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Unsolicited - verified purchase, solicited - verified purchase.

OneTravel has a rating of 4.4 stars from 12,421 reviews, indicating that most customers are generally satisfied with their purchases. Reviewers satisfied with OneTravel most frequently mention good service, easy process, and quick response. OneTravel ranks 2nd among Discount Travel sites.

• Service 232

This company responds to reviews on average within 2 days

What reviewers want you to know

Positive highlights.

• Easy to navigate, great customer service , great rates!
• A great website to search the flies and very smooth booking process .

Critical highlights

• Charges to my credit card are fraudulent and were not accepted e.g.
• Site is confusing when choosing seat selections for departure and return.

“Hey, so very good and helpful service you guys got...”

Hey, so very good and helpful service you guys got here, but, please, fix your filters as this particular one filter "close/near dates of departure" that is constantly on and active when you make new search is pretty annoying))... Thanks and Best Regards! You Are Doing a Great Job Keep Doing It And Right On!

“You lie and steal, why can I not make any changes or...”

You lie and steal, why can I not make any changes or cancellations? Your bot system goes on an endless loop to avoid addressing the issue and your "travel experts" can't even manage to do even one thing aside delay further. This whole experience has left me feeling like this company is a total scam. I'm having my bank cancel your charge and issue a fraud claim.

Reviews (12,421)

Reviews that mention popular keywords

From the business

OneTravel is a travel search engine for booking hotels, plane tickets, rental cars, vacations and cruises.

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• Discount Travel , Travel Agency , Travel Search Engine
• #2 in Discount Travel
• Las Vegas, NV
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Onetravel   Reviews

In the Travel Agency category

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Reviews 3.8.

3,119 total

Most relevant

We have a really bad experience on the…We have a really bad experience on the hotel I contact you guys and I still get not response. I have to leave the hotel and pay for an other one and you guys wa

We have a really bad experience on the hotel I contact you guys and I still get not response. I have to leave the hotel and pay for an other one and you guys was suppose to call me to arrange with that and no one call me or email me they told me they are going to send me an email to get my money back and I still waiting on that. I have pictures from the hotel that's my proved of what happened. please some one get back to me at my number 626-213-4543

Date of experience : April 04, 2024

Reply from Onetravel

Thank you for your feedback. Our representatives have been in contact regarding your refund request.

This website is a total scam website.

This website is a total scam website.. Indians website, don’t waste your time with them they are scammers and what they want is your money and credit card info, all those positive reviews you see here are their own group of people.

Date of experience : March 19, 2024

We have not received the additional information we need to look into the expressed concerns, such as a name, email address or booking number. We regret it was an unsatisfactory experience but we cannot investigate without the requested information.

I called to book my flight because I…

I called to book my flight because I thought will be better because I have miles rewards, but was $87.99 more than online, online was 309.00 and when I called was 395.99 and even with my rewards, finally I booked for 308.00 same as online, I'm disappointed for that and I didn't use my One Travel Credit because I don't have any benefits using the miles rewards.

Date of experience : March 24, 2024

Thank you for your feedback. We regret that it was not a satisfactory experience.

one travel charged me for carry on bag that was mistake by them and they refused to give me refund

i booked the ticket through one travel and they charged me for carry on bag and i changed it right away to checking bag ! not sure whose mistake was that but they charged me for carry on bag and never refund my money ! i am sandwich between both one travel and spirit airlines ! I will not prefer again to book ticket through one travel

Date of experience : March 16, 2024

Thank you for your feedback. Without the additional information that we have requested we are unable to look into the expressed concerns.

Good and efficient.

Date of experience : April 28, 2024

Thank you for your feedback. We are happy to learn it was a satisfactory experience. We look forward to assisting with your future travel needs.

Thank you, ease of booking and finding good prices. I will definitely use this again.

Date of experience : April 08, 2024

Planning our trip was a great…

Planning our trip was a great experience. Heather got good priced tickets and the best flight times! Thanks Heather Laughlin! Perfect Planner Travel Agency

Date of experience : February 13, 2024

Thank you for your feedback. We are glad to learn that it was a satisfactory experience. We look forward to assisting with your future travel needs.

I love that One Travel keeps me…

I love that One Travel keeps me updated. Email continuations are beneficial to me.

Date of experience : March 29, 2024

Thank you for your feedback. We are happy to learn it was a satisfactory experience. We look forward a assisting with your future travel needs.

Scam they keep charging my card and…

Scam they keep charging my card and when I called the hung up on me. I will not provide any other information due to retaliation. When I called I was hung up on 3 times. Just be aware

Date of experience : April 12, 2024

Unable to validate a reservation was booked due to no booking details provided by the customer.

In the past I had problems with this…

In the past I had problems with this company but I believe it was because of Covid maybe .the representative was nice and knowledgeable of what she was doing I really appreciate her demeanor towards my booking.

Date of experience : March 01, 2024

Yeah, the feeling that the platform wants to help me to approach the best price and choice to travel in the world, is a great feeling doing the process, believe me, I'll be back for new adventures.

Booked a return flight for my wife

Booked a return flight for my wife (Ana Peach) and seat booking was incorrect ...now Having a hard time addressing a seat change so she can be on the same row as me

Date of experience : March 23, 2024

Thank you for your feedback. We have worked with this customer to resolve the expressed concerns.

Thankyou for a very easy booking again…

Thankyou for a very easy booking again , quick no stress, that's why I always use Onetravel , Thankyou 🌺🌴. 23/3/24. Kim

Date of experience : March 25, 2024

Thank you for your feedback. We are happy to learn it was a satisfactory experience. We look forward to assisting with your future travel needs

The quality inn I booked was sub par…

The quality inn I booked was sub par and I had to cancel it. Had to rebook at another hotel unfortunately wrong date 3/21 to 3/24 instead of 3/14 to 3/17. I ended up paying out of pocket and need a refund

Thank you for your feedback. Our representatives have spoke with this customer regarding the expressed concerns.

I wanted to put 5 stars but they lie to…

I wanted to put 5 stars but they lie to me when they told me if I apply for credit card I will set $50.00 down. When I did I got approved but they didn’t drop the price down but I gut charged full amount plus extra $20.00 I don’t know why but I will find out. Sa far af the website this was chipper than Priceline, Expedia, cheap tickets, and some other websites.

Date of experience : March 13, 2024

Thank you for your feedback. If you have questions please contact our representatives.

Very accessible and self explanatory…

Very accessible and self explanatory especially when I usually shy away from using competency.

Date of experience : April 19, 2024

Dear please help me l am coming back in…

Dear please help me l am coming back in information payment okay

Thank you for your feedback. Our records show you have spoken with our representatives regarding your concerns.

I used my travel one card to purchase a…

I used my travel one card to purchase a ticket for my husband and I, and his ticket did not go through, why I don’t know!!

Date of experience : April 03, 2024

Thank you for your feedback. An email confirmation has been sent.

Great experience

Great experience. It was fast and straightforward to do my booking. Many thanks.

They honors there price as shown…

They honors there price as shown online, not changed as other websites doing, when you checkout others online websites increased price. very honest services.

Date of experience : January 05, 2024

Thank you for your feedback. We look forward to assisting with your future travel needs.

Best online travel sites 2022

Use the best online travel sites to plan your trip ahead of time so you can enjoy your time away.

• Buying advice
• Testing process

The best online travel sites are wonderful not only plan your next trip for peace of mind, they're also a fun way to get excited ahead of your next adventure. You can simply go to one site and plan most of your trip's main parts from flights and hotels to rental cars and excursions. If what you're after is just hotel bookings, check out our list of the best hotel booking sites .

While what many of these sites offer is similar, it's the way in which they do it which is important. The last thing you need is a stress-inducing website when planning to go away to relax and unwind. So we've reviewed the best sites based on their price, of course, but also on the way they work, with the ease of use and clarity as important features. We also checked to make sure you won't suffer any extra charges added on top at the last minute. Plus, we took rewards schemes into account, which could help you save money upfront or in the longer term if you use some sites more than once.

