Free Perks May Not Be as Free as You Think
Even though travel insurance coverage appears to be “included” with most premium cards, it may not be active if you didn't pay for the entire flight reservation with your card, only the taxable portion. Some “free lounge access” offers are only valid if the reservation is made through the card's own portal. For example, with Capital One cards, this access may be automatically canceled for reservations made through Expedia.
Promotions such as “free 4th night” on hotel reservations generally do not include taxes and resort fees. So, you may end up paying $80 per night in taxes and fees when you thought you were getting a free night.
Loyalty Point Loss: Cool Cards Are Not Always Profitable
Hotel reservations made through some bank card portals (e.g., Chase Travel) do not earn you points in the hotel chain's loyalty program. This means that even if you have Hilton Honors or Marriott Bonvoy status, this status will be ignored in the reservation system. If you make your reservation through your card provider's system, keep in mind that the hotel may not recognize your status at check-in and that benefits such as free upgrades and late check-out may be revoked.
Price Guarantee Traps
Many cards offer “Price Protection,” which means they will refund the difference if the price drops. However, in some systems, this feature only works if the same time, carrier, ticket class, and refund rules apply. Even the slightest difference can invalidate the refund. When booking through American Express' Fine Hotels & Resorts system, your refund request may be denied even if the same room is found cheaper on another site, because “platform-based matching” is not done.
Concierge Service and Secret Reservations
Some ultra-premium cards (e.g., Luxury Card Black) may include special rates and secret rooms that are not visible online when booking through their concierge service. However, these reservations may be non-cancellable or non-changeable. Some cards do not make reservations directly when you call customer service. They only direct you to the relevant systems. This may result in delayed confirmations and missing reservation documents.
Mileage and Point Usage May Be Retroactive
When paying with your card after making a reservation, some systems (e.g., Capital One Miles) offer the option to pay with points retroactively. However, this feature is only valid for reservations made within 90 days and registered in the system. Some point systems may refund points as travel credit at a lower value rather than cash if you cancel a flight or hotel reservation paid with card points.
Excluded Reservation Types
For car rental reservations, card insurance may only be valid for the “standard segment.” If you rent an SUV, luxury, or electric vehicle, damage coverage may be automatically disabled. The same applies to cruise reservations. Some cards do not recognize cruise ships as a travel category, which may cancel point earnings or insurance coverage.
The Difference Between the Reservation Portal and the Actual Supplier
If you purchased a flight ticket through Chase or American Express Travel and the flight was subsequently canceled, the card company is responsible, not the airline. This can make getting a refund much more difficult in some cases.
In some cases, after making a reservation with your card, the hotel system may recognize the reservation as a “third-party” reservation and give you a worse room. In some chains, bonus points and welcome gifts may not be given for this reason.
The Hidden Conditions for Triggering Card Benefits
Many travel credit cards promise extra points when you make “travel purchases.” However, some card providers do not count these purchases as “travel” if you book your flight through a third party (Skyscanner, Hopper, etc.) rather than directly through the airline.
Some providers, such as Capital One and Citi, only award bonus points for hotel reservations that carry specific codes (MCCs). For example, a hotel reservation made through booking.com may appear in the “entertainment” category in the card system, resulting in only 1x points.
Double Booking Risk and Card Discrepancies
Some users report experiencing double bookings due to a lack of synchronization between the card's booking portal and the hotel's own website. If this is noticed during check-in, both reservations may need to be canceled.
If the name used during card payment does not exactly match the name on the reservation (e.g., reservation made in your spouse's name, payment made with your card), some premium services may not be available. Lounge access or transfer services may be affected by this.
The Value of Transfer Points Varies by Reservation Type
American Express Membership Rewards points are generally worth 0.7 cents when transferred to Marriott for hotel reservations. However, when transferred to programs such as Avios for airline tickets, this value can increase to 1.5 cents. The same points can have twice the value on different reservations.
