Amex vs. Citi vs. Chase: Which booking portal is best for hotels?
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.
If you ask guests at almost any hotel how much they paid for their room last night, you'll get many different answers. Sure, these guests booked at different times and might have different room types. But prices for the same room booked at the same time can also vary, based on how you booked.
Many popular travel rewards cards like the Chase Sapphire Reserve, The Platinum Card® from American Express and the Citi Premier® Card have travel portals for their cardholders. Through these portals, you can book hotels, flights or other types of travel using either your card or the points earned by your card.
The information for the Citi Prestige has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
However, some readers have reported inflated costs when booking hotels through these portals. In this guide I evaluate how prices offered through the American Express, Chase and Citi travel portals compare -- both to each other, as well as to other booking methods.
Related: The best credit cards for booking hotels
Booking options
For the purposes of this guide, I considered the following booking options:
- Booking a cash rate directly with a hotel brand using a cobranded hotel credit card
- Booking an award night directly with a hotel brand
- Clicking through hotels.com using the Capital One® Venture® Rewards Credit Card or the Capital One® VentureOne® Rewards Credit Card (ends Jan. 31, 2020)
- Booking a stay through the Chase Ultimate Rewards travel portal using points, the Chase Sapphire Reserve or the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card
- Booking a stay through the American Express Membership Rewards travel portal using points or The Platinum® Card from American Express
- Booking a stay through the Citi ThankYou travel portal using points, the Citi Prestige® Card (with or without fourth night free) or the Citi Premier Card
I'll consider all of these options for five different properties in New York City, each of which was selected before I began checking prices.
For each property, I considered four- or five-night stays. I randomly selected a date about two months in the future for my searches. For four-night stays, I used the dates of Dec. 18-22, 2019, whereas for five-night stays I used the dates of Dec. 17-22, 2019. I used four-night stays for most searches, since this aligns with the Citi Prestige's fourth-night-free benefit. However, for hotel brands that offer a fifth night free on awards to at least some customers, I used five-night stays for my searches.
The rates listed in this piece are for two people staying in the least-expensive room type. The rates include all taxes and fees that are disclosed during the booking process. The rates listed were available when I searched, but may not still be available. For direct rates, I considered member rates and promotional rates for popular hotel brands.
For the Amex, Chase and Citi travel portals, you can book stays using an eligible credit card or using points. If you decide to use points, you'll get a flat-rate value for them that is lower than TPG's valuation of these points. American Express Membership Rewards points are worth 0.7 cents each when used to book hotels through Amex Travel. The value you'll get from your Chase Ultimate Rewards points when booking hotels through the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal depends on which Ultimate Rewards card you have: Chase Sapphire Reserve cardholders get 1.5 cents per point, Chase Sapphire Preferred Card and Ink Business Preferred Credit Card cardholders get 1.25 cents per point and cardholders of no-annual-fee Chase Ultimate Rewards cards (like the Chase Freedom (No longer open to new applicants) and Ink Business Cash Credit Card) get 1 cent per point. The value you'll get from your Citi ThankYou points when booking hotels through the Citi ThankYou portal depends on which Citi ThankYou card you have: Citi Prestige cardholders get 1 cent per point while Citi Premier® Card holders still get 1.25 cents per point until April 10, 2021.
The information for the Chase Freedom has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Related: A guide to earning transferable points
Finally, remember that you usually won't have access to elite benefits or earning when you don't book direct. It's possible that you may occasionally be given access to benefits or earnings on these stays, but this shouldn't be expected. Now, let's consider the five properties:
Hilton: Conrad New York Midtown
Hilton Silver, Gold and Diamond elite members get every fifth night free when booking a standard room reward, so I considered a five-night stay at the Conrad New York Midtown.
In the following table, I compare the cost, credit card earnings and Hilton Honors earnings for the sample five-night stay. I assume that you have either Hilton Gold status through the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card or Hilton Diamond status through the Hilton Honors Aspire Card from American Express (and that you use the corresponding card to pay for the stay when booking directly). Note that you'll only earn Hilton points on the room rate, not on taxes and fees.