With all that in mind, these are the very best online travel sites out there right now.

The best online travel sites

1. expedia.com: best online travel site overall .

Why you can trust Top Ten Reviews Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test .

Our expert review:

Specifications

Reasons to buy, reasons to avoid.

Expedia is a big name in online travel sites and hotel booking services and owns many popular sites like Hotels.com and Hotwire.com. We're fans of the original, though, thanks to its clean and straightforward to use interface. Hit the packages section of the site, and you can add up to five connecting flights, choose to add accommodation for all of or only part of your trip, and tag on car rentals too. 

It's all suitably well laid out, and it only takes a few seconds to start putting together your itinerary. However, we do wish there were a few more options for filtering out accessibility issues. Still, for most people, Expedia.com has everything they'll need, and there's even the option of a cruise too if you fancy it. It's as aspirational to look at as it is useful to, well, use and there are extra discounts for booking multiple parts of your vacation with the site. A Things To Do section rounds off the site's bid to help you plan your entire trip in one place.

2. Booking.com: Best for ease of use

Booking.com

Booking.com is a giant in the world of holiday bookings and not only offers over half a million properties in more than 207 countries but also offers flights and car rental services too. As such you can do it all from this one spot which makes it a very easy-to-use option. That said, there is a lot going on, and the user interface can be a little overwhelming at times. 

But with a superb rewards program, it is a great option that encourages you to keep coming back, making it easier to use as you become accustomed. You can even sort your taxi hire from this site meaning there is very little to think about when you get traveling as it's all been planned ahead of time. You also don't have to pay a booking fee on lots of hotels, allowing you to remain flexible – ideal if you're traveling about a lot on your journey.

3. CheapTickets.com: Best for finding things to do 

CheapTickets.com

CheapTickets is another site acquired by Expedia, but it does things a little differently. You can easily add on flight, hotel, and car or any combination of the three for package deals, although multiple flights are under a different option. So far, so Expedia (if less intuitive), but you can also clearly purchase event tickets from the site, which is far more useful if you want a one-stop-shop place to buy your trip. It's something other sites provide, but CheapTickets is that bit keener to entice you into the process, even if the site itself is a little cheesier looking than others. 

There's also the site's Vacation Value Finder, which lets you tweak how much you're willing to spend and what you're looking for from a vacation before making some fun suggestions. It's perfect for finding a last-minute deal if you don't have your heart set on one place. Students will also appreciate a section dedicated to them with extra discounts once you verify you're a student. All in all, it's a great varied site for numerous different needs. 

4. Priceline.com: Best for user reviews 

Priceline.com

Priceline is a big deal in the online travel site world for a good reason. It's effortless to use with options available for flights, cars, hotels, or any combination of the three. It's mildly annoying that Priceline's super cheap Pricebreaker deals don't extend to bundles, so you won't get an incredible bargain like you would if you booked separately. However, combining the set is still a worthwhile deal with discounts offered for the more you bundle together. 

One thing we really appreciated is that every hotel we looked at had dozens of reviews, and they're all from verified customers. It takes seconds to gain a reasonably accurate picture of what to expect from wherever you're considering booking. That's the perfect peace of mind when you're booking online, and you can't be sure of what you're getting without user reviews backing hotel statements up. Clearly laid out, you can focus on enjoying rather than worrying. Finally, Priceline is keen to make its VIP scheme easily accessible with straightforward discounts offered to you over time -- something that not all sites so clearly highlight. 

5. Kayak.com: Best for aggregated results 

If you're short on time, Kayak is pretty useful. That's because you simply enter where you want to go, and it aggregates results from multiple different sources. While it means you never book directly with Kayak, it does mean you get results quickly and without having to search around yourself, even if you will feel a bit overwhelmed with adverts while you search. 

The site itself looks a little basic, but under the hood is a surprising number of different filters (although no accessibility ones to speak of) and all the critical information you could require, although obviously you'll be sent to another site for the full details. The site also has a deals section, which has some great bargains for things you can do once you reach your destination, along with cheap car rental deals. It might not be pretty, but if you simply don't want to do the groundwork yourself, Kayak has you covered. It can be a real time-saver, and we reckon it's particularly useful if you're mostly researching possible trips in the future and want rough price estimates. Just watch out for the fact you can’t bundle in car rental deals. 

6. Hotwire.com: Best for renting properties 

Hotwire keeps things straightforward. All you need to do is enter what you're looking for, and a somewhat dated interface tells you what's available. It's not as pretty as some sites, but we really liked the extensive property type filters available. Want to stay on a houseboat or in a chalet at your destination? Hit the relevant filter, and you can find out if that's an option in the locale. That might not matter if your heart is set on a hotel, but it's a nice bonus even amongst the awkward site layout. 

Elsewhere, it's mostly business as usual, but that's no bad thing. Well laid out discounts are available to compare reasonably quickly, and most locations have plenty of reviews. If you feel like tracking down specific deals, you can do that too, with the site keen to offer up discounts to central locations if you're not quite sure where you'd like to visit next. It feels like the site needs updating when you compare it to its rivals, but it works well and speedily enough.

7. Agoda: Best for private home rental in Asia 

Agoda is a great option if you want to look for accommodation that isn't a hotel as this specializes in offering apartments and private rentals. In fact, there are dedicated market managers that work on finding properties, especially in Asia. As such you can find unique destination rentals at decent rates and should you change your mind there is a helpful 24-hour free cancellation policy in place. 

Everything is very easy to use and if you want to make more than one booking you can make great savings. Customer support is also a plus, as there is a 24-hour multilingual customer support service available when booking. With millions of reviews, Agoda makes finding a property very easy with a feeling of trust that can offer great peace of mind.

What to look for in an online travel site

Booking Travel Packages Travel packages can let you combine flights, hotel reservations and car rentals together for a better deal than booking separately. Some companies, like Priceline, pick hotels and flights for you, to get you to your destination for the lowest price. Other companies let you mix and match flights, hotels and car rentals to fit your schedule.

Booking Airfare One of the biggest reasons for searching on a travel site is to find cheap airfare. While there are dozens of airfare-specific websites, travel sites also give you the option to add hotel stays and car rentals. The best travel sites combine flight information from over nine different airlines and let you sort flights by price, number of stops, duration and flight class.

Booking International Travel Finding airfare for international travel is the easiest part of booking an overseas trip. AirGorilla helps you find accommodations and rent GPS units with your rental car, so you can find your way around. Often, sites will recommend hotels that are far from your actual destination or event. Searching for reservations on a site that gives accommodation recommendations will help you schedule an international trip with less stress.

How we tested the best online travel sites

We looked at how easy each site is to use during our testing, such as how quickly the site loaded and how easy it was to find what we were looking for. We considered whether the site felt cluttered with adverts or seemed like a dated interface. We also looked at how easy it was to find Contact Us pages, price guarantee information, and any kind of special deals section. 

We also considered how easily bundle deals could be arranged and how extensive they were and any potential discounts tied to them. We checked filter options to see how flexible and easy it was to look up different needs along the way.

We looked at trips between Los Angeles and Miami, Paris to Lisbon, and New York City to Los Angeles during testing. We also looked at lesser-known routes to see if they were also catered for appropriately.

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Jennifer has been freelancing for over 10 years. In the past, she's written about all things tech and gaming wise for outlets as varied as The Independent, Playboy, Eurogamer, and TechRadar. In her spare time, she spends far too much time watching films, attempting to train her pet guinea pigs, and mastering making the perfect burrito.  She's a full time freelancer, but a regular tech news contributor to Top Ten Reviews.

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Onetravel   Reviews

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Reviews 3.8.

