If Memorial Day 2023 was any indication, travelers should brace for big Fourth of July crowds at airports. On the Friday of Memorial Day weekend, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) screened roughly 2.7 million people at U.S. airports, the highest checkpoint volume thus far in 2023.
And summer travel is only just getting started. In 2019, the Friday before Memorial Day was the third-busiest day at U.S. airports for the entire year, losing only to the Sunday after Thanksgiving and the Sunday after July Fourth. This may indicate that airports could be even busier around Independence Day than Memorial Day weekend.
Making Fourth of July travel predictions is tricky this year because the holiday falls midweek, on a Tuesday. Some folks may take Monday off to enjoy a long weekend, while others may save their vacation time for a different holiday.
With that in mind, here’s some guidance around booking July Fourth weekend air travel and how you might be able to avoid the crowds (and potentially save money on airfare).
The best and worst days to fly July Fourth weekend
TSA collects data daily to capture the number of passengers screened at its U.S. checkpoints. NerdWallet analyzed the past four years of this data for the seven days before and after July Fourth.
In each of the past four years, the Friday before July Fourth was the busiest travel day ahead of the Fourth of July weekend. If that trend continues this year, travelers should expect U.S. airports to be especially full on Friday, June 30.
Are airports busy on July Fourth? The data shows the holiday is the least busy day to fly, with airport crowds averaging just 81% of what they are relative to the busiest travel day.
Based on an average of the past four years, here are the worst days to travel around July Fourth weekend, ranked from most to least crowded.
Pre-holiday:
Friday before.
Thursday before.
Monday before.
Post-holiday:
Sunday after.
Monday after.
Thursday after.
Instead, consider these options. Here’s what the data showed as the best days to travel over July Fourth, ranked from least to most crowded:
Pre-holiday:
Saturday before.
Tuesday before.
Sunday before.
Post-holiday:
Saturday after.
Friday after.
Wednesday after.
The smarter, cheaper Fourth of July travel itinerary
Based on recent historical trends, most people will kick off their Fourth of July weekend as early as possible, jetting off on Friday, June 30 — or even ducking out of the workweek early by departing on Thursday, June 29. Most travelers will likely maximize their weekends, waiting until Sunday, July 9, to fly home.
But following typical July Fourth holiday travel patterns could mean costs in terms of airfare and time spent waiting in line at the airport. Deviate from that schedule to find lighter crowds and perhaps better July Fourth flight deals, too.
Try these travel days instead:
Embrace Saturday travel: Rather than rush out from work on Friday afternoon to jump on a flight, relax at home that evening and depart Saturday morning instead. Simply shifting your trip by one day could likely result in going from one of the busiest to lightest travel days of the July Fourth travel period.
The same goes for traveling back home. While it can be tempting to extend your trip as long as possible before work starts on Monday, skip the Sunday flight and fly home on Saturday instead. Bonus: You’ll give yourself a day at home to rest and recover before you hit the next workweek (how responsible of you).
Fly on July Fourth: If you don’t mind traveling on the holiday, you’re looking at the single emptiest air travel day of the period.
Do one better by flying out early on the holiday. Travel booking app Hopper’s spring 2023 Flight Disruption Outlook found that flights that depart from 5 a.m. to 8 a.m. are half as likely to be delayed versus flights with scheduled departure times after 9 a.m.
Plus, a morning flight improves your odds of catching the fireworks at your final destination.
Fly on Wednesday, July 5: Will July 5 be a busy travel day in 2023? Likely no. This year, July 5 falls on a Wednesday, one of the cheapest days to fly year-round. Plus, according to TSA’s data, July 5 has been a consistently light travel day. In 2019, July 5 was the lightest travel day for the week after the holiday (July 5 fell on a Friday that year).
Moreover, for U.S. domestic economy tickets in 2022, Wednesdays were about 22% lower than peak prices on Sundays, according to a NerdWallet analysis of Hopper data.
July Fourth travelers in 2023 can feel confident that a July 5 flight itinerary will afford them cheaper airfare plus less congested airport queues.
How to maximize your rewards
You want a travel credit card that prioritizes what’s important to you. Here are our picks for the best travel credit cards of 2023, including those best for:
Save more, spend smarter, and make your money go further
(*)Product details are accurate at the time of publishing and subject to change. Some of the offers on this page may no longer be available through our site
Are you in the credit rewards game?? We asked around and got some tips from savvy credit card gamers. Check out how users have paid for vacations, their wedding and more below! Have your own tips?? Share them in the comments!
Gaming for the Jet Set Lifestyle
My boyfriend and I love to travel internationally. We are able to do so through a strategic combination of saving, flight tracking, credit card points, and hotel points. A careful combination of these strategies, enable you to save tremendously on your future vacations.
We’ve included a couple of our recommendations below:
Saving
We use a combination of Mint.com and Qapital to track our spending habits and save for future trips.
Flight Tracking
The “Discover Destinations” feature of Google Flights: Allows you to view prices of upcoming flights world-wide! Once you find your desired flight, you are able to select “Track Prices” and Google will email you when prices go up or down.