The information for the Hilton Aspire Amex card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
| Booking Method | Dec. 17-22, 2019 | Credit Card Earnings | Loyalty Earnings | Net Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Booking cash rate directly | $1,829 ($1,570 for room) | 21,948 Hilton points, worth $132, with Hilton Surpass
25,606 Hilton points, worth $154, with Hilton Aspire | 28,260 Hilton points, worth $170 (as Hilton Gold)
31,400 Hilton points, worth $188 (as Hilton Diamond) | $1,527 with Hilton Surpass and Hilton Gold status*
$1,487 with Hilton Aspire and Hilton Diamond status* |
| Booking award nights | 380,000 Hilton points | n/a | n/a | $2,280** |
| Hotels.com using Capital One Venture Card | $1,866 ($1,602) | 18,660 Capital One miles, worth $261 | $160 of value toward Hotels.com free night | $1,445 |
| Chase Ultimate Rewards travel portal using points | 124,410 Ultimate Rewards points if you have the Sapphire Reserve
149,292 Ultimate Rewards points if you have the Sapphire Preferred | n/a | n/a | $2,488 if you have the Sapphire Reserve**
$2,986 if you have the Sapphire Preferred** |
| Chase Ultimate Rewards travel portal using card | $1,866 | 5,598 Ultimate Rewards points, worth $112, using Sapphire Reserve
3,732 Ultimate Rewards points, worth $75, using Sapphire Preferred | n/a | $1,754 using Sapphire Reserve
$1,791 using Sapphire Preferred |
| American Express Membership Rewards travel portal using points | 340,307 Membership Rewards points | n/a | n/a | $6,806** |
| American Express Membership Rewards travel portal using Amex Platinum | $2,382 | 11,910 Membership Rewards points, worth $238 | n/a | $2,144 |
| Citi ThankYou Rewards travel portal using points | 130,410 Citi ThankYou points if you have Citi Premier
163,013 Citi ThankYou points if you have Citi Prestige 130,410 Citi ThankYou points after Citi Prestige fourth night free benefit | n/a | n/a | $2,217** if you have Citi Premier
$2,771** if you have Citi Prestige $2,217** after Citi Prestige fourth night free benefit |
| Citi ThankYou Rewards travel portal using card | $1,630
$1,304 after Citi Prestige fourth night free benefit | 4,890 ThankYou points, worth $83, using Citi Premier or Citi Prestige
3,912 ThankYou points, worth $67, using Citi Prestige fourth night free benefit | n/a | $1,547 using Citi Premier or Citi Prestige
$1,237 using Citi Prestige after fourth night free benefit |
*Doesn't factor in the potential cash-back earnings you could get from clicking through a cash-back portal.
**Based on TPG's valuations.
For this stay, the Citi Prestige fourth night free comes out ahead. However, since you'll only get a value of 1 cent each for your Citi ThankYou points when you use them to book travel through Citi ThankYou, you'll likely want to put the stay on your Citi Prestige Card instead of using points. Even ignoring the fourth night free, Citi ThankYou shows lower rates than the Amex and Chase travel portals.
Because of the differences in TPG's valuation of Chase, Citi and Amex points and what these programs provide per point when used toward hotel bookings though their travel portals, using points when booking through these portals generally isn't recommended unless you either have more points than you can use or you simply don't want to transfer these points to any airline or hotel transfer partners.
If you don't have a Citi Prestige Card, or don't want to use one of your two annual fourth-night-free stays on this trip, you may want to book direct if you're an elite or are working toward elite status. Otherwise, booking through hotels.com is a good option until the end of January 2020 if you have the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card or Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card.
Related: Hilton Surpass vs. Hilton Aspire: Which card is right for you?
Hyatt: Andaz 5th Avenue
The Andaz 5th Avenue is a Category 6 Hyatt property. In the following table, I compare the cost, credit card earnings and World of Hyatt earnings for a sample four-night stay. In this table, I assume that you have Hyatt Discoverist status through the World of Hyatt Credit Card, and that you'll use the World of Hyatt card to pay for the stay when booking directly. Note that you'll only earn Hyatt points on the room rate, not on taxes and fees.