3,119 total

Most relevant

assistance was great very attentive

assistance4 was great. willing to negotiate too. rang back quickly when phone dropped out. very attentive. Only problem for us was time difference. we were in Australia

Date of experience : 30 April 2024

Bought a round trip ticket from one…

Bought a round trip ticket from one travel and they bought the returned ticket through Peace airlines when they know Peace airlines policy of no refunds.l cancelled my ticket and they only refund me the Accra to Lagos with a fee of $30 something dollars charged to my my credit before l could my refund.My refund has not been refunded yet.What type of airline will not refund your money when you have problem getting visa.?Travellers be aware spending your money with One travel.

Date of experience : 29 April 2024

Reply from Onetravel

Thank you for your feedback. As an agency we must abide by the rules set by the airline. We regret any inconvenience.

HORRIBLE EXPERIENCE

HORRIBLE EXPERIENCE ! never told me that my connecting flight was at a whole different airport ! i had to ask many employees for help because i was not aware of this.

We regret it was not a satisfactory experience. This was booked on our website and tickets were issued for the flights that were chosen.

My card failed to pay for the trip so I won't be going

My card failed to pay for the trip so I booked another through another agency. I don't know how this got approved so late as the payment didn't go through. Please cancel all flight and accommodation as I didn't approve the trip. I understand and thank you for your support and sorry for any inconvenience.

Date of experience : 20 April 2024

The reservation was never confirmed or charged by Onetravel as of Apr. 14. Also this website does not act as a customer service support for Onetravel any cancellations has to be done by the travel agency directly, this is a blog site for reviews only.

I am trying to get in contact with customer service

I am trying to get in contact with someone other than a bot as it is unable to answer my questions. I have emailed. Tried calling the number provided, with no success

Our representatives have reached out to this customer to offer assistance.

The website doesn't allow you to easily…

The website doesn't allow you to easily change your details, such as address *( we moved) your phone number ( now only have mobile#), merge customer numbers ( my error I created a new one before I realized I already had one). Details about some of the hotels offered are scant ( do they have parking?)

Date of experience : 21 April 2024

We appreciate the feedback.

The agent from Onetravel gave me…

The agent from Onetravel gave me guidance about which cities have good flights to Norway, and so he got me a very good itinerary at an excellent price. I couldn't have come up with these ideas on my own. I called in, and the agent helped me find the best route for my trip.

Date of experience : 15 April 2024

Thank you for your feedback. We are happy to learn it was a satisfactory experience. We look forward to assisting with your future travel needs.

I made the reservation had to cancel…

I made the reservation had to cancel within an hour after making the reservation. That was difficult and also there was a cancellation fee. By law a customer is allowed to cancel a flight within 24 hours with no penalty. I still don’t have a cancellation confirmation. Not good

There is no law that states travel agency cannot charge a cancel fee, we are exempt from the DOT for airlines. Please refer to our terms and conditions that you agreed to when you acknowledged your read them and submitted for purchase.

Lost my wife of 30 years last month

Lost my wife of 30 years last month. Im Moving to Nevada, a friend needed to fly here to help me with the move.....This is the easiest...efficient...secure...way to book a flight....FIVE STARS All day long. Thank-you....

Thank you for your feedback. We are sorry to learn of the reason for the needed travel but are glad you found our service satisfactory.

YOU HAVE GOTTA'DONE THE SUCH AN AWESOME…

YOU HAVE GOTTA'DONE THE SUCH AN AWESOME GREAT DAY OF STATE DEPT BUREAU TX LATINOS OF IN 😊 HAPPINESS THANK YOU SO MUCHO MAS GRANDE HONOR SALUTE

Date of experience : 11 April 2024

it was so easy to book and easy bookingverification…

it was so easy to book and verification before booking was exceptional for me

Date of experience : 27 April 2024

Simple and User friendly

It was simple also I had tried others but for a person who is not so acquainted with booking online this was the easiest and very simple. Guidelines were easy to follow.

Date of experience : 08 April 2024

I had a good experience because I…had to fix my booking

I had a good experience because I messed up on my booking and they helped me right away thank you

Date of experience : 12 April 2024

Excellent eversince i buy a ticket for…

Excellent eversince i buy a ticket for this Agency ir Company with no problem. God bless

Thank you very much for your travel

Thank you very much for your travel. Satisfied.

Date of experience : 26 April 2024

I tried to buy a ticket but it was…

I tried to buy a ticket but it was cancelled and still i didnt get my money back.

Our apologies for the inconvenience, the booking never was confirmed and credit card was not accepted when we went to issue the tickets. Our billing team has already assisted with this matter.

I'm not usaly an on line booking…

I'm not usaly an on line booking person. But I will say this was the easiest and best choice I have ever made. Price was great booking was easy. Immediate email confirmation. I'm very pleased.

Date of experience : 16 March 2024

Booking not put through evrn though payment was made

I booked an air ticket under One- Travel, fill up everything and confirm the order by makjng the credit card payment, but the transaction was not effected. Tried to chat online to their so-called experts for almost 2 hours, they didn't really help but just to send me information which I can get it in thier website. I am still worrying if I would get charged by it as I had authorised the card payment. Don't trust this company, it's really a waste of time!

Date of experience : 21 March 2024

We have not received the additional information we need to look into the expressed concerns, such as a name, email address or booking number. We regret it was an unsatisfactory experience but we cannot investigate without the requested information.

This not the first time I booked with…

This not the first time I booked with One Trivel you guys all give great deal no other travel agency have done for me and thank you for that I do appreciated it

Date of experience : 11 March 2024

I asked for help on live chat they…

I asked for help on live chat they helped me very quickly

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capitalonetravel.com   Reviews

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Reviews 1.6.

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Beware of cancelation time zone!

I booked a hotel under the understanding that I could cancel by April 30th at 12:00 am. I tried to cancel on April 29th 9:30 PM EST but they wouldn't let me and told me I had to cancel by 12:00 AM UTC. They do not clearly display this on their site. It free cancelations until April 30 in large red print and in small print below that, "Cancellations or changes made after Apr 30 2024 12:00 AM (+00:00) are subject to a fee equal to 100% of the amount paid." Customer support was no help.

Date of experience : April 29, 2024

Booked a trip that we had to cancel

Booked a trip that we had to cancel. We got a credit of around $1,800 but when we tried to use it to book another flight, Capital One could/would not fully utilize our credit and we either lost $900 of the credit or had to pay an additional $3,000 for the new trip! When booking the new trip on their website, the tickets totaled $1,074 but the website showed $10,000!!! When we called them. they could not explain and only said that something was wrong. The low rating for this site is warranted!!!

Date of experience : April 22, 2024

Beware of CapitalOne Travel Services…

Beware of CapitalOne Travel Services rude and bad customer service! In a recent trip to Colombia with my family, they left us stranded on the return because of their internal problem. To add insult to injury, they refused to and/or didn’t have the courtesy to cover the expense of having to stay in Colombia until they solved their internal problem. My family and I are extremely disappointed with CapitalOne Travel Services’ handling of our circumstances while in a foreign country.

Date of experience : January 21, 2024

We got this card to get travel points. What a mistake. We booked a villa and the hotel said we only had a small suite. Capital One travel deals with a third party they don’t deal directly with the hotels or airlines and cannot even call their vendor they can only email them. You will not get any help in a timely manner. Their agents do not speak coherent English which makes it very difficult to communicate and their supervisors also can barely speak English and they will not transfer you to anyone else in the company. We will be cancelling our card.

Date of experience : April 16, 2024

Booked a hotel room through them

Booked a hotel room through them, and chose the non-refundable option since it was the cheapest option. Found a cheaper room with exact specs on Expedia that was refundable and 30% cheaper. Called them for a price match and my inquiry was handled very rudely by the supervisor who refused to do a price match because my booking with capital one was a non-refundable room. So in short I paid more through the portal and was not taken care of when I called. SO much for their shop with confidence guarantee (part of the FAQ's - how do I know I am getting a fair price at Capital One Travel), absolutely no faith in the portal, their pricing techniques and after all of that, their customer service. Now their credit card business is going to be affected by it, because I am a capital one venture X card member who primarily uses that card for all transactions. That is not going to happen anymore, because I have no trust in doing business with an organization that does not know how to take care of its customers.