Hopper (available on iOS or Android) is another must-have. Hopper uses an algorithm to accurately predict future flight prices. Letting you know whether you should buy now or wait.
Credit Card Points
AMEX Platinum Card ($695 Annual Fee) (*)
5X Points on Flight (up to $500,000 per calendar year) and Hotels booked with American Express Travel.
$200 in Uber Cash and Uber VIP status (available to Basic Card Member only).
Centurion Lounge and Priority Pass Lounge Network Access. Enrollment required.
Global Entry or TSA PreCheck Fee Credit.
American Express Concierge.
No foreign transaction fees.
See Rates and Fees
Terms apply.
Marriott Rewards Card ($85 Annual Fee)
5 points per dollar spent at Marriott Rewards or SPG hotels.
2 points per dollar spent on airline tickets, and on car rentals and restaurants.
1 point on all other purchases.
No foreign transaction fees.
Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature Card (Prime Membership Required)
5% Cashback at Amazon.com
2% Cashback at Restaurants, Gas Stations, and Drugstores
1% on all other purchases.
No foreign transaction fees.
Hotel Points
We typically stay at Marriott properties to accrue points. Now that Marriott has merged with Starwood, Marriott has a very large selection of hotels to choose from. Whether you’re visiting a small town or a world-class city.
Here’s more from the social networks!
I use Discover and Chase Freedom for rotating 5% CB, which can cover major stores like Walmart, Target, Amazon, or purchases like restaurants, movies, and groceries. I keep an eye out on what each quarter’s rewards are and only specifically use those cards on those stores during those times. I use my CapitalOne Savor card for 2% on groceries and 3% on dining throughout the year when my Discover and Chase Freedom cards aren’t covering those at the higher 5%. Finally, I use my CapitalOne Quicksilver card at 1.5% at all “others.” I use the CB straight to credit card statement each month and make sure to always pay the cards back always in full. Essentially I can say I have a permanent X% discount at any given store. The credit cards are paying me to use them since there is never interest from my full payments.
— Brandon B, Mesa AZ
I generally use my cash back rewards card with a consistent rate for most expenses and then sometimes switch to a card with 5% rotating rewards when the category is something I purchase a lot (gasoline, Amazon, etc.). I like the cash back better than miles/points because it’s easier to flat out see what I’ve earned and can be used on absolutely anything. To maximize rewards, I also take advantage of referral programs with cards when my friends are looking for a new card and I have one I really like – the ones I have used give $50-$100 per referral.
I transfer rewards right into my wedding savings account ❤️ It adds up faster than you’d expect!
— Rachel M, Cedarville OH
I earn cash points for purchases made with my credit card. The program allows me to select one category of purchase types to earn triple points on. I have it set up to earn triple points for purchases at grocery stores. My local grocery store has a separate “fuel perks” program where I can earn points toward free gasoline when I make purchases there. So, I use my credit card to buy all sorts of gift cards from other retailers and restaurants at my local grocery store, where I earn the triple cash points on my credit card because I made the purchase in the grocery category. At the same time, I earn the fuel perks with my local grocery store program because I made the purchases there.
I basically get triple cash points on more purchase types because I use my credit card to buy gift cards for other categories at the grocery store, AND I earn free tanks of gas for purchases outside the grocery store because I buy gift cards for those places in the grocery store.
— Bryan M, Columbus OH
I am a cashback freak, I always maximize my cashback by using right credit card for right category. I have different credit cards like chase freedom and discover which gives 5% cashback for rotating categories. I have Citi and amex for 3% caskback and for all other expenses i use the card with 1.5% cashback as my fallback. ‘TPG to Go’ app tells me which card to use depending upon my location which is very handy. At the end of the year take them out as a statemen credit. I categorize them in mint app so i know How much i earned in calendar year. Last year it was around $500+ in cashback which is a big help after expensive holiday month.
— Tejaswini L, San Jose CA
(*)Product details are accurate at the time of publishing and subject to change. Some of the offers on this page may no longer be available through our site
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Many airlines, hotels, theme parks and cruise lines pay year-round tribute to those who serve our country with various discounts and benefits. Sometimes these deals are available only to active-duty military personnel, and sometimes the perks extend to U.S. military veterans and their families as well.
Related: The best credit cards for active-duty military members: Get waived annual fees
No matter the form these travel benefits take, they all reflect the gratitude the travel industry feels toward those who have sacrificed so much to protect our country.
Here are the perks that military members can take advantage of on their travels.
Military hotel discounts
Marriott Bonvoy
Marriott Bonvoy and its many brands have discounted federal, state and local government rates available to government and military personnel. To access the discounted rates, choose the “Government & Military” option from the “Special Rates” drop-down menu when searching for a stay. You’ll get a list of all the Marriott Bonvoy properties in your chosen city that offer special rates and their eligibility requirements.
Hilton
Federal and U.S. military employees are eligible for military rates and discounts at participating Hilton properties. When searching for rooms online, check the box labeled “Government/Military Rates” to see the applicable rates. Plus, there’s a discount on leisure stays for active and retired military members and their families at participating hotels and resorts (though the rate is not valid for official government or military travel).
Best Western
Best Western properties across the U.S. offer discounted rates for veterans, military members and government personnel.
