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If You Book Through the Chase Portal Often, Stop Collecting Chase Ultimate Rewards Points and Switch to Capital One Miles

  • Joseph Hostetler

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    Capital One miles are underrated, man.

    You’ve probably heard us screaming from the rooftops that Chase Ultimate Rewards points are the BEST points to collect.  That’s absolutely true for most of us.  But if you use those points to buy travel through the Chase Travel Portal, you’ll be much happier collecting Capital One miles.

    Shameless plug (for your sake), there are some pretty unbelievable offers right now:

    My Rustic Tree House Experience Is One of My Favorite Travel Memories.  And the Stay was Totally Free Thanks to My Capital One Venture Welcome Bonus

    Chase Ultimate Rewards Points Aren’t Always Better Than Capital One Miles

    Here’s why Chase Ultimate Rewards points are better for lots of us:   They transfer to the most valuable airline and hotel partners EVER.  For example, I could take the bonus I earn from a card like the Ink Business Preferred℠ Credit Card and:

    But there’s a catch:   Transferring points to partners means you now have to worry about blackout dates, available award seats, available hotel nights, etc.  If you don’t have flexibility with your vacation days, that could be a problem.

    To solve this issue, Chase also gives you the option of redeeming your points through their online travel portal.  You’re essentially “buying” your airfare or hotel room with your points.  Through the portal, your points are worth:

    For example, if you’ve earned 50,000 points with the Chase Sapphire Preferred after spending $4,000 in the first three months, your points are worth $625 in the Chase Portal (50,000 points X 1.25 cents each).  You can buy a flight through the Chase Portal and use those points to cover up to $625 of your flight cost.

    I’ve used my points this way several times.  When I can’t find a good deal by transferring my points to Chase partners, I’ll just use some points through the portal to discount my vacation.

    Here’s why Capital One miles are better for many of us:   If you’re not interested in hunting for a bargain, you’re probably more inclined to just redeem your points through the portal.  It’s a quick and easy discount.

    If this is you, I’m willing to bet you’ll do better collecting Capital One miles from a card like the Capital One Venture instead of the Chase Sapphire Preferred.  Capital One miles are easier to redeem, and they have one giant benefit that Chase points do NOT.

    Why to Choose Capital One Miles Over Chase Ultimate Rewards Points

    Capital One cards can give you a better return:   Capital One miles are worth 1 cent each.  Chase Ultimate Rewards points are worth 1.25 cents each through the Chase Portal.  Chase points are the clear winner.

    Oh wait, no they’re not.  Here’s why:

    In other words, you’re guaranteed to get 2 cents back per $1 you spend on the Capital One Venture.  You’ll get between 1.25 cents and 2.5 cents back per $1 you spend with the Chase Sapphire Preferred.

    If the lion’s share of your purchases happen to be travel and dining, you’ll come out ahead with the Chase Sapphire Preferred.  If you have a more normal lifestyle, you’ll almost certainly come out ahead with the Capital One Venture.

    Capital One miles are easier to redeem:   You don’t have to go through a special portal to use Capital One miles.  You literally use the card to purchase travel just as you would with any credit card:

    It doesn’t matter how you reserve your travel.  Just use your Capital One card when you do.  Then you’ll have 90 days to visit your online account, find the travel purchase, and erase it from existence with your Capital One miles.

    For example, if you reserve a $400 hotel stay, your Capital One card will show a balance of $400.  You can then find the purchase in your transaction history, click “erase”, and you will instantly have a $0 balance on your card (and 40,000 fewer miles)!

    You can redeem Capital One miles for more things than Chase Ultimate Rewards points:   As long as the transaction is travel related, you can redeem your Capital One miles for it.  I have the Capital One Venture, and I redeemed the bonus for a 3-night Airbnb stay in Barbados.  You won’t find Airbnb in the Chase Portal.

    You can also use Capital One miles to erase food purchases you make inside hotels, like room service or hotel restaurants.  Because the bill codes as a hotel purchase instead of a restaurant purchase.

    I Used Miles to Erase the $160 Price of My Legendary 7-Course Afternoon Tea at the Burj Al Arab in Dubai

    Capital One miles earn hotel points:   The Chase Ultimate Rewards Travel Portal uses Expedia to book travel.  That is NOT a good thing if you’re booking a hotel.

    That’s because you won’t earn hotel points when you book a hotel through the Chase Portal.  If you book a hotel room anywhere but directly with the hotel, you will not get:

    When you book with Capital One miles, you can reserve your room directly with the hotel.

    For example, the Washington Hilton, DC, generally costs $250 per night.  If you book 2 nights directly with this hotel, and use your Capital One miles to erase the purchase later, you’ll receive:

    If you book the same 2 nights through the Chase Portal, the hotel will give you shelter for the night, and then tell you to get lost.

    Bottom Line

    We often say the Chase Sapphire Preferred is the best card for newbies.  Because Chase Ultimate Rewards points are so incredibly useful!

    But if you find yourself repeatedly using your points through the Chase Portal, the Chase Sapphire Preferred might be the wrong card for you.  Look into cards that earn Capital One miles instead, like:

    You’ll almost certainly get a better return for your spending.  And you can redeem them for a wider variety of travel purchases!  Check out our review of the Capital One Venture here.

    Do you find yourself spending Chase Ultimate Rewards points through the Chase Travel Portal?

    Editorial Note: We're the Million Mile Secrets team. And we're proud of our content, opinions and analysis, and of our reader's comments. These haven’t been reviewed, approved or endorsed by any of the airlines, hotels, or credit card issuers which we often write about. And that’s just how we like it! :)