Date of experience : April 18, 2024

We booked a flight and the carrier was…

We booked a flight and the carrier was Flexflight. We never got any confirmation. Finally we were sent an email that the flight was cancelled. We called Capitol One and they were unable to reach the airplane. A month later we decided we needed to just book another flight or we are going to not have a return trip home from our trip. We finally got an answer and it was that no refund could be issued and they would issue us a new ticket. However had already booked the flight due to the lack of communication. Overall, we have decided it was such terrible customer service that we will be closing our account.

Date of experience : April 10, 2024

Average travel portal - much room for further improvement.

Capitalone's travel portal uses a third party to fetch data and it displays results. They appear to be using some filters as well, as the same third-party site has wider options. The issue with their site is that it shows limited options when compared to other leading travel portals and to add to it, the price is mostly not attractive as there are cheaper options available. The agents over the phone I felt lacks in knowledge or they do not have enough data to speak or respond. One thing that I do want to mention is that when connected to the right agent/supervisor, they do listen to the suggestions and implement those. My suggestion was implemented in the search and I could see the requested option in the search result. They would need to improve on the price offered to make it attractive with other travel portals and also need to improve on the search results.

Date of experience : January 06, 2024

Capitol One Travel site definitely minor league

Consistently find better prices by going directly to the airline or hotel. COT uses Hopper as their back end engine. I found a better price on regular Hopper compared to COT Hopper. I tried to book a hotel room advertised as one of their Prestige Collections. COT site could not complete the transaction. Customer Service was no help and a time waster. I filed a claim in November 2023 for lost luggage reimbursement, but haven't heard anything yet. I haven't lost any money - so far, but I'm really wondering what I'm getting for my $395/ yr. COT really needs to function like a real travel site if they want to hang on to their card holders.

Date of experience : January 31, 2024

Capital One Travel web site limited infirmation

The Capital One Web Site information about hotel rooms is limited. It is not easy to find out if the bathrooms have bathtubs or not. Calling to find out is time consuming. First you have to enter your credit card number and then after a 50 second wait you are connected to an agent who only has the information on their web site. The agents are generally polite but that never answers detailed questions like “Does the room have a bathtub?”

Date of experience : December 13, 2023

The customer support service people are…

The customer support service people are moro$s. Keeps calling me back every day for the same issue that I told them has been resolved. I told the last person I talked to not to call me again regarding this and she got rude and said I was the person who called even though I was calling back after receiving a voicemail call! It appears that the customer service is outsourced overseas ( The Philippines?)

Date of experience : April 05, 2024

If issues arise they will hang you out to dry - never use them

They booked the wrong hotel, not even in the same state. Then in their attempt to make it right erroneously told me that there were no vacancies near me (turns out there were) and that the hotel they rebooked us in had high ratings (I specifically asked about the ratings). After accepting the rebooking (mistake), we checked the hotel online to get directions. It had terrible ratings. It was also further away than thought. We checked near where we were and while most everything was indeed booked, we found one with a vacancy on the 2nd phone call. We grabbed it and called CapOne back to cancel their rebooking. They said that it was too late and that we now had to pay for both. When trying to talk it out with them, they simply hid behind legalese and said that since I had accepted the other booking that there was nothing they could do. They couldn't cancel the rebooking and transfer the credit to my new booking. Very disappointing and not really believable. Especially, since its their fault that I'm in this predicament. They did give me a $50 voucher for future use. Right. I'll never use them again.

Date of experience : April 07, 2024

Stay elsewhere…..!

Stayed at the Novotel Living in Singapore (Oct 10-16) & was very disappointed ….never again….. Room was tiny & majority had 10/12 steep steps to climb to enter the room. (Not children/elderly/disabled/wheelchair friendly if U need that)…bring your hiking boots! The 1 coffee machine in the lobby was usually either empty or being cleaned or under maintenance. The ‘cookies’ were same every day for a week & tasted stale. Staff not friendly. Elevator frequency really bad. Only 2. Maids & food delivery people often hold the elevator for ages so U can easily wait 5/10+ mins…mornings worse. I understand that late checkouts are never automatic but was told that “room was required at 3:30pm & I had to checkout no/later than 11am”. Do they need 4 & 1/2 hrs to clean such a tiny room? Location was 5 star - everything else was 1 star so I think 2 star is generous. I would never stay here again…many other better choices in Singapore …. I’m a Worldwide traveler more than 50 years & lived here in Singapore for 5years & return annually so am very familiar with what is the norm - this is not it. Sad that Novotel standards are not upheld at this location.

Date of experience : October 16, 2023

If I could give it a ZERO

If I could give it a ZERO, I would. WORST experience EVER. My husband booked international flights through Capital and my son's name is his nickname on the ticket and does not match his passport with full name. Capital One aka HOPPER cannot make any changes and no one from Virgin Atlantic will work with them to get it changed. I have been disconnected, promised call-backs, now for 24-hours to no avail. WORST. DO NOT EVER BOOK THROUGH CAPITAL ONE. I will most likely be discontinuing my card service with them after this experience.

Date of experience : March 13, 2024

No refund yet airline made changes for free

Book the flight with Capital One travel in January had to reschedule due to poor weather. Wouldn't you know the same fair class was unavailable when I rescheduled for March so not only did I pay hundred dollars per passenger in change fees but also another $200 per passenger for the upgraded fair class. Unfortunately my girlfriend fell from a ladder and bruised her ribs so she can't make the march trip. I tried to reschedule it for May and discovered that the original fare was now available so I called them for a refund they refused. I said so you can take my money but you cannot give it back am I understanding you they said yes that's the policy. we exchanged a few more pleasantries and I went to the airline website and without even calling anyone I was able to book the flight at any airfare I choose in with no change fee. I have also seen many instances of blackouts on their website when they say there are no blackout dates or fares. The reason I'm forced to use them is to use up a pile of reward miles I have accumulated when they're gone gone so is Capital One travel

Date of experience : March 25, 2024

My wife and I paid $60 for the flight…

My wife and I paid $60 for the flight disruption assistance and couldn’t feel more ripped off. Couldn’t get them to help us change flights on a phone call and couldn’t get a refund for the assistance because an agent told us to book it ourselves. Mary the supervisor on the call line was just as unhelpful and couldn’t get us a new flight either. What are we paying for? Poor customer service and $60 dollars ripped off, won’t have anything to do with capital one in the future after this horrible experience and advise you to save yourself and do the same.

Date of experience : February 01, 2024

Horrible customer service

Booked via Capital one. Unable to get a flight credit for a drop in airfare. Supervisor and customer service rep were highly unhelpful. I called my airline and had I booked direct with them I would have been able to receive a credit for the difference. Don't book through capital one. It is not worth it and their customer service is awful.

Date of experience : February 02, 2024

this is a lousy travel agency owned by…

this is a lousy travel agency owned by Capital One. i had a hard time changing flights while traveling abroad because I was told I've gotta go thro the maze of Capital One Travel Second, despite being card holders for Capital One when Southwest Lost our luggages on 8/23/23, for months Capital did not respond and instead sent us a litany of impossible to supply documents for our compensation. Nothing yet on 11/15/23!! For us senior citizens in our mid seventies this has been a painful loss. "Whatever is in your wallet" -- Keep it there & please do'nt use Capital One Travel agency. they are totally bogus

Date of experience : November 16, 2023

what you see is not what you get

booked a hotel for Tokyo, Japan with two beds shown in the room description and text that says "assigned at check-in". When we arrive, there is only one bed and CO-travel said pictures are not actual representations of what you get. I booked a 2nd hotel through their site that clearly says "2Kings", when I arrive, the receptionist says we have never had rooms with 2 beds. Capital one refuses to refund my 1st reservation because the reservation does not say how many beds are in the room.