| Booking Method | Dec. 18-22, 2019 | Credit Card Earnings | Loyalty Earnings | Net Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Booking cash rate directly using the World of Hyatt Credit Card | $1,769 ($1,410 for room) including resort fees | 7,076 World of Hyatt points, worth $120 | 7,755 World of Hyatt points, worth $132 (as Hyatt Discoverist) | $1,517* |
| Booking award nights | 100,000 World of Hyatt points + $138 in resort fees due at property | 552 World of Hyatt points, worth $9, using World of Hyatt Credit Card to pay resort fees | n/a | $1,829** |
| Hotels.com using Capital One Venture Card | $1,657 ($1,425 for room) + $138 in resort fees due at property | 16,846 Capital One miles, worth $236 | $143 of value toward Hotels.com free night | $1,416 |
| Chase Ultimate Rewards travel portal using points | 110,482 Ultimate Rewards points+ $138 in resort fees due at property if you have the Sapphire Reserve
132,579 Ultimate Rewards points + $138 in resort fees due at property if you have the Sapphire Preferred | 414 Ultimate Rewards points, worth $8, using Sapphire Reserve to pay resort fees
276 Ultimate Rewards points, worth $6, using Sapphire Preferred to pay resort fees | n/a | $2,340 if you have the Sapphire Reserve**
$2,784 if you have the Sapphire Preferred** |
| Chase Ultimate Rewards travel portal using card | $1,657 + $138 in resort fees due at property | 5,385 Ultimate Rewards points, worth $108 using Sapphire Reserve
3,590 Ultimate Rewards points, worth $72, using Sapphire Preferred | n/a | $1,687 using Sapphire Reserve
$1,723 using Sapphire Preferred |
| American Express Membership Rewards travel portal using points*** | 249,040 Membership Rewards points + $138 in resort fees due at property | 138 Membership Rewards points, worth $3, using Amex Platinum to pay resort fees | n/a | $5,116** |
| American Express Membership Rewards travel portal using Amex Platinum*** | $1,743 + $138 in resort fees due at property | 8,853 Membership Rewards points, worth $177 | n/a | $1,704 |
| Citi ThankYou Rewards travel portal using points | 132,579 Citi ThankYou points if you have Citi Premier + $138 in resort fees due at property
165,724 Citi ThankYou points if you have Citi Prestige + $138 in resort fees due at property 129,184 Citi ThankYou points after Citi Prestige fourth night free benefit + $138 in resort fees due at property | 414 ThankYou points, worth $7, using Citi Premier or Citi Prestige to pay resort fees | n/a | $2,385** if you have Citi Premier
$2,948** if you have Citi Prestige $2,327** after Citi Prestige fourth night free benefit |
| Citi ThankYou Rewards travel portal using card | $1,657 + $138 in resort fees due at property
$1,292 after Citi Prestige fourth night free benefit + $138 in resort fees due at property | 5,385 ThankYou points, worth $92, using Citi Premier or Citi Prestige
4,290 ThankYou points, worth $73, using Citi Prestige fourth-night-free benefit | n/a | $1,703 using Citi Premier or Citi Prestige
$1,357 using Citi Prestige after fourth night free benefit |
*Doesn't factor in the potential cash-back earnings you could get from clicking through a cash-back portal.
**Based on TPG's valuations.
***Hotel Collection booking.
The Citi Prestige fourth night free wins in this example as well. Ignoring the Citi Prestige fourth-night-free benefit, the Citi and Chase portals both find lower prices than Amex Travel — but this Andaz is a Hotel Collection property, which provides a $100 on-site credit and an upgrade if available, so you may want to book through Amex Travel if you value the Hotel Collection benefits.
Otherwise, Hyatt elites will likely want to book directly to get elite benefits and earnings, while non-elites who are looking for the lowest net cost (besides the Citi fourth night free) will want to book through hotels.com using the Capital One Venture Card or Capital One VentureOne Card.
Related: Why the World of Hyatt credit card is great for family travelers
Marriott: Sheraton Tribeca New York Hotel
Marriott provides a fifth night free on awards, so I considered a five-night stay at the Sheraton Tribeca New York Hotel. The hotel is a Category 5 Marriott property, so you'd need to pay between 30,000 and 40,000 points per night. For our sample stay from Dec. 17-22, the current cost is 140,000 points which is worth about $1,120 based on TPG's valuations.
In the following table, I compare the cost, credit card earnings and Marriott Bonvoy earnings for a sample five-night stay. In this table, I assume that you have either Marriott Silver status through the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Credit Card or Marriott Gold status through the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card (and that you use the corresponding card to pay for the stay when booking directly). Note that you only earn Marriott points on the room rate, not on taxes and fees.