Plus, Best Western’s Service Rewards Program — the hotel chain’s award program tailored to members of the military and armed forces — unlocks even more member benefits, including an automatic upgrade to Gold status and bonus points on qualified stays.
Hyatt
Veterans, active-duty members and their immediate family members are eligible for a discount of 10%-15% off Hyatt’s standard rate at participating hotels. To get the discount, use the offer code MILVET while booking.
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Wyndham
Participating Wyndham properties offer discounts of up to 15% off their best available rate to active and retired military personnel, veterans and their families. Plus, qualifying military personnel and their spouses get automatic Gold-level status when they enroll in the Wyndham Rewards program and bonus Wyndham Rewards points for qualified stays.
B Hotels & Resorts
To honor military members, B Hotels & Resorts is offering an exclusive “B Saluted” discount of 15% off regular rates and two welcome drinks per stay to military members, veterans and their families. B Hotels & Resorts has locations in Orlando, Fort Lauderdale and Marathon, Florida.
IHG
The hotel chain behind such brands as InterContinental, Holiday Inn, Crowne Plaza, Kimpton and others offers a “Military Leisure Rate” at participating locations across the U.S., Canada, and Central and South America. It applies to active-duty military personnel, veterans, retired military personnel and their families.
Choice Hotels
Choice Hotels — which includes brands such as Comfort, Sleep Inn and Quality Inn — extends a discounted rate for official and leisure travel to active-duty and retired military personnel, their dependents and members of several military associations. Plus, active-duty military members, veterans and military spouses are eligible to join the Choice Privileges rewards program at the Lifetime Gold Elite level and receive a bonus 2,500 Choice Privileges rewards points after your first qualifying stay.
Motel 6
Motel 6, along with its sister extended-stay brand Studio 6, offers active and retired military personnel and their families a discount of 10% off standard rates.
Red Roof
Active-duty military personnel and veterans — in addition to government employees — are eligible for a 10% discount on official travel at any U.S. Red Roof location. The hotel chain also has a 10% discount on leisure travel for all government employees and military members, veterans and retirees.
Military airline benefits
Southwest Airlines
There are special fares for military and government travelers, but you must call the airline to book them. Additionally, military members traveling on active duty (in or out of uniform) can board between the A and B groups and are exempt from the limit of two pieces of checked baggage.
American Airlines
American Airlines offers government or military fares in some markets, while veterans and their families can access reduced fares by enrolling in the VetRewards program.
Active-duty military personnel are also allowed Group 1 boarding privileges; they can bring up to five free checked bags when traveling on orders and up to three free checked bags for leisure travel (weight restrictions apply).
U.S. military personnel traveling in uniform on a same-day American flight can enter Admirals Club lounges with their immediate family — defined as a spouse, domestic partner and/or children under 18 — or up to two guests at most Admirals Club locations except for Airspace Lounge at San Diego International Airport (SAN) and JAL Sakura Lounge at Honolulu’s Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL).
Delta Air Lines
Active-duty U.S. service members can call Delta Reservations at 800-221-1212 for discounted fares unavailable to the general public. Delta also offers priority boarding and free checked baggage to active-duty military members. How many bags you are allowed is based on the type of travel and fare type, and you must adhere to the specified size and weight restrictions for baggage.
United Airlines
United offers an additional checked baggage allowance and United Club access to active-duty military members traveling on official orders (immediate family may access the lounge, too). U.S. military veterans, active-duty military, National Guard and Reserve members and their families are also eligible for a 5% discount on United-operated flights through the Veterans Advantage program.
Alaska Airlines
In some markets, Alaska Airlines offers military fares to active-duty military personnel and their dependents when you call Alaska Airlines at 800-252-7522 to purchase your tickets. Active-duty U.S. military personnel can board early, check up to five bags for free, receive 15% off inflight food purchases and receive complimentary day passes to visit an Alaska Lounge when traveling in uniform. All other active-duty military personnel can purchase a discounted day pass for $30. Flight discounts are also available through Veterans Advantage.
JetBlue
Active-duty military personnel not traveling on orders get a 5% discount off the base fare by calling 800-JETBLUE. In a separate offer, JetBlue offers a 5% discount to U.S. active-duty military members, retired military members, veterans, National Guard and Reserve members and their families who are enrolled in Veterans Advantage. Those who enroll in Veterans Advantage also get two free checked bags for leisure trips and up to five when traveling on duty.
Frontier Airlines
Frontier typically charges for carry-on bags and checked baggage. However, active-duty armed forces, National Guard and Reserve members receive a free carry-on bag, two free checked bags and one free personal item. Note: These baggage waivers apply only to active-duty military personnel. Families or traveling companions are not eligible.
Allegiant Air
U.S. active-duty and reserve military members, military veterans, members of the National Guard and their dependents get up to two pieces of checked baggage for free through the Allegiant Honors program. Also, the airline waives its typical fees for oversized checked baggage, a carry-on bag, getting a boarding pass printed at the airport and seat assignments. Qualifying service members can also board their flights early.
Spirit Airlines
Active-duty U.S. military members can check two bags for free and bring a carry-on item on board their flight for free, in addition to the already free personal item.