Chase Ultimate Rewards points are worth 25% to 50% more when used directly through the Travel portal. However, this benefit is only available with certain cards (such as Sapphire Preferred or Reserve). If you have another Chase card, the same points may be processed at a much lower value.
No Insurance Coverage if the Reservation is Not Made with the Card
Many users have noticed that when they make a flight reservation through an OTA (online travel agency) and then pay with their credit card, their travel cancellation insurance does not apply. This is because the insurance is only valid for reservations made through the card's own portal or directly through the airline/hotel. Similarly, if a user wants to cover losses due to a flight delay and changes the flight using a coupon provided by the airline instead of the card, no card insurance will cover this situation.
Non-Reservation Benefits of Annual Fee Cards Do Not Take Effect at the Time of Reservation
Some cards offer $100 or more in hotel credit in exchange for an annual fee. However, this credit is only valid at certain partner hotels and for a minimum of two nights. Therefore, this benefit may be completely overlooked for one-night reservations.
Similarly, “upscale” perks such as airport transfers or private meet-and-greet services generally require booking at least 72 hours in advance. For last-minute reservations, these services may be automatically canceled by the system.
Hidden Deductions for Reservations Made in Different Currencies
Some booking portals display prices in a currency other than US dollars (e.g., Euro or GBP). In such cases, your card provider's automatic currency conversion policy may apply, resulting in a difference of approximately 2-3%. Even if you believe you are getting the best exchange rate, selecting the “Convert to USD” option on the booking screen often ends up being more expensive.
Some cards do not charge a “foreign transaction fee,” but if the transaction is converted instead of being processed directly in USD, this privilege may be disabled. As a result, differences of $20-30 per reservation may occur.
The Price Shown on the Travel Portal Is Not the Final Price
Prices displayed on card providers' own travel portals (e.g., Chase Travel, Amex Travel) often appear cheaper at first glance. However, dynamic pricing kicks in during the payment process, and hidden fees labeled as “service charges” may be added to the final price. This difference can sometimes amount to $15–20 per night.
Additionally, during some bookings, you may be presented with options like “pay now or upon arrival?” If you choose “pay now,” you'll earn card points, but there's still a risk of being asked to pay again upon arrival due to hotel policy. This mistake is particularly common with smaller chains.
Activation Requirements for Special Campaigns
Some travel campaigns offered by premium cards (e.g., $200 hotel credit, 2x points) are not automatically assigned to the card. Users must “activate” these campaigns in the system. If you make a reservation without activating the campaign, you will not be able to claim the benefit later. The most common mistake Amex users make is making reservations without activating the campaign from the “Amex Offers” tab. The system does not retroactively match campaigns.
Hotel Categories Vary by Card
Some cards (e.g., Citi Prestige or Amex Platinum) offer campaigns such as “free 4th night” only at hotels with a certain star rating. However, this classification may vary across portals. The same hotel may appear as 4 stars on one portal and 3.5 stars on another, making it ineligible for the campaign. If the hotel category is incorrectly defined, the campaign may be canceled or charges may be applied later. Users may receive a surprise bill weeks after making the reservation.
Late Check-In or Late Check-Out Rights Are Not Always Guaranteed
Some cards (especially those under the Amex FHR program) state that they offer early check-in at 12:00 PM and late check-out until 4:00 PM. However, this “guarantee” is only valid if the room is available. In other words, it is not technically guaranteed but rather “given priority.” Especially during peak seasons like summer or trade shows, this “guarantee” often becomes just a marketing slogan. The actual experience may fall far short of what's promised on the card.
Cancellation Policies: Different on the Card Portal, Different in Reality
The same hotel may offer free cancellation on Booking.com or the hotel's own website, but be listed with strict cancellation policies on the card provider's portal. For example, a hotel listed as “non-cancellable” on Amex Travel would be cancellable if booked directly through the hotel's website. Some users have reported that after making a reservation with card points, when they tried to cancel, the points were refunded “much later than expected” or, in some cases, at a lower value.