| Booking Method | Dec. 17-22, 2019 | Credit Card Earnings | Loyalty Earnings | Net Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Booking cash rate directly with Marriott Boundless or Marriott Brilliant | $844 ($719 for room) | 5,064 Marriott points, worth $41 | 7,909 Marriott points, worth $63, as Marriott Silver
8,988 Marriott points, worth $72, as Marriott Gold | $740 as Marriott Silver*
$731 as Marriott Gold* |
| Booking award nights | 140,000 Marriott points + $19 taxes and fees | 114 Marriott points, worth $1, using Marriott Boundless or Marriott Brilliant to pay taxes and fees | n/a | $1,138** |
| Hotels.com using Capital One Venture Card | $843 ($719 for room) | 8,430 Capital One miles, worth $118 | $72 of value toward Hotels.com free night | $653 |
| Chase Ultimate Rewards travel portal using points | 56,172 Ultimate Rewards points if you have the Sapphire Reserve
67,406 Ultimate Rewards points if you have the Sapphire Preferred | n/a | n/a | $1,123 if you have the Sapphire Reserve**
$1,348 if you have the Sapphire Preferred** |
| Chase Ultimate Rewards travel portal using card | $843 | 2,529 Ultimate Rewards points, worth $51, using Sapphire Reserve
1,686 Ultimate Rewards points, worth $34, using Sapphire Preferred | n/a | $792 using Sapphire Reserve
$809 using Sapphire Preferred |
| American Express Membership Rewards travel portal using points | 120,369 Membership Rewards points | n/a | n/a | $2,407** |
| American Express Membership Rewards travel portal using Amex Platinum | $843 | 4,215 Membership Rewards points, worth $84 | n/a | $759 |
| Citi ThankYou Rewards travel portal using points | 70,650 Citi ThankYou points if you have Citi Premier
88,312 Citi ThankYou points if you have Citi Prestige 73,038 Citi ThankYou points after Citi Prestige fourth night free benefit | n/a | n/a | $1,201** if you have Citi Premier
$1,501** if you have Citi Prestige $1,242** after Citi Prestige fourth night free benefit |
| Citi ThankYou Rewards travel portal using card | $883
$730 after Citi Prestige fourth night free benefit | 2,649 ThankYou points, worth $45, using Citi Premier or Citi Prestige
2,190 ThankYou points, worth $37, using Citi Prestige fourth night free benefit | n/a | $838 using Citi Premier or Citi Prestige |
*Doesn't factor in the potential cash-back earnings you could get from clicking through a cash-back portal.
**Based on TPG's valuations.
Booking through hotels.com using the Capital One Venture Card or Capital One VentureOne Card provides the lowest net cost for this example thanks to its excellent rate of return. Amex Travel and the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal get the same nightly rate though, which is slightly lower than what can be booked through Citi ThankYou. However, booking direct gets a rate that is just $1 higher than the lowest rate, so elites and aspiring elites will want to book direct to get elite benefits and earning.
Related: Does it make sense to hold multiple Marriott Bonvoy credit cards?
IHG: Crowne Plaza Times Square
The Crowne Plaza Times Square costs 60,000 points per night. But IHG gives a fourth night free on award stays to cardholders of the IHG Rewards Premier Credit Card. For the purposes of this guide, I'll assume you have the IHG Premier Card and the Platinum Elite status that comes with this card.
In the following table, I compare the cost, credit card earnings and IHG earnings for a sample four-night stay. In this table, I assume that you use your IHG Premier Card to pay for your stay when booking directly. Note that you only earn IHG points on the room rate, not on taxes and fees.
| Booking Method | Dec. 18-22, 2019 | Credit Card Earnings | Loyalty Earnings | Net Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Booking cash rate directly using IHG Premier | $1,190 ($1,025 for room) + $161 in resort fees due at property | 13,510 IHG points, worth $68 | 15,375 IHG points, worth $77 (as IHG Platinum) | $1,206* |
| Booking award nights | 180,000 IHG points | n/a | n/a | $900** |
| Hotels.com using Capital One Venture Card | $1,306 ($1,126 for room) + $161 in resort fees due at property | 13,382 Capital One miles, worth $187 | $113 of value toward Hotels.com free night | $1,167 |
| Chase Ultimate Rewards travel portal using points | 87,088 Ultimate Rewards points + $161 in resort fees due at property if you have the Sapphire Reserve
104,506 Ultimate Rewards points + $161 in resort fees due at property if you have the Sapphire Preferred | 483 Ultimate Rewards points, worth $10, using Sapphire Reserve to pay resort fees
322 Ultimate Rewards points, worth $6, using Sapphire Preferred to pay resort fees | n/a | $1,893 if you have the Sapphire Reserve**
$2,245 if you have the Sapphire Preferred** |
| Chase Ultimate Rewards travel portal using card | $1,306 + $161 in resort fees due at property | 4,401 Ultimate Rewards points, worth $88, using Sapphire Reserve
2,934 Ultimate Rewards points, worth $59, using Sapphire Preferred | n/a | $1,379 using Sapphire Reserve
$1,408 using Sapphire Preferred |
| American Express Membership Rewards travel portal using points | 186,617 Membership Rewards points + $161 in resort fees due at property | 161 Membership Rewards points, worth $3, using Amex Platinum to pay resort fees | n/a | $3,729** |