Military train travel discounts
Amtrak
Active-duty U.S. military personnel, their spouses and their dependents are eligible for a 10% discount on the lowest available fare in select fare classes. During your ticket search on Fare Finder, select “Military” for each eligible passenger. Amtrak also welcomes uniformed military personnel to the front of the ticket line.
Brightline
Active-duty military members traveling in uniform can ride Brightline for free with a reservation. Visit a guest services counter at any Brightline station to receive the discount. Additionally, active-duty military members not traveling in uniform and veterans can receive a 10% discount on fares. Both discounts are for the Smart fare class and cannot be used for Premium fares.
Military theme park ticket discounts
Universal Orlando Resort
Universal Orlando is currently offering a Military Freedom Pass promotional ticket to all active-duty and retired service members. Ticket prices start at $199.99 for unlimited admission between now and Dec. 24, though blackout dates apply. Each eligible service member can purchase up to six promotional tickets, and they must buy them through a participating authorized military ticket and travel office.
Universal Studios Hollywood
Universal Studios Hollywood offers discounted tickets to active-duty and retired military personnel, 100% disabled veterans, Medal of Honor recipients, active Guard and Reserve members, and the spouses and dependents of the people in these categories. Ticket prices vary based on date, and tickets must be purchased at participating military ticket offices.
Walt Disney World
Active and retired U.S. military personnel are eligible for discounted hotel rates and specially priced theme park tickets at Walt Disney World. Blackout dates apply. Hotel stays can be booked by calling 407-939-7830. Tickets must be purchased at a participating U.S. military base ticket office.
Disneyland
Disneyland honors active and retired U.S. military personnel with discounted three- and four-day Park Hopper tickets. The Disney Military Promotional Park Hopper Ticket includes access to Disneyland and Disney California Adventure each day of your ticket, excluding blackout dates. Pricing starts at $245, and you must purchase tickets at a participating U.S. military base ticket office. Hotel discounts are also available by calling 844-776-0015.
Silver Dollar City
Silver Dollar City offers a 30% ticket discount to U.S. active or retired military, veterans and military reservists, along with their spouses and dependent children (ages 4-17) living in their household. In addition to discounted tickets, Silver Dollar City invites all military members and veterans to help raise the American Flag during the park’s daily opening ceremony. Service members are also given a red, white and blue ribbon to wear during their time in the park, allowing employees and guests to thank them for their service.
Busch Gardens and SeaWorld parks
Through the Waves of Honor program, all U.S. SeaWorld, Busch Gardens, Aquatica and Sesame Place parks offer discounted tickets to active-duty military members and veterans.
Dollywood
Dollywood offers discounted tickets stand annual passes to U.S. active or retired military, veterans, military reservists, spouses and dependents. The savings amounts to about 30% off the regular ticket price.
Military cruise benefits
Carnival Cruise Line
Carnival Cruise Line shows its appreciation for active and retired armed forces members with discounted cruise rates, onboard credits and reduced deposits. Additionally, every Carnival sailing has a Heroes Tribute Lounge and holds a military appreciation gathering for service members and their families.
Norwegian Cruise Line
Norwegian Cruise Line’s Military Appreciation Program extends exclusive benefits to military members, veterans and their spouses. Members of the program receive a 10% discount on all cruise fares.
Disney Cruise Line
Disney Cruise Line offers special rates to all military members, active and retired, as well as their spouses. Discounted rates are only available on select sailings, and prices start at $185 per person, based on double occupancy.
Margaritaville at Sea
Margaritaville at Sea honors active and veteran military members with a free two-night cruise through the Heroes Sail Free program. The offer is valid only for ocean-view and interior cabins, and you must be sailing with at least one paying guest in the same cabin. Taxes and fees still apply.
Celebrity Cruises
Active and retired military members can save $25 on inside and ocean-view cabins and $100 on veranda cabins and above on select sailings. This discount applies to the first and second guest in the cabin.
Princess Cruises
Veterans and active, retired and disabled military personnel can receive up to $250 free onboard spending money on select Princess sailings. You can use this onboard credit for specialty dining, onboard boutiques, shore excursions, spa treatments and more.
Royal Caribbean
Royal Caribbean offers military rates to active and retired personnel, veterans and their spouses. The discounted rates also apply to friends and family members staying in the same cabin as the eligible service member. The best way to access the discounted rate is by booking through a travel agent or booking directly with Royal Caribbean over the phone.
MSC Cruises
MSC Cruises offers discounted fares to all active and retired U.S. military personnel, plus family members traveling with them. You can receive a discount of 5% on interior and ocean-view cabins, 10% on balcony and suite cabins and a “kids sail free” promotion on select sailings.
AmaWaterways
AmaWaterways offers active and retired service members a special military discount of $100 off a river cruise when you use the code MIL100 at the time of booking.
Bottom line
A host of benefits await travelers who serve or have served in the U.S. military.
Because these benefits, their requirements and the eligibility of family, spouses and dependents vary, carefully research each military discount offer to avoid any surprises. Many airlines, hotels and other businesses might ask for proof of eligibility, so don’t leave home without the military ID, veteran ID, dependent ID, orders and/or other documentation you’ll need to take advantage of the many travel offers.