Price and Campaign Differences Between Mobile App and Desktop
Reservations made through the mobile apps of card providers such as Chase, Amex, and Citi may include different promotions than the desktop version. In particular, “mobile exclusive” promotions are only visible for reservations made through the app. Similarly, some prices are only visible on the desktop and not in the app. This can cause users who make reservations on the wrong platform to miss out on hundreds of dollars in savings.
User Location Can Affect Prices and Benefits
If travel card users are using a VPN or a different IP address outside the US, hotel or flight prices on the booking screen may be automatically adjusted according to local pricing. This can make some promotions invisible or direct you to a more expensive booking due to currency exchange rates. Some campaigns are coded as valid only for “bookings made within the US.” Someone with the same card booking from Turkey may not receive the same points at the same price.
No Refunds if You Forget to Select Your Card Benefit During Booking
Some card programs offer options such as paying with points, using travel credit, or activating promotions during the booking process. However, these options are only valid if selected at the payment screen. You cannot request retroactive point usage or credit application by contacting customer service afterward.
For example, Amex Platinum's “$200 Hotel Credit” benefit only applies to hotels included in Fine Hotels & Resorts and The Hotel Collection and when payment is made with the card at the time of booking. If you choose to pay with points, this credit will not apply.
Benefits May Not Apply to Flights Booked Through Airline Partners
Consider booking a British Airways flight with your American Express card. However, if the reservation is made through the Qatar Airways website, some of the insurance and lounge benefits offered by Amex may not apply because the system does not recognize the flight as being booked “directly” through British Airways.
A similar situation may arise with flight reservations made using card points. If the flight is displayed through a partner airline but the ticketing is handled by another company in the background, issues may arise regarding check-in or baggage allowances.
Automatic Delay and Cancellation Tracking Is Not as Automatic as It Seems
Many premium cards claim to cover certain expenses (hotel, meals, transportation) in the event of a flight delay or cancellation. However, this benefit does not activate automatically. The user must manually submit a claim to the card issuer within 48 hours of the delay.
Some users have encountered payment refusals despite providing documentation of a 4-hour flight delay, with the reason given that the documentation was not from the airline but from the passenger. Delay records must be obtained directly from the airline's system.
When You Make a Reservation with a Card, the “Pre-Authorization” Transaction May Appear Delayed
In some cases, when you make a hotel reservation with a card, the system may appear to have taken payment, but the transaction is actually a pre-authorization and may remain as a “pending transaction” on your account for several days. This may affect your card limit and restrict subsequent spending.
Additionally, the authorization may be double-billed in some cases—especially if both the card portal and the hotel authorize the card at the same time. This difference often goes unnoticed by the user and, if not resolved with the bank before it appears on the card statement, may result in a limit issue within a few days.
A Small Mistake in the Name on Your Flight Reservation Can Invalidate Your Card Insurance
Some cards' flight insurance or cancellation protection is invalid if the name on the ticket does not exactly match the cardholder's name. For example, if you purchase a ticket in your spouse's name using your own card, the insurance will only be issued in your name, and you will not receive a refund in case of flight cancellation.
This is especially common with tickets purchased with card points. This is because point systems automatically assign the reservation holder, and if a different name is entered, the system identifies the reservation as a “third party.”
A Rare But Real Danger When Booking Travel with a Card: Dynamic Repricing
Some major travel portals allow the system to perform “background price updates” while you proceed to the payment screen. This means that if the page takes even 10 seconds to load during the payment step, the same room or flight may be offered at a different price.
The user may complete the payment without noticing the new price and later realize they paid more than expected. This situation is common on some card portals because inventory and demand fluctuate in real-time, especially during peak seasons.
Sharing the Same Reservation with the Same Card Sometimes Removes Privileges
When two people are traveling together, some users make two separate reservations for the same room using the same card and under two different names. However, some hotels and airlines flag this as a group reservation in their systems and may cancel individual benefits (free breakfast, upgrades, etc.).
Additionally, in some systems, making two separate reservations with the same card is detected as a “double booking,” and one of the lower-priced reservations is automatically canceled. This automation may activate before customer service can intervene.