Date of experience : October 11, 2023

One of the most horrible travel booking…

One of the most horrible travel booking sites ever! Was not told they were a third party site. Was on the phone for close to 2 hours trying to redeem a one-way flight. Was eventually given a confirmation number that the airline never heard of. Spoke to the airline who upon digging found the reservation. After Capitol One sold me an economy plus seat, they could not guarantee it. In time I arranged it with the airline and hope all is good. I called to try and cancel my card or get the balance of money in miles back. They only return 50% of the balance. Finally told to use miles, charge flight on Capitol One and when charge books, tell them and they will deduct miles. Only took me 2 hours to learn this. Couldn’t I have known this earlier? There are much better, easier and consumer respectful flights available.

Date of experience : February 22, 2024

accurate quote and the stay behind of…

accurate quote and the stay behind of the price match guarantee.Good customer service

Date of experience : January 09, 2023

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Everything you need to know about the Capital One travel portal

Editor's Note

Capital One's new travel portal, launched in 2021, has significantly improved since its beta release. It now allows Capital One credit cardholders , including those with the issuer's cash-back cards , to directly use their rewards for travel purchases. The portal also features updated flight search capabilities and the issuer's hotel programs: the Premier Collection and the Lifestyle Collection .

In this guide, we will explain what you need to know about the Capital One portal.

What is the Capital One travel portal?

Credit card issuers often provide bonus rewards when using their travel portals, but they can be frustrating due to poor customer service and user interfaces. However, Capital One differentiates itself by integrating technology from Hopper, a trusted app for predicting the lowest prices for flights and hotels. With access to vast amounts of data, Capital One claims a 95% accuracy rate in price predictions.

The portal also offers customer-friendly features like price drop protection, best price guarantee and price match with competitors. Suppose the portal advises you to book a flight. In that case, you will receive automatic price drop protection, ensuring a partial refund as a travel credit if the ticket price decreases within a specified time frame (generally up to $50 after booking).

Capital One has also addressed customer concerns by adding more support staff to reduce phone hold times. Three paid add-on features are available for users: cancel-for-any-reason (CFAR) coverage, price freeze protection and rapid rebooking .

CFAR coverage allows you to cancel your flight up to three hours before travel and receive back 70-90% of the ticket price. On the other hand, price freeze protection lets you pay a fee to lock in a price, protecting against sudden price increases. Rapid rebooking lets you select a same-day or next-day flight for up to $5,000 on any airline if your flight is delayed more than two hours or you risk not making your connection.

Here's a list of some top Capital One cards that offer access to Capital One Travel:

• Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
• Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
• Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card
• Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Credit Card
• Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card
• Capital One Spark Cash Plus
• Capital One Spark Miles for Business

You can access the portal through this link .

Related: Best Capital One credit cards

How to book flights through the Capital One travel portal

To book airfare using the Capital One travel portal, log into your account and hover over the "Flights" tab to search for one-way or round-trip flights. Enter your desired departure and arrival cities.

When selecting departure and return dates, it's not just a matter of merely selecting the convenient dates for you. Capital One brings in Hopper's familiar, color-coded interface, allowing you to see which dates offer the lowest prices in economy class.

You'll see Capital One's booking recommendation and flight options on the next screen.

From the results page, you can narrow the parameters by:

• Fare class (cabin)

Then, you can sort your results by:

• Recommended
• Price (low to high)
• Departure time (earliest to latest)
• Arrival time (earliest to latest)
• Stops (least to most)
• Duration (shortest to longest)

There are a few other interesting features worth mentioning. Above all the options, you can see the price prediction tool come into effect with clear messaging on whether or not it's a good time to book.

If the site's algorithms advise you to book, that will trigger free price drop protection. You'll get back up to $50 of the difference as a future travel credit if you book now and the price drops in the specified time period (10 days in the above example).

If you're not ready, you can press "Watch This Trip" to receive emails about the best time to book whenever better prices become available. Unfortunately, this feature applies to the route and date, not the specific flight(s) you want to watch — though you can exclude basic economy and connecting flights.

Pay attention to the fare class when booking flights. Basic economy differs between airlines. For example, United Airlines does not allow full-size carry-on bags, but Delta Air Lines does. Additionally, cancellation policies vary across fare classes.

Capital One has tried to standardize fare classes across all airlines on its platform, making it easier for users. When searching through Capital One Travel, you'll see the following labels:

• Basic : The best-priced options are often basic fares with restrictive policies and few amenities.
• Standard : Typically, main and economy fares include amenities like carry-on bags and seat selection.
• Enhanced : These fares include more legroom, priority boarding, and free beverages and snacks.
• Premium : These fares include cradled or reclined seats, priority boarding, and premium snacks and beverages.
• Luxury : These fares feature reclined seats with personalized services and premium meals. Priority boarding is also included.

After selecting your desired flight, Capital One Travel provides an extensive overview of what to expect during your journey. This includes detailed information on seat measurements, aircraft layout and onboard amenities like power outlets, fresh food options and whether lounge access is included. These comprehensive details surpass what you typically find on other travel portals or even when booking directly with airlines.

The payment side is quick and easy too. Enter the traveler information, with fields for frequent flyer numbers and Known Traveler Numbers (for instance, your TSA PreCheck number).

As a holder of the Capital One Venture card , I can apply my miles at a rate of 1 cent each toward the purchase. However, if you want to save your miles for later, press "Do not apply my rewards." You can use your credit card to pay for your reservation instead.

Note that the Capital One Venture X card offers 5 miles per dollar spent on flights booked through Capital One Travel.

Other options available in the booking process include purchasing the abovementioned add-ons: CFAR and price freeze. The price for these features will vary, depending on factors like your trip cost, how far in advance you're booking, whether the price is rated as "low" or "high," and other elements.

Related: Everything you need to know about Capital One's new rapid rebooking feature

How to book hotels through the Capital One travel portal

There are fewer distinctive features when booking your hotels through the Capital One travel portal, but the process is similar to the above.

To find a hotel, hover over the "Hotels" tab on the landing page and enter your destination, dates and number of travelers. Unlike flight bookings, there is no color-coded calendar for prices.

You'll then see a list and map format with various options. Filter your search by rating and price per night. Sort the listings by recommended, price (low to high) or star rating (high to low).

If your city has Premier Collection hotels, those options will appear toward the top. These hotels include benefits like an on-property "experience credit" of up to $100, daily breakfast for two people and complimentary Wi-Fi. Access is limited to those with premium credit cards from Capital One: Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card and Capital One Venture X Business (a business credit card formerly known as the Spark Travel Elite card).

If you click "All filters," you can sort by the amenities that matter to you or even look up specific properties.

While the search features are more limited than booking flights, you'll get a detailed description of each hotel and can find out about amenities, rates, location and cancellation policy.

The payment process for booking hotels is the same as for flights. You can redeem your Capital One miles for the trip or pay with your card.

Paying with your card may be the better option here, as multiple cards offer bonuses on hotels booked through Capital One Travel:

• Venture X: 10 miles per dollar spent
• Venture, VentureOne and Spark Miles: 5 miles per dollar spent
• SavorOne, Quicksilver and Spark Cash Plus: 5% cash back

However, if you book hotels in a major loyalty program — like Marriott Bonvoy or Hilton Honors — through Capital One Travel, you likely won't receive points. You also won't enjoy any elite status perks.

Related: The best hotels in San Francisco for a golden getaway

How to book rental cars through the Capital One travel portal

The process for rental cars is straightforward. Click "Car Rentals" at the top and enter your search criteria. You'll receive a list of options that can be filtered by car type, price per day, rental car company and specifications.