Editor’s note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with new information.
American Express, Capital One, Chase and Citi are four of the major players in the travel credit card space. As such, these issuers offer their own travel portals, where users can earn and redeem their points and miles for flights, hotels, car rentals and more.
These issuers also incentivize their cardholders to use the bank’s own portal, done by offering bonus points on bookings.
For instance, with the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card, you’ll earn 10 miles per dollar on hotel and car rentals and 5 miles per dollar on flights — but only when booked through the Capital One Travel portal. Purchases made outside the portal earn 2 miles per dollar.
Likewise, with the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card, you’ll earn 5 points per dollar on all travel booked through the Ultimate Rewards portal. Otherwise, you earn 2 points per dollar on those travel purchases.
Given the lucrative earning potential that booking through these portals presents, it begs the question: Is it worth your time to use them rather than booking directly?
In this guide, we put these four travel portals to the test when booking flights. We compared price, ease of use, redemption value and other metrics.
Methodology
For this analysis, we limited our research to flights and didn’t include hotels, rental cars or other travel. That’s because we generally recommend that you avoid booking hotels through a third party since you likely won’t receive elite-status benefits (if you have any) or earn elite-qualifying stay credits.
If you’re not concerned with earning hotel elite status or are booking an independent hotel, then booking your stay through a travel portal could be advantageous for you.
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It’s also worth noting that you can get elite-like perks at hotels, even without elite status, by booking with these programs: Amex’s Fine Hotels + Resorts, Amex’s The Hotel Collection, Capital One’s Premier Collection, Chase’s Luxury Hotel & Resort Collection, Citi’s Hotel Collection and Citi’s Luxury Hotel Collection.
With flights, you may be able to “double-dip” your earnings: You can usually earn bonus points on bookings through your card issuer’s portal and earn airline and elite-qualifying miles just as you would by booking directly through the airline. That said, here are the features we examined in each portal:
Results: Do you get comprehensive results when searching through the portal?
Price: How do the prices compare to booking directly with an airline versus through a portal?
Ease of use: Is navigating the portal easy for a user? What unique features or benefits do users get from using this portal?
Redemption value: Is it worth redeeming your points and miles for travel through a portal?
With these four factors in mind, here’s how the individual issuers’ travel portals stack up.
American Express Travel portal
Any American Express card that earns Membership Rewards points grants access to the Amex Travel portal. Depending on your specific card, you may earn bonus points for booking through the portal.
The Platinum Card® from American Express, for instance, earns 5 points per dollar on flights booked directly with airlines or through Amex Travel (on up to $500,000 of these purchases annually, then 1 point per dollar) and 5 points per dollar on prepaid hotel bookings made through Amex Travel. The American Express® Gold Card, meanwhile, earns 3 points per dollar on flights booked directly with airlines or through Amex Travel.
You can search for flights, hotels, flight and hotel packages, rental cars and cruises on the Amex portal.
Related: Everything you need to know about Amex Travel
Capital One travel portal
The Capital One travel portal offers a fresh interface powered by the travel tech app Hopper and is accessible with most credit cards earning Capital One miles or cash back.
Bonus earnings are available, depending on which card you have. Using the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card to book flights in the portal provides 5 miles per dollar; flights booked elsewhere earn 2 miles per dollar.
Currently, you can only book flights, hotels and rental cars through the portal. The portal also houses the Premier Collection for luxury hotels. However, this is only accessible if you have the Venture X or its counterpart, the Capital One Venture X Business card.
The information for the Venture X Business 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.
Related: How to use the Capital One travel portal — now with more cards and new rewards
Chase Ultimate Rewards travel portal
Chase’s Ultimate Rewards travel portal was powered by Expedia for many years, but the issuer migrated to cxLoyalty in 2021.
You can access the portal with your Ultimate Rewards-earning credit card, including popular options like the Chase Sapphire Reserve, the Chase Sapphire Preferred or the Chase Freedom Unlimited. Cardholders can book flights, hotels, cars, activities and cruises on the Chase travel portal.
Related: Why are some flights more expensive through the Chase travel portal?
Citi travel portal
The overhauled Citi travel portal launched in March 2023 after months of delays. It’s powered by Rocket Travel by Agoda, part of the Booking.com family.
You can access the portal with any credit card earning ThankYou points, and several cards earn bonus points on bookings in the portal. Unfortunately, flights aren’t included in these bonus offerings.
With Citi’s new portal, you can book flights, hotels, rental cars and attractions of numerous types. The portal also offers two hotel programs: Hotel Collection and Luxury Collection.
Related: Ultimate guide to the Citi travel portal
Booking flights
I looked at a variety of round-trip routes with the same dates (roughly six months from now) and gathered the following prices:
Itinerary
Booked directly
Amex Travel
Capital One Travel
Chase travel
Citi Travel
New York (JFK) to Los Angeles (LAX) in economy with Delta Air Lines.
$533.
$541.
$540.
$523.
$540.
Tampa (TPA) to Bozeman (BZN) in economy with American Airlines.