| American Express Membership Rewards travel portal using Amex Platinum | $1,306 + $161 in resort fees due at property | 6,691 Membership Rewards points, worth $134 | n/a | $1,333 |
| Citi ThankYou Rewards travel portal using points | 104,506 Citi ThankYou points if you have Citi Premier + $161 in resort fees due at property
130,632 Citi ThankYou points if you have Citi Prestige + $161 in resort fees due at property 102,038 Citi ThankYou points after Citi Prestige fourth night free benefit + $161 in resort fees due at property | 483 ThankYou points, worth $8, using Citi Premier or Citi Prestige to pay resort fees | n/a | $1,930** if you have Citi Premier
$2,374** if you have Citi Prestige $1,888** after Citi Prestige fourth night free benefit |
| Citi ThankYou Rewards travel portal using card | $1,306 + $161 in resort fees due at property
$1,020 after Citi Prestige fourth night free benefit + $161 in resort fees due at property | 4,401 ThankYou points, worth $75, using Citi Premier or Citi Prestige
3,543 ThankYou points, worth $60, using Citi Prestige fourth night free benefit | n/a | $1,392 using Citi Premier or Citi Prestige
$1,121 using Citi Prestige after fourth night free benefit |
*Doesn't factor in the potential cash-back earnings you could get from clicking through a cash-back portal.
**Based on TPG's valuations.
Booking a fourth-night-free award stay is the best option here if you have the points (or can buy them) and agree with TPG's valuation of 0.5 cents each for IHG points. Otherwise, booking direct provides the best room rate, with all other methods charging $106 more for the four-night stay. However, in terms of net cost, booking through hotels.com with an eligible card or using one of your two annual Citi Prestige fourth-night-free stays will be better.
Related: IHG Rewards Premier Card: Is it worth a 5/24 slot?
Other: Mr. C Seaport Hotel
Mr. C Seaport hotel is a member of Leading Hotels of the World but doesn't partner with any other points-earning or -redeeming alliances. In the following table, I compare the cost and credit card earnings for a sample four-night stay. In this table, I assume that you'll use the Sapphire Reserve to pay for the stay when booking directly.
| Booking Method | Dec. 18-22, 2019 | Credit Card Earnings | Loyalty Earnings | Net Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Booking cash rate directly | $1,333 including resort fees | 3,999 Ultimate Rewards points using Sapphire Reserve, worth $80 | n/a | $1,253* |
| Hotels.com using Capital One Venture Card | $1,326 ($1,143 for room) + $80 in resort fees due at property | 13,420 Capital One miles, worth $188 | $114 of value toward Hotels.com free night | $1,104 |
| Chase Ultimate Rewards travel portal using points | 88,374 Ultimate Rewards points + $80 in resort fees due at property if you have the Sapphire Reserve
106,050 Ultimate Rewards points + $80 in resort fees due at property if you have the Sapphire Preferred | 240 Ultimate Rewards points, worth $5, using Sapphire Reserve to pay resort fees
160 Ultimate Rewards points, worth $3, using Sapphire Preferred to pay resort fees | n/a | $1,842 if you have the Sapphire Reserve**
$2,198 if you have the Sapphire Preferred** |
| Chase Ultimate Rewards travel portal using card | $1,326 + $80 in resort fees due at property | 4,218 Ultimate Rewards points, worth $84, using Sapphire Reserve
2,812 Ultimate Rewards points, worth $56, using Sapphire Preferred | n/a | $1,322 using Sapphire Reserve
$1,350 using Sapphire Preferred |
| American Express Membership Rewards travel portal using points*** | 189,697 Membership Rewards points + $80 in resort fees due at property | 80 Membership Rewards points, worth $2, using Amex Platinum to pay resort fees | n/a | $3,792** |
| American Express Membership Rewards travel portal using Amex Platinum*** | $1,328 + $80 in resort fees due at property | 6,720 Membership Rewards points, worth $134 | n/a | $1,274 |
| Citi ThankYou Rewards travel portal using points | 117,711 Citi ThankYou points if you have the Citi Premier + $80 in resort fees due at property
147,139 Citi ThankYou points if you have the Citi Prestige + $80 in resort fees due at property 115,171 Citi ThankYou points after Citi Prestige fourth night free benefit + $80 in resort fees due at property | 240 Citi ThankYou points, worth $4, using Citi Premier or Citi Prestige to pay resort fees | n/a | $2,077** if you have the Citi Premier
$2,577** if you have the Citi Prestige $2,034** after Citi Prestige fourth-night-free benefit |
| Citi ThankYou Rewards travel portal using card | $1,471 + $80 in resort fees due at property
$1,152 after Citi Prestige fourth night free benefit + $80 in resort fees due at property | 4,653 ThankYou points, worth $79, using Citi Premier or Citi Prestige
3,696 ThankYou points, worth $63, using Citi Prestige fourth-night-free benefit | n/a | $1,472 using Citi Premier or Citi Prestige
$1,169 using Citi Prestige after fourth-night-free benefit |
*Doesn't factor in the potential cash-back earnings you could get from clicking through a cash-back portal.