You can then reserve the car in a few clicks, with clear information about pick-up and drop-off.

With some rental car agencies — Hertz, Thrifty and Dollar — you can add your rewards number to the booking and likely enjoy the associated benefits. The option to add your loyalty number generally won't appear for other companies.

This is particularly appealing for Venture X cardholders , as you can earn 10 miles per dollar spent on rental car bookings and still enjoy the complimentary Hertz President's Circle status* that's included on the card.

Note that these car rentals earn rewards at the same rate as hotels booked through Capital One Travel:

*Upon enrollment eligible cardholders will maintain Hertz President's Circle status through Dec. 31, 2024. Please note, enrolling through the normal Hertz Gold Plus Rewards enrollment process (e.g., at Hertz.com) will not automatically detect a cardholder as being eligible for the program and cardholders will not be automatically upgraded to the applicable status tier. Additional terms apply.

Related: Stacking rental car perks with Hertz and the Venture X

Further things to consider about the Capital One travel portal

Capital One Travel packs a punch for cardholders, but there are a few additional things to remember.

First, consider checking alternative platforms like Google Flights for better prices or alternate routings before booking with Capital One. Credit card portals sometimes have higher prices and don't always show all available flight options. Be sure you're not paying more for the same itinerary.

Additionally, if you're planning on using your Venture miles or Spark miles at a rate of 1 cent apiece , you should always book directly with the travel provider (whether it's an airline, hotel or car rental company). Then, use the miles to cover that purchase. This ensures you get all of the benefits of booking directly while using your rewards at exactly the same redemption value.

Also, with 18 transfer partners , Capital One offers a range of options for transferring your miles at a 1:1 ratio. Before booking through the portal, compare prices against Capital One transfer programs. For instance, a $150 United flight can cost 15,000 Capital One miles through the portal or just 7,500 Avianca LifeMiles (plus minimal taxes and fees). In this instance, it makes more sense to transfer your Capital One miles to Avianca LifeMiles.

As noted, hotel and car rental reservations through Capital One Travel likely won't be eligible for perks in a given loyalty program. If your elite status is important, it's advisable to book directly with major chain hotels and most car rentals. However, if you're booking independently owned hotels or elite status isn't a concern, the Capital One travel portal may be a better option.

Finally, remember that Venture X cardholders enjoy $300 in annual credits for bookings made via Capital One Travel. Unlike the $300 credit on the Chase Sapphire Reserve , this only applies to purchases made through the portal. As a result, even if you'd rather book flights, hotels or car rentals directly with travel providers, you should still spend at least $300 on your Venture X through Capital One travel each year.

Related: 7 tips to help keep an airline from losing your luggage

Bottom line

Capital One has made significant advancements in the travel space, including improved transfer partners, the introduction of a premium card and the opening of its flagship lounge in Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW).

The Capital One travel portal offers a user-friendly interface. With its detailed pricing and fare class information, you might consider especially using it for flight bookings. Additional features like CFAR coverage, price drop protection, rapid rebooking and price freeze add value for cardholders.

You can also earn bonus rewards for many Capital One Travel purchases across most of the issuer's card portfolio, making it a great option as you plan upcoming trips.

Additional reporting by Stella Shon.

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Chase Sapphire Preferred Review: Nearly a Must-Have for Travelers

What’s on This Page

The bottom line, pros and cons, detailed review, compare to other cards, benefits and perks, drawbacks and considerations, how to decide if it's right for you.

The big sign-up bonus and high-value points have long made this a favorite among travelers.

Rewards rate

Bonus offer

• Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $750 when you redeem through Chase Travel℠.

Ongoing APR

APR: 21.49%-28.49% Variable APR

Cash Advance APR: 29.99%, Variable

Penalty APR: Up to 29.99%

Balance transfer fee

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

Foreign transaction fee

• Enjoy benefits such as 5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries, 2x on all other travel purchases, 1x on all other purchases, $50 Annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit, plus more.
• Get 25% more value when you redeem for airfare, hotels, car rentals and cruises through Chase Travel℠. For example, 60,000 points are worth $750 toward travel.
• Count on Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver, Lost Luggage Insurance and more.
• Get complimentary access to DashPass which unlocks $0 delivery fees and lower service fees for a minimum of one year when you activate by December 31, 2024.
• Member FDIC

New cardholder bonus offer

Bonus categories

Primary rental car coverage

Flexible rewards redemption

Transfer partners

Has annual fee

Requires good/excellent credit

Complicated rewards

For travelers, the $95 -annual-fee Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card stands out as a versatile and valuable choice.

With this card, you can earn rewards — known as Ultimate Rewards® points — in a variety of ways and redeem them strategically for travel, like transferring those points to a variety of loyalty programs, including heavy hitters such as United Airlines, Southwest Airlines, Marriott and Hyatt. And it dovetails nicely with some other Chase cards that also earn Ultimate Rewards® points.

Overall, it might not be the easiest card to use — a Swiss Army knife compared with the butter knife that simpler cards are. But it’s a go-to card for travelers who delight in finding ways to reap big value from their rewards.

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card : Basics

Card type: Travel .

Annual fee: $95 .

Sign-up bonus: Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $750 when you redeem through Chase Travel℠.

Ongoing rewards:

5 points per $1 spent on all travel purchased through Chase.

3 points per $1 spent on dining (including eligible delivery services and takeout).

3 points per $1 spent on select streaming services.

3 points per $1 spent on online grocery purchases (not including Target, Walmart and wholesale clubs).

2 points per $1 spent on travel not purchased through Chase.

1 point per $1 spent on other purchases.

Through March 2025: 5 points per $1 spent on eligible Peloton purchases (with a maximum earning of 25,000 points) and on Lyft.

Interest rate: The ongoing APR is 21.49%-28.49% Variable APR .

Foreign transaction fees: None.

Other benefits:

A $50 annual credit on hotel stays purchased through Chase.

Each account anniversary, cardmembers will earn bonus points equal to 10% of total purchases made the previous year.

Hotel and airline transfer partners.

Primary rental car coverage .

» MORE: Benefits of the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

How much is a point worth?

Chase Ultimate Rewards® points earned on this card are worth 1.25 cents each when redeemed for travel booked through Chase. Using points this way, or transferring them to travel partners, is key to getting the most value from the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card . Otherwise, it’s not quite as lucrative to use points for less-valuable redemption options, including cash back, gift cards and merchandise.

The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card offers versatility for travelers that's hard to find at a similar price point.

Solid sign-up bonus

The card features a generous sign-up bonus: Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $750 when you redeem through Chase Travel℠.

Bonus rewards i n multiple categories

You earn extra points in a bunch of spending categories, which is good, but also makes it complicated:

Through March 2025: 5 points per $1 spent on Lyft.

Triple points on dining and streaming services is useful, while online grocery purchases may or may not be, depending on your lifestyle. Travel-related purchases are far more lucrative if you’re willing to book through Chase's travel portal. Even if you’re not, Chase’s definition of "travel" is fortunately broad; in addition to airfare and hotel stays, you can also earn bonus rewards on expenses like parking garage fees, bus fares and campgrounds. And these bonus rewards aren’t just available for travel and dining in the U.S., they can be earned worldwide.

Those earnings rates are, in effect, slightly higher because of the 10% anniversary bonus boost. For example, streaming services rewards effectively have a rewards rate of 3.1%. (The anniversary bonus applies to dollars spent, not points earned.)

And if you’re willing to use points to book travel through the Chase portal, your points will get a 25% boost (points are worth 1.25 cents). All told, a dollar spent at a restaurant or for a streaming service, for example, would earn a total value of 3.75 cents when used for travel through Chase.

This card’s valuable 1:1 transfer partners make it a keeper, especially if you're willing to look for good redemption opportunities. Say you spot a nice deal with one of Chase’s airline transfer partners — maybe a flight that normally costs thousands of dollars going for a mere 50,000 miles plus taxes and fees. With this card, you have the ability to transfer your Chase Ultimate Rewards® points into that airline’s loyalty program and pounce on that deal.