$786.
$786.
$786.
$786.
$786.
Baltimore (BWI) to Las Vegas (LAS) in economy with Delta Air Lines.
$720.
$720.
$720.
$720.
$720.
Miami (MIA) to Boston (BOS) in economy with JetBlue.
$418.
$418.
$338.
$418.
$412.
Chicago (ORD) to Milan (MXP) in economy with United Airlines.
$902.
$902.
$902.
$772.
$732.
Nashville (BNA) to Bogotá, Colombia (BOG) in economy with American Airlines.
$535.
$535.
$535.
$535.
$415.
Toronto (YYZ) to Seoul (ICN) in economy with Air Canada.
$1,079.
$1,952.
$1,880.
$ 2,581.
$1,952.
New York (JFK) to Los Angeles (LAX) in Delta One.
$2,798.
$2,600.
$2,798.
$2,798.
Not available.
Newark (EWR) to London (LHR) in business with British Airways.
$3,272.
$3,272.
$3,300.
$3,300.
$3,300.
San Francisco (SFO) to Singapore (SIN) in business with Singapore Airlines.
$8,351.
$7,285.
$8,521.
$9,386.
$8,521.
Price
All of the travel portals generally fared well when it came to searching economy flights versus booking directly. However, there were a few major caveats worth noting.
Southwest Airlines is not bookable on any of the portals, and tickets for low-cost airlines like Spirit Airlines and Frontier are typically more expensive on the Chase and Capital One travel portals than booking directly. Amex Travel didn’t display any Spirit Airways or Frontier Airlines flights.
When it came to international flights, all of the bank portals struggled at times to match prices or give comparable results versus booking directly. For a deeper dive on some of these routes and flight prices, we did a broader comparison across 20 flights in this guide.
As a general word of advice, domestic flights should yield the same results and price, but it gets tricky when searching for international fares. Your best bet would be to compare the prices and only use a portal when the prices are identical.
Ease of use
The Amex portal is my favorite for a comprehensible search experience, fast load times for results and the simplicity of parsing through the various options.
On the other hand, the Capital One portal offers one of the most visually appealing interfaces, with color-coded dates to indicate the lowest prices in a calendar view — plus price drop protection. However, the Capital One portal did not provide as many options as its competitors on some searches. It also yielded higher prices for international routes, but I’m hopeful that the issuer will continue to make improvements in the future.
Based on millions of data points from Hopper, Capital One is supposed to let you know if this is the best time to book via its price watch prediction feature.
To standardize the offerings across various airlines, Capital One also provides detailed insights into what flyers can expect from their chosen fare class. With the rise of “basic economy” fares, it’s not always clear what amenities are included in your ticket and what you’ll have to pay for as extras.
Capital One does an excellent job of explaining in-depth features such as seat pitch, aircraft type, and food and beverage options on board.
Speaking of basic economy, it’s worth noting Amex Travel rarely (if ever) displays these fares. If you’re looking for basic economy, you should use another portal.
Citi’s new portal does a good job of offering a broad range of results in economy and offering upgrades on the payment page. And being able to book flights plus other travel elements in one transaction is great. However, searching directly for business-class fares is tricky on this portal.
Finally, the Chase portal has seen vast improvements since fully migrating toward its cxLoyalty interface. Previously, when Chase was powered by Expedia, users complained about slow load times and much higher prices than those offered directly by the airlines. Some of those issues seem to have been resolved.
While the Ultimate Rewards portal could use some work in cleaning up the interface, the overall user experience is much better than before. That said, it’s also the portal with the highest frequency of price divergence from booking directly — sometimes higher and sometimes lower.
Redemption value
This is not a criterion we used for evaluating these bank travel portals for this particular article. The value of your points or miles can depend on which particular rewards card you carry. Still, it is worth remembering if you intend to use your credit card’s travel portal to earn or redeem points and miles.
Your credit card points or miles are typically worth 1 cent each for flights in your respective travel portal. That’s the case with Amex cards that earn Membership Rewards points and Capital One credit cards. Even with the Capital One’s premium card (the Venture X), your points are only worth 1 cent each when redeemed for travel through the Capital One portal. The same applies to credit cards earning Citi ThankYou points.
On the other hand, Chase’s credit cardholders are incentivized to use the Ultimate Rewards portal via a higher redemption value. With the Chase Sapphire Reserve, your points are worth 1.5 cents each toward travel bookings, while the Chase Sapphire Preferred and Ink Business Preferred Credit Card fetch 1.25 cents per point in value.
While not as consistent of a program, American Express offers “Insider Fares,” allowing cardholders to redeem their points for a better value than 1 cent apiece on select domestic and international itineraries. However, these can be quite specific.
Select Amex business credit cardholders can also leverage the Pay with Points benefit to get a 25% to 50% points rebate when booking select airfare through Amex Travel — yet another incentive to book through the portal.
Due to all these card-specific circumstances, we didn’t make redemption values a main criterion for judging these portals for booking flights. Rather, we focused on each portal’s user interface and the availability of competitive fares — as those two factors will probably be the determinants as to whether travelers end up using them.
