking in any trip, always compare your options carefully. Use travel portals strategically, but prioritize booking directly when possible, especially when using points.