Here are the transfer partners:

Aer Lingus (1:1 ratio).

Air Canada (1:1 ratio).

Air France-KLM (1:1 ratio).

British Airways (1:1 ratio).

Emirates (1:1 ratio).

Iberia (1:1 ratio).

JetBlue (1:1 ratio).

Singapore (1:1 ratio).

Southwest (1:1 ratio).

United (1:1 ratio).

Virgin Atlantic (1:1 ratio).

Hyatt (1:1 ratio).

InterContinental Hotels Group (1:1 ratio).

Marriott (1:1 ratio).

» MORE: Chase Ultimate Rewards: How the Program Works

Complementary cards

The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is an excellent companion to other cards in the Chase Ultimate Rewards® family. That’s because you can move points to this card from your other cards that earn Chase Ultimate Rewards®, potentially opening up more redemption options.

Consider the Chase Freedom Flex℠ . It earns 5% cash back on rotating quarterly categories (on up to the first $1,500 in purchases, upon activation) in addition to rewards for other spending. You could potentially move the rewards you earn on that card to the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card . From there, you could get more value out of your points by transferring points at a 1:1 ratio to other loyalty programs or redeeming them for 1.25 cents apiece when booking travel through Chase. (See our comparison article on Flex versus Sapphire Preferred .)

» MORE: What is the ‘Chase Trifecta’?

The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and its more upscale sibling, the Chase Sapphire Reserve® , have had their rewards, perks and bonuses tweaked over the years as the issuer has worked to keep them at the top of travelers' wallets. See our Chase Sapphire cards news page for a rundown.

Sapphire Preferred vs. Sapphire Reserve

If you have your eye on the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card , you might also be checking out the pricier Chase Sapphire Reserve® . A premium travel card, the Chase Sapphire Reserve® comes with an annual fee of $550 and several rich perks and benefits, including airline lounge access and an annual $300 travel credit. If you travel enough, going for the more expensive option could be well worth the cost.

Read NerdWallet’s full comparison of these two cards to learn more about the differences.

Here’s a look at how the cards stack up on major features:

It's complicated

All those reward categories with different rates, an anniversary bonus and a 1.25 cents per point redemption for travel through Chase? Dizzying.

Additionally, the best rewards and redemptions are tightly tied to using the Chase portal to book travel or to transferring points to a different loyalty program, which is more to figure out. And to really boost your points, many people will use the card in conjunction with other Chase cards.

In the end, making the most of the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card requires a learning curve and an ongoing juggling act that some consumers simply don’t want to deal with. If you're interested in earning travel rewards, but want something a little easier to use, the $95 -annual-fee Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card has a much simpler rewards structure.

You'll earn 5 miles per dollar on hotels and car rentals booked through Capital One Travel. Other purchases earn 2 miles per dollar. But like the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card , there's multiple ways to redeem rewards with this card, including transferring them to travel partners. If you want something even more straightforward, consider a cash-back credit card .

Few premium perks

The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is an excellent card for travelers in general. It even has a few travel perks, such as primary rental car insurance , trip cancellation/interruption insurance and lost luggage insurance.

But for those who love to travel in style, the more expensive Chase Sapphire Reserve® could be a better fit.

The Chase Sapphire Reserve® with an annual fee of $550 comes with an annual $300 travel credit and Priority Pass Select access, which gets you into several airport lounges for free and includes meal credits for certain airport eateries. And it comes with a credit for TSA PreCheck or Global Entry (or NEXUS), worth up to $100 once every four years.

To see how these cards compare to the competition, check out NerdWallet's list of best credit cards to get .

Using the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card for simple rewards — say, earning cash back — would be akin to buying a top-of-the-line multipurpose tool just to use the nail file. The card offers outstanding value, but to fully appreciate it, a traveler needs to take advantage of its versatility. If that appeals to you, this card is an excellent choice.

With no annual fee, this card gives you 1.5 miles for every $1 you spend. It comes with a new-cardmember bonus offer, and points are redeemable for statement credit against many kinds of travel expenses.

Looking For Something Else?

Methodology.

NerdWallet reviews credit cards with an eye toward both the quantitative and qualitative features of a card. Quantitative features are those that boil down to dollars and cents, such as fees, interest rates, rewards (including earning rates and redemption values) and the cash value of benefits and perks. Qualitative factors are those that affect how easy or difficult it is for a typical cardholder to get good value from the card. They include such things as the ease of application, simplicity of the rewards structure, the likelihood of using certain features, and whether a card is well-suited to everyday use or is best reserved for specific purchases. Our star ratings serve as a general gauge of how each card compares with others in its class, but star ratings are intended to be just one consideration when a consumer is choosing a credit card. Learn how NerdWallet rates credit cards.

Frequently asked questions

Rewards are: 5 points per $1 spent on all travel booked through Chase, 3 points per $1 spent on dining (including eligible delivery services and takeout), 3 points per $1 spent on select streaming services, 3 points per $1 spent on online grocery purchases (not including Target, Walmart and wholesale clubs), 2 points per $1 spent on travel not booked through Chase and 1 point per $1 spent on other purchases. Occasionally, the issuer may offer bonus rewards in specific categories for a limited time.

That depends on how you redeem them. If you use them to book travel through Chase — such as for airfare, hotels, rental cars or cruises — points are worth 1.25 cents each. If you redeem them for cash, they’ll be worth 1 cent apiece. You can also transfer points to about a dozen airline and hotel loyalty programs; the value you get depends on how you redeem them in those programs.

As long as your account is open, your points won’t expire. There’s no limit to the number of points you can earn.

The Chase Sapphire Reserve® has a much higher annual fee — $550 , compared with $95 for the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card — but it offers richer rewards and more perks. Points are worth 1.5 cents apiece when redeemed for travel through Chase (versus 1.25 cents for the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card ). Perks include an annual $300 travel credit that offsets a big slice of the annual fee. See our comparison article for more details.

If you have good to excellent credit and you’re in line with Chase’s 5/24 rule , you could be approved for the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card . Good credit is generally defined as a FICO of 690 or higher, although issuers also take into account your income, existing debts and other information.

About the author s

Claire Tsosie

Gregory Karp

MIT Technology Review

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Hydrogen trains could revolutionize how Americans get around

Decarbonizing rail transportation is a political problem as much as a technological one.

• Benjamin Schneider archive page

Like a mirage speeding across the dusty desert outside Pueblo, Colorado, the first hydrogen-fuel-cell passenger train in the United States is getting warmed up on its test track. Made by the Swiss manufacturer Stadler and known as the FLIRT (for “Fast Light Intercity and Regional Train”), it will soon be shipped to Southern California, where it is slated to carry riders on San Bernardino County’s Arrow commuter rail service before the end of the year. In the insular world of railroading, this hydrogen-powered train is a Rorschach test. To some, it represents the future of rail transportation. To others, it looks like a big, shiny distraction.

In the quest to decarbonize the transportation sector—the largest source of greenhouse-gas emissions in the United States—rubber-tired electric vehicles tend to dominate the conversation. But to reach the Biden administration’s goal of net-zero emissions by 2050, other forms of transportation, including those on steel wheels, will need to find new energy sources too. 

The best way to decarbonize railroads is the subject of growing debate among regulators, industry, and activists. Things are coming to a head in California, which recently enacted rules requiring all new passenger locomotives operating in the state to be zero-emissions by 2030 and all new freight locomotives to meet that threshold by 2035. Federal regulators could be close behind.

The debate is partly technological, revolving around whether hydrogen fuel cells, batteries, or overhead electric wires offer the best performance for different railroad situations. But it’s also political: a question of the extent to which decarbonization can, or should, usher in a broader transformation of rail transportation. For decades, the government has largely deferred to the will of the big freight rail conglomerates. Decarbonization could shift that power dynamic—or further entrench it. 