Related: Why I love the Amex Business Platinum’s Pay With Points perk
Bottom line
Credit card issuers have improved their travel portals over the years, but they’re still far from perfect. While there isn’t a clear winner for the best travel portal, each has unique features and incentives for its cardholders.
If you decide to book a flight through your issuer’s travel portal, be sure to compare that price against booking directly with the airline to get the best deal possible. And don’t forget that you may want to book directly anyway to avoid any headaches down the road. If you need to change or cancel your airfare, booking with a third party can complicate matters when plans change.
Save more, spend smarter, and make your money go further
In addition to serving as an important reminder to honor our U.S. war veterans, Memorial Day marks the start of the summer travel season. Whether you’re an adventurer, a creature of habit, or planning your first big family vacation, here are some money saving tips you will want to consider.
Save Up
When planning summer travel, estimate your costs ahead of time for airfare, lodging, and expenses. Set a goal to save a portion every month towards that amount, using an app like Mint to track your progress. The closer you get, the closer that vacation is, and the more excited you and your travel companions will be!
One popular saving method I’ve seen online is the hoarding of five-dollar bills. A Reddit user inspired many with his post and photo captioned: “For the past year, I put away every $5 bill that came into my possession. To date, I’ve saved $3,335.”
Get a Cheaper Flight
Plan ahead: Try to book your flights around three months in advance of your planned date of travel. Finding cheap last minute airfare isn’t impossible, but it’s hard to plan that way.
Low fare alerts: Pick a few destinations you want to visit and set up “low airfare” alerts at sites like Airfare Watchdog or Kayak to be notified when prices drop below your threshold. If you’re not limited to a certain destination, Kayak’s summer travel hacker can help you choose a lower-fare location.
When to buy: If a fare seems too good to be true, BUY IT. I’ve often comparison-shopped for flights, and hesitated to purchase a really good-looking fare, then regretted it when the price went up significantly the very next day. The price-prediction app Hopper will advise you to purchase your flight now or wait because prices might drop.
Avoid Airline Fees
Baggage fees: Avoid the long lines and $25 charge by packing light and flying only with carry-ons. Make sure your carry-on suitcase fits the dimensions allowed by your airline. Avoid stuffing the bag so full that it can’t fit into the bag-size tester. Summer travel often requires less clothing anyway, right?
To make sure you stay comfortable on the flight, a thin scarf – which looks fashionable and keeps the neck warm – can double as a light blanket. Wear your largest pair of shoes and bulkiest clothing on the flight (big jacket doubles as lumbar support!) so they won’t take up as much space in your suitcase.
If you travel to the same destination often (like a relative’s home) consider leaving some toiletries or clothing items like shoes or sweaters at that person’s house. My parents visit us a few times a year and usually travel with one small bag each because they have at least two full outfits in a closet in my house, including shoes!
Food and drink: Travel with an empty reusable water bottle that you fill when you get through security. Bring your own snacks and packable meals so that you don’t get tempted to charge an airline meal to your credit card. The food you pack will likely taste better, anyway. But be kind to your fellow passengers and try to avoid powerful odors like tuna or egg salad or allergens like peanut butter.
How are you saving on summer travel? Let us know in the comments below!
Kim Tracy Prince is a Los Angeles-based writer who has a husband, two little boys, and some serious wanderlust. She’ll be traveling to Connecticut this summer like she does every year.
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It’s not yet clear if we’re in for another “sold-out summer,” but it’s clear that we’re in for an expensive one — at least on the airline side.
If you’re searching for summer flights, chances are you’ve run into some serious sticker shock.
Fares for flights across the board are more expensive than they have been since the pandemic began, and in many cases, they are passing pre-pandemic summer levels.
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There are two main factors driving prices up, and both mean that if you’re planning to get away while the weather is warm, you might want to finalize your plans on the sooner side.
Fares are higher and demand is surging
For myriad reasons, airlines are simply charging more for flights this summer than they have in the past.
Data provided by the Airlines Reporting Corporation, a travel intelligence firm and ticket processor, shows that fares have largely risen across the board for flights this summer compared to both 2022 and 2019, the last full year before the pandemic.
The average price of fares for the top 10 summer travel destinations was 9% to 37% higher than in 2022, according to ARC’s data.
Prices increased even more compared to 2019, with average fares for each destination climbing between 23% and 54%.
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Rank
Destination (airport)
Average ticket price
Change vs. 2022
Change vs. 2019
1.
Cancun International Airport (CUN).
$599.
+10%.
+40%.
2.
Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA).
$478.
+31%.
+38%.
3.
Orlando International Airport (MCO).
$425.
+12%.
+36%.
4.
Rome Fiumicino Leonardo da Vinci Airport (FCO).
$1,683.
+13%.
+44%.
5.
Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).
$525.
+37%.
+51%.
6.
Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL).
$787.
+23%.
+23%.
7.
Heathrow Airport (LHR).
$1,662.
+15%.
+54%.
8.
Boston Logan International Airport (BOS).
$456.
+19%.
+39%.
9.
Punta Cana International Airport (PUJ).
$790.
+17%.
+24%.
10.
Harry Reid International Airport (LAS).
$471.
+9%.
+47%.
The data reflects tickets sold in the U.S. and processed through ARC’s systems between Jan. 1 and April 6, 2023, for travel during the summer season — between Memorial Day and Labor Day.
Demand is higher than it has been since the pandemic began. Even as airline capacity broadly remains slightly below 2019 levels, a supply-and-demand mismatch is driving prices sky-high. In fact, the U.S. Travel Association, an industry trade group, says domestic leisure demand has surpassed pre-pandemic levels.
ARC’s chief commercial officer Steve Solomon told TPG that the supply-and-demand asymmetry is the main driver of high prices.
“Increased demand is partly driving more expensive airfare as we’re seeing ticket transactions for the top summer destinations up year over year,” Solomon said. “Demand, coupled with other factors including increased labor costs, jet fuel up around 40% year over year, and not every airline operating at 2019 capacity levels, all contribute to higher prices paid by travelers.”
People are booking their vacation flights earlier
Alongside the increase in demand is a return to a pre-pandemic norm — leisure travelers are making their plans further in advance.
During the first two post-vaccine summers, travelers tended to finalize their plans only at the last minute. Uncertainty surrounding case outbreaks, personal illness or infection, travel restrictions and more made consumers wary about committing early. This was particularly true if reservations were nonrefundable or could only be canceled in exchange for a credit.
Plus, business travel was still significantly down. With business travelers more inclined to book close-in flights and typically less sensitive to prices than vacationers, airlines raised fares as departure dates moved closer. With the leisure booking curve shortening, those last-minute prices tended to look more palatable.
Now, airlines are seeing that leisure booking curve elongating again. Coupled with the high demand, that has made for some intense booking cycles.
For instance, Delta Air Lines said earlier this month that about 75% of seats on international flights this summer were already booked. Many of those bookings were made in February and early March: At a JP Morgan conference on March 14, Delta CEO Ed Bastian noted that the airline was experiencing record-breaking ticket sales.
“In the last 30 days, we’ve had the 10 highest sales days in our company’s history,” Bastian said.
“People remember last spring and summer, how hard it was to get those trips that they wanted to go on,” he added. “So we’ve seen a little bit of a pull forward in terms of the advanced bookings.”
United, too, has seen “a clear change in seasonality that is causing peak leisure demand months, March through October, to be even stronger,” CEO Scott Kirby said during an earnings call this month.
“Both international and domestic are booking further out. International more extreme than domestic,” United executive vice president Andrew Nocella added.
ARC’s data confirms that people are booking earlier, particularly for international trips. In March, the number of tickets sold for each of the top 10 European destinations increased dramatically over 2022:
That increased demand in Europe, plus earlier bookings, can also reflect greater consumer confidence over 2022. Gas prices are remaining lower, and there are fewer fears of Russia’s conflict in Ukraine spilling over to other parts of Europe.
For the top 10 U.S. domestic destinations, the changes compared to 2022 were more mixed, reflecting shifting travel preferences domestically and likely greater confidence in travel abroad:
Rank
Destination (airport)
Year-over-year change in tickets sold
1.
Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA).
+52%.
2.
Orlando International Airport (MCO).
-18%.
3.
Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).
-1%.
4.
Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL).
-6%.
5.
Boston Logan International Airport (BOS).
+11%.
6.
Harry Reid International Airport (LAS).
-11%.
7.
O’Hare International Airport (ORD).
+11%.
8.
San Francisco International Airport (SFO).
+2%.
9.
Denver International Airport (DEN).
-1%.
10.
John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK).
+12%.
Early planners have already snatched up the cheapest fares, and those that are left are pricier.
Looking ahead and planning your summer vacation
Still, there may be good news ahead, according to Hayley Berg, lead economist at flight-booking service Hopper — but it depends on where you want to go.
Fares for domestic flights in July have decreased slightly in recent weeks, Berg said. She noted a pattern that seems “typical of normal summer pricing, which starts high in late winter and early spring, drops in April/May before rising in the last month or so ahead of departure dates.”
While overall average domestic fares for June and July are roughly 7% below 2022 levels, they remain 16% higher than they were at the same time in 2019. Berg said that she expects those prices to remain steady before spiking two to three weeks before departure.
However, if you’re looking to pay lower fares to fly abroad, you may be out of luck, Berg said.
“International airfare remains significantly higher than pre-pandemic given low supply of seats, high demand and overall higher costs, including high jet fuel prices,” Berg said. A report by Hopper forecast airfare to Europe over the next six months to be 24% higher than pre-pandemic, on average. Fares to Asia are expected to surge around 60%.
Even so, there are still sporadic deals, according to Katy Nastro, a travel expert at flight-deals subscription service Going.com.
“Airfare is volatile, and so prices you see today don’t necessarily reflect what you see tomorrow,” Nastro said. Even as prices climb on a particular flight or deal, “that doesn’t mean the flight won’t drop again — as we know airfare isn’t static — but the likelihood of it dropping majorly … is less.”
If you’re hoping to take a trip this summer and haven’t found anything for the right price yet, don’t lose hope: Stay tuned to TPG for the latest flight and hotel deals, as well as everything you need to know about traveling this summer.
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