**Based on TPG's valuations.
***Fine Hotels and Resorts booking.
The lowest net cost for booking this hotel is through hotels.com using an eligible card, even though booking direct costs $73 less. However, you can book a stay through Amex's Fine Hotels and Resorts program for a net cost of $170 more — which may be worth it when you consider that you get a $100 property amenity, upgrade, late checkout and daily breakfast for two.
Related: I got $160 of food and drink included on a $153 stay in Chicago, and you can too
Bottom line
So, how did the Chase, Amex and Citi travel portals fare in terms of hotel bookings? Let's look at it in terms of both booking cost and net cost in the following table, which excludes the Citi Prestige fourth-night-free benefit except as noted:
| Amex Travel | Chase Ultimate Rewards | Citi ThankYou | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lowest booking cost | 1/5 | 1/5 | 1/5 |
| Lowest booking cost among Amex/Chase/Citi | 2/5 | 4/5 | 3/5 |
| Lowest net cost | 0/5 | 0/5 | 0/5 |
| Lowest net cost (including Citi Prestige fourth night free) | 0/5 | 0/5 | 2/5 |
| Lowest net cost among Amex/Chase/Citi | 2/5 | 2/5 | 1/5 |
As you can see, booking through the travel portals for Citi, Chase or Amex didn't provide the lowest net cost in any of these examples -- although the Citi Prestige fourth-night-free benefit did result in the lowest net cost in two of the five examples.
Of course, these examples assume that you have access to all of these travel portals, as well the Capital One Venture Card or Capital One VentureOne Card, which currently unlock the ability to earn an effective 24% return when booking through hotels.com and combining with Hotels.com rewards. So if you have a smaller subset of booking options, you may find that booking through your card's travel portal performs relatively better. But this guide should be a stark reminder to check multiple booking options before booking. Don't simply assume that booking through your credit card's travel portal will always be best.
As for using points to book though your credit card's travel portal: This guide illustrates just how much potential value you lose in doing so. Using your points toward hotel bookings values your points significantly lower than TPG's valuations, although the difference is much more in the case of Amex Membership Rewards cards (0.7 vs 2 cents per point) than it is for the Sapphire Reserve (1.5 vs 2 cents per point) and the Citi Premier (1.25 vs 1.7 cents per point). If you've been using your transferable points toward hotel bookings through your card's travel portal, use the following guides to help consider whether you could be getting better value from your points.
Related: Why mile and point valuations don't always rule my world
Here are some guides to help you maximize your Chase Ultimate Rewards points:
- Why do Chase and TPG list different values for Ultimate Rewards points?
- How to maximize your Chase Ultimate Rewards points
- Sweet spots: The best ways to use Chase Ultimate Rewards points
- How to redeem Ultimate Rewards points on SkyTeam, Oneworld and Star Alliance airlines
- How to redeem Chase Ultimate Rewards points for hotels
Here are some guides to help you maximize your Citi ThankYou points:
- You can now redeem Citi ThankYou points in real time — but it's not a good idea
- Redeeming Citi ThankYou points for maximum value
- Best sweet spots with Citi ThankYou Rewards
- How to redeem Citi ThankYou points on SkyTeam, Oneworld and Star Alliance airlines
And here are some guides to help you maximize your American Express Membership Rewards points:
- Redeeming American Express Membership Rewards for maximum value
- Best ways to use Amex Membership Rewards points
- How to redeem Amex Membership Rewards points on SkyTeam, Oneworld and Star Alliance airlines
- How to redeem Amex Membership Rewards points for hotels