So far, hydrogen has been the big technological winner in California. Over the past year, the California Department of Transportation, known as Caltrans, has ordered 10 hydrogen FLIRT trains at a cost of $207 million. After the Arrow service, the next rail line to receive hydrogen trains is scheduled to be the Valley Rail service in the Central Valley. That line will connect Sacramento to California High-Speed Rail, the under-construction system that will eventually link Los Angeles and San Francisco.

In its analysis of different zero-­emissions rail technologies, Caltrans found that hydrogen trains, powered by onboard fuel cells that convert hydrogen into electricity, had better range and shorter refueling times than battery-electric trains, which function much like electric cars. Hydrogen was also a cheaper power source than overhead wire (or simply “electrification,” in industry parlance), which would cost an estimated $6.8 billion to install on the state’s three main intercity routes. (California High-Speed Rail and its shared track on the Bay Area’s Caltrain commuter service will both be powered by overhead wire, since electrification is necessary to reach speeds of over 100 miles per hour.)  

Further complicating the electrification option, installing overhead wire on the rest of California’s passenger network would require the consent of BNSF and Union Pacific, the two major freight rail carriers that own most of the state’s tracks. The companies have long opposed the installation of wire above their tracks, which they say could interfere with double-stacked freight trains. 

Electrifying all 144,000 miles of the nation’s freight rail tracks would cost hundreds of billions of dollars, according to a report by the Association of American Railroads (AAR), an industry trade group, and even electrifying smaller sections of track would result in ongoing disruptions to train traffic and shift freight customers from trains to trucks, the group claims. Electrification would also require the cooperation of electric utilities, leaving railroads vulnerable to the grid connection delays that plague renewable-energy developers. 

“We have long stretches of track outside of urbanized areas,” says Marcin Taraszkiewicz, an engineer at the engineering and architecture firm HDR who has worked on Caltrans’s hydrogen train program. Getting power to those rugged places can be a challenge, he says, especially when infrastructure must be designed to resist natural disasters like wildfires and earthquakes: “If that wire goes down, you’re going to be in trouble.” 

The AAR thinks California’s railroad emissions regulations are too much, too soon, especially given that freight rail is already three to four times more fuel efficient than trucking. Last year, the AAR sued the state over its latest railroad emissions regulations, in a case that is still pending . Though the group generally prefers hydrogen to electrification as a long-term solution, it contends that this alternative technology is not yet mature enough to meet the industry’s needs. 

A group called Californians for Electric Rail also views hydrogen as an immature technology. “From an environmental as well as a cost perspective, it’s a really circular and indirect way of doing things,” says Adriana Rizzo, the group’s founder, who is an advocate for electrifying the state’s regional and intercity tracks with overhead wire.

Synthesizing, transporting, and using the tiny hydrogen molecule can be very inefficient. Hydrogen trains currently require roughly three times more energy per mile than trains powered by overhead wire. And the environmental benefits of hydrogen—the ostensible purpose of this new technology—remain largely theoretical, since the vast majority of hydrogen today is produced by burning fossil fuels like methane. Natural-gas utilities have been among the hydrogen industry’s biggest boosters , because they are already able to produce and transport the gas. 

Opinions on the merits of hydrogen trains have been mixed. In 2022, following a pilot program, the German state of Baden-Württemberg determined that this technology would be 80% more expensive to operate over the long run than other zero-emissions alternatives. 

Kyle Gradinger, assistant deputy director for rail at Caltrans, thinks there’s been some “Twittersphere exaggeration” about the problems with hydrogen trains. In tests, the hydrogen-powered Stadler FLIRT is “performing as well as we expected, if not better,” he says. Since they also use electric motors, hydrogen trains offer many of the same benefits as trains powered by overhead wire, Gradinger says. Both technologies will be quieter, cleaner, and faster than diesel trains. 

Caltrans hopes to obtain all the hydrogen for its trains from zero-emissions sources by 2030—a goal bolstered by a draft clean-­hydrogen rule issued by the Biden administration in 2023. California is one of seven “hydrogen hubs” in the US, public-private partnerships that will receive billions of dollars in subsidies from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act for developing hydrogen technologies. It’s too early to say whether Caltrans will be able to procure funding for its hydrogen fueling stations and supply chains through these subsidies, Gradinger says, but it’s certainly a possibility. So far, California is the only US state to have purchased hydrogen trains. 

Advocates like Rizzo fear, however, that all this investment in hydrogen infrastructure will get in the way of more transformative changes to passenger rail in California. 

“Why are we putting millions of dollars into buying new trains and putting up all of this infrastructure and then expecting the same crappy service that we have now?” Rizzo says. “These systems could carry so many more passengers.” 

Rizzo’s group, and allies like the Rail Passenger Association of California and Nevada , think decarbonization is an opportunity to install the type of infrastructure that supports the vast majority of fast passenger train services around the world. Though the up-front investment in overhead wire is high, electrification reduces operating costs by providing constant access to a cheap and efficient energy source. Electrification also improves acceleration so that trains can travel closer together, creating the potential for service patterns that function more like an urban metro system than a once-per-day Amtrak route. 

Caltrans has a long-term plan to dramatically increase rail service and speeds, which might eventually require electrification by overhead wire, also known as a catenary system. But at least for the next couple of decades, the agency believes, hydrogen is the most feasible way to meet the state’s ambitious climate goals. The money, the political will, and the stomach for a fight with the freight railroads and utility companies just aren’t there yet.  

“The gold standard is overhead catenary electrification, if you can do that,” Gradinger says. “But we aren’t going to get to a level of service on the intercity side for at least the next decade or two that would warrant investment in electrification.” 

Rizzo hopes that as the federal government puts more railroad emissions regulations in place, the case for electrifying rail by overhead wire will get stronger. Other countries have come to that conclusion: a 2015 policy change in India resulted in the electrification of nearly half the country’s track mileage in less than a decade. The United Kingdom’s Decarbonising Transport Plan states that electrification will be the “main way” to decarbonize the rail industry. 

These changes are still compatible with a robust freight industry. The world’s most powerful locomotives are electric, pulling ore-laden freight trains in South Africa and China. In 2002, Russia finished electrifying the 5,700-mile Trans-Siberian Railway, demonstrating that freight trains running on electric wire can travel very long distances over very harsh terrain.

Things may be starting to shift in the US as well, albeit slowly. BNSF appears to have softened its stance against electrification on a corridor it owns in Southern California, where it has agreed to allow California High-Speed Rail to construct overhead wire on its right of way. Rizzo and her group are looking to make these projects easier by sponsoring state legislation exempting overhead wire from the California Environmental Quality Act. That would prevent situations like a 2015 environmental lawsuit from the affluent Bay Area suburb of Atherton, over tree removal and visual impact, that delayed Caltrain’s electrification project for nearly two years.

New innovations could blur the lines between different kinds of green rail technologies. Caltrain has ordered a battery-­equipped electrified train that has the potential to charge up while traveling from San Francisco to San Jose and then run on a battery onward to Gilroy and Salinas. A similar system could someday be deployed in Southern California, where trains could charge through the Los Angeles metro area and run on batteries over more remote stretches to Santa Barbara and San Diego. 

New hydrogen technologies could also prove transformative for passenger rail. The FLIRT train doing laps in the Colorado desert is version 1.0. In the future, using ammonia as a hydrogen carrier could result in much longer range for hydrogen trains, as well as more seamless refueling. “With hydrogen, there’s a lot more room to grow,” Taraszkiewicz says.

But in a country that has invested little in passenger rail over the past century, new technology can only do so much, Taraszkiewicz cautions. America’s railroads all too often lack passing tracks, grade-separated road crossings, and modern signaling systems. The main impediment to faster, more frequent passenger service “is not the train technology,” he says. “It’s everything